The Chimeric Ascension of Lyudmila Springfield

Chapter One-Hundred-Four: Reaching Ria’s Ruins– Part One

It was before breakfast the following morning, and only Sekh, Tilde, Tris, and I were up. My beloved maid figured she’d best get a start on her physical therapy to get it out of the way, so she sat, nestled and comfy in her wheelchair, focusing on her wrist mobility.    

Sekh had said an all-nighter or three wouldn’t harm her, so she remained awake to spend time with us. Besides, it wasn’t like Tris and I needed to sleep.    

“So…”  

“So what?” I asked Tilde. She bit her lips, resting her hands on her blanket-covered lap.   

“I mean… Do you wanna talk about it? The others are asleep. You can use that spell to make a sphere of silence, so… I ain’t gonna force it out of you, Master.”  

“It’s…almost something I’m glad I found out,” I admitted. “Knowing we came from individual realities instead of one massive fucked up world kind of gives me faith that some timelines aren’t as messed up as this shit hole. I can’t say the same about all the ones I know, but some seemed somewhat pleasurable.” Immediately, the world Greggie and Keeth originated from, along with the one Ami and Elly came from, materialized. Those two realities were the most ‘normal’ when you stretched that definition. Lori and Ann’s world probably rested on the opposite side of the spectrum, with everyone else along that axis.   

“I’m not talking about that. I mean about you. Specifically… What you had to do. And…what…happened…”  Tilde scrunched her face and didn’t know how to approach the topic.   

“You don’t have to tiptoe around it. My parents sold me to an affluent piece of shit named Marshall Doctrinae because they were tired of living in poverty. I found solace in killing them whenever the drugs wore off because that was the only ounce of freedom I had. At some point… He changed my name to Shuuta… I made it home, and I shot those two sons of bitches between the eye without…feeling anything.”  

“…”  

“Mia saw it. She was there. The shrewd shit stain had always been distant. I remember it clearly—something was wrong with her. She only acted her age in front of our parents, but the girl was a genuine psychopath. It’s like she lived for chaos. She grabbed proof of the abuse, blackmailed the bastard to make it look like a murder-suicide, and set up a deadman’s trigger to release the documents if something happened to us using some website. It wasn’t out of kindness. She saw me as a pathway to achieve her dreams. Her sisterly affection was as wide as the ocean and as deep as a drop of water. She loved nothing and no one except herself. Even my therapy was orchestrated by those two to make me lock everything away in the darkest pits of my mind.”  

“It makes you wonder how a monster could be born like that. Some people… Some people are dealt a fucked hand. Some accept the cards and even embrace them. Those are the scary ones.”  

“You aren’t wrong. Mia skyrocketed from there. That wealth was a drop in the bucket for Marshall, but it granted Mia all the goddamn opportunities in the world. And there was me—poor little Michael—unaware of the truth. Unaware of what I had done. You know, she’s the one who convinced me to enroll in the same college. She bribed the admission council since she was the youngest to join the physics graduate program. It’s funny. That part’s not a lie. She’s really a prodigy…”  

Sekh grabbed my hand. Tris hugged me from behind. Tilde forced herself to touch my knee.  

“The bitch had her hands in my admission to the marksmanship club. She knew what I had done with that gun, and… Mia relished in the control she had over me. She knew…and me using the weapon that freed her from our parents’ restrictive bindings… No wonder Meruria took a liking to her. They’re cut from the same cloth. Is it ironic we were summoned when she was treating me at the mall? My naivety couldn’t see the forest for the trees. That’s how tightly she had me wrapped around her little finger. But…”  

“But…” Tilde egged me to continue.   

“What happened…happened. I can’t change it. I was still abused. I still killed my parents. Knowing the truth won’t change how I feel. If anything, it makes me that much more determined to see that bitch die. Besides, I knew I wasn’t normal.” I closed my eyes, and the ‘scene’ vividly appeared. The yelling… The shouting… The begging… The smoke erupting from the barrel… The blood splattered against the wall… Those eyes as the life faded from their bodies… And the total…nothingness…I felt killing for the first time.  

Maybe… Maybe I was always meant to be broken…  

My sexual abuse and those drugs contributed to my erectile dysfunction, but I had thought I was asexual. I never really felt anything remotely related to lust before meeting Sekh. And…  

“I hate it. Meruria controlled everything. My anger? My outburst? She wrote the script and forced me to star for her pathetic amusement. It was artificial—that’s how she designed it. Except it became genuine. It’s the fuel keeping me going. It’ll become her downfall.”  

My loved ones squeezed me. Their affection… Their care… Their worries…  

I smiled. “I swear I’m fine, you guys. I know well enough to not let it stew inside me. I won’t hide anything from you. Tris can verify that. She knows me more than I know myself.”  

Tris kissed my cheek. “I do, my lord. I know you speak true.”  

“I won’t say I’m completely fine. Maybe I’ll have a nightmare. Maybe I won’t. I’ll cross that road if we come to it, so until then… I’ve accepted what happened. It’s not something I want to focus on since the past is literally left in another world. Focusing on it will only cause unnecessary heartache.”  

“Your plan, Mila. Will you still reveal the truth at the Lord Conference? Even if it means…  

“I will,” I answered Sekh, rubbing her armored hands. “I’ll lay it all on the line even if it meant becoming ‘Shuuta Fenton’ one last time. Meruria’s Soul Warriors will know how much they were deceived.  And then I’ll never think about it again because it’ll have no place in my life. Because I’m not Michael or Shuuta. I want nothing more than to be Lyudmila Vredi Springfield. Besides, finally knowing the truth won’t change anything, will it? It’s not you’ll treat me differently.”  

“Oh, Master…” Tilde leaned forward, touching her forehead to mine, and relaxed in silence since words weren’t needed. Our actions spoke—that was all we needed until dawn approached.    

*****

*****

Greggie was the first to wake. He emerged from his tent with a mighty stretch and began preparing breakfast after saying good morning. Tilde, unable to help in any meaningful capacity, observed to learn as Tris assisted him. Yew and Surtr made their appearance. She yawned, adorably rubbing her eyes while sniffing.   

“Smells good, yeah? Wanna help us out?”  

“Eh? Is that okay?” Yew looked to Greggie, who nodded. He flashed a bright smile and waved her on over.    

It didn’t take long for deliciousness to radiate around the camp, which lured Niva, Prim, and Lei from their tent.   

“Feeling better?” I asked Niva.   

She rubbed her arm and looked at the campfire. “I…don’t really know. I’ve been up for almost twenty minutes, but I couldn’t go back to sleep. I…feel… It’s—it’s hard…” Niva stuttered. She kept wanting to look away like she was compunctious.  

“Don’t be ashamed,” I said, patting her head. She met my eyes. However, I couldn’t say anything else because we were interrupted by a sudden gasp.  

“Eh? Niva?!” We turned to another tent and saw an idol’s head poking from the flap. She quickly wiped her eyes before ducking inside.  “Hey, Ami! Qutie! She’s up.”   

Seconds later, the cousins scrambled to hug Niva, proclaiming how happy they were to see her awake. Elly then darted away and returned with Keeth, whose expression seemingly melted at seeing his patient.    

“Your hands. Did…”  

“They don’t hurt, so please don’t worry about it.”  

“I used healing magic before I went to bed last night,” added Quella. Mary and Melusine were behind her. “Elly rubbed that cream on him, too.”  

The group sat, and as Greggie and Tris finished breakfast preparation, Keeth informed Niva about the quick latch release system. “This new method is different. The nerves aren’t ‘connected,’” he began to explain. “Consider them two separate parts. You have your arm nerves and the cluster coming from your shoulder. They’re ‘meeting’ here-- where the latch lies. Flicking this up…”   

Click!  

“…separates the mechanism,” he said, removing Niva’s arm. She winced, but it didn’t hurt. “It’s not so much as severing them as it is slightly moving one cluster a hair’s width away. Electrical pulses transmit commands from our brains to our limbs via our nerves. Having them touch is ideal, although it’s unneeded if they’re extremely close together.”  

The explanation went over Niva’s head as she practiced latching her arm, remarking how she felt no pain or discomfort. Niva inquired more about how it worked, and Tris and Quella took over while Keeth relaxed. I knew he was worried. His sleep wasn't restful, but things would be different come evening now that he had no convalescent to worry about. 

Breakfast was soon served, and we happily ate a delicious meal of eggs, omelets, and pancakes—with Sekh choosing to hold off. She had breakfast while everyone else had been asleep.   

“So… What now?” asked Elly, giving drinking her water. “Do we wait for Sera?”  

“That’s the plan. It shouldn’t be too long,” I replied. Yew was still happily munching on a stack of syrup-covered sugary toast. I couldn’t help but smile her way.   

“You have a morning workout, yes?” inquired Tris.   

“Uh-huh. We usually do. Why?”  

“I’ve enhanced [Wooden Gym] to include machines.”  

“Machines?” Yew asked, licking her lips.   

“In the world of exercise, you have compound and isolation exercises. The former is comprised of movements that work multiple joints and muscle groups. They usually involve free weights like the barbell or dumbbell. The latter focuses on one joint and muscle group. A machine specifically for bicep curls only works the bicep. They aren’t always better than free weights, but they’re important if you wish to focus on a weakened area.”  

Tris sent me the updated spell, so I retrieved the flute and played, watching as a section of flat land about thirty feet away was transformed before our eyes. It began with the floor softly vibrating. Roots of rubber formed an intricate pattern for the floor. Next, vines appeared and manifested the equipment. We watched astonished gasps as a fully furnished gym appeared—complete with all the amenities—including a rest area with tables, chairs, and two changing rooms with showers!  

It had something for everything—even treadmills, exercise bikes, ellipticals, and a stair climber machine!  

The spell has different levels, my lord. Each takes up a different amount of space, although I’ve set it to automatically adjust based on the given circumstances. There’s not enough space for the unrestricted variant with everything [Wooden Gym] has to offer. That one would ‘blow this joint out of the water,’ as Tilde would say.    

“Ehhh?” Elly hopped up. “A squat rack? Leg extensions? That’s a lot of dumbbells!”  

“I take it you approve? The spell is modular, so it’s not casting one large spell. It’s casting many smaller ones in sequence to maintain efficiency. For example, I could only manifest the changing rooms. Or I could add more.” 

“So we can have showers on demand?” asked Ami.   

“Yeppers! So, no more trying to huff it in a cold river or anything like that. Sweet warm water is a spell away. Isn’t my Master so awesome?!”  

“Praise will get you everywhere, Tilde.” I laughed and rubbed her head.   

"Mila! Mila!” Yew tugged at my shirt and pointed like an excited child.   

“Why don’t we check it out?” The group nodded, and we headed over, feeling an immediate difference between cold, hard ground and the rubber flooring.   

“These machines are very intricate,” said Melusine, who kept away from Sekh. The tension was very noticeable for those who knew the truth. She poked the chest press machine’s handgrips and observed the weight stack. Even the pin was formed from wood.    

“How did you know about treadmills?” asked Mary.  

“Quella,” I replied. The glasses-wearing girl was smart enough to follow my lie.   

“Tris and Lord Springfield asked about improvements to the spell, so I mentioned a few things. I never expected it to be so perfectly reproduced.”   

From there, Tris took us on a quick tour, pointing out the various machines and what muscle groups they worked. “Some machines involve a pulley. This lateral pulldown, for example, targets the back. The improper form could hinder rather than help, so I have a solution. Each machine has an indentation near the weight stack. Insert your finger to provide mana, and a low-powered illusion of yours truly will appear to show you how one repetition should look.”  

Yew demonstrated the mechanic. In a flash of light, a transparent Tris appeared, showcased the proper form, and vanished.    

“We also have the narrow chest supported row, bicep curl, preacher curl, tricep pushdown, seated dip, seated leg press, leg extension, seated leg curls, and more. If there’s a machine you do not see, describe it to me. I’m certain I can add it to the repertoire.”  

“I don’t think you’ve missed anything. Except… Maybe a rock wall? Our world had climbing gyms.”  

“Rock…wall? Hmm… How about… Ah! That’s it.”  

My lord?  

I’m on it.

A quick note later, an empty section rumbled. The emerging vines folded and intertwined to form a wall, and then additional ones crafted hand and foot holds. It was about 20 feet high—so easily within jumping range for someone like me.   

“I can get stronger by doing this?” Niva asked when we neared the dumbbells, bypassing the barbells. Six of those were attached to a machine to pulleys. They were called smith machines. You calculated the weight using dials on the bar's middle, which ranged from 10 to 1,250 lbs. 

“Indeed.” Tris pointed to the counter to the right. The names of different exercises you could do with dumbbells were written, and each held an indentation under it to power similar instructional illusions. 

“There’s more to it than lifting heavy. One must be in a sufficient caloric surplus to adeptly build muscle. Fitness is primarily practiced in the kitchen. I’ve calculated your daily caloric expenditure, but it’ll take two to three days to conclude your calories for maintenance once you begin the workout.”  

“It’s also important to keep your protein high,” added Greggie.   

“That’s true,” said Tilde. “I hope you like to eat, girl. Because there’s gonna be a lot of yummy grub coming your way.” She side-eyed Greggie, who joyfully laughed. I knew he’d much rather cook for us-- who actually enjoyed his food-- than Meruria’s snobbish nobles.    

“That’s another thing I don’t understand,” said Elly. “In our world, you can be hooked to a VO2 machine. Then you run for ten minutes, and the computer processes the info to spit out a number. How are you doing it, Tris? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.” 

“It’s no intrusion of privacy or anything of the like. I’ve crafted rudimentary spells that only collect specific types of data. I chain them together much like [Wooden Gym], which gives me the highest degree of accuracy when collecting vitals. I didn’t obtain the caloric expenditure formulae until Quella informed me, but that addition wasn’t difficult to implement. Mana is flexible.” Tris held a hand and used waypoints to mimic a snow globe disguised as an ice spell. Only Quella knew the truth. “It can do anything provided you know the quirks behind it. Yet it is also…organic? I wouldn’t say it’s prideful, but you must respect the mana. Likewise, it must respect you, too.”  

“That’s…wow.”  

“Astonished?” Tris puffed her chest with a smile “I enjoy collecting data. I am always learning with every passing moment.  I do not intend to stop anytime soon!”  

“Anyway, why don’t we test it out? We don't have time for a full session, but feel free to get used to the machines.”  

“Mmm… Hey, Sekh?” asked Tilde.    

“What?”  

The recovering fairy rolled to the chest press machine. “Word around town is that you’re kinda strong…” She grinned like a cat.   

“You want to test my strength?”  

“I wanna see what you’re capable of.”  

“That’s the same thing.”  

“Ehhh… Agree to disagree.” Tilde shrugged and tapped the seat. Sekh, nonetheless, accepted the challenge and used the illusion function to learn the proper form before adjusting the seat. Yew ran to the rock wall with Ami and Elly and started climbing, her giggles radiating across the open floor as Lei followed.    

“Why don’t we start with something like…225lbs?”  

Sekh nodded as Tilde set the weight. She inhaled, focused her core, and pushed…  

It wasn’t even a challenge. Neither was 315, 405, or 495. Honestly? It would probably take something in the thousands to be moderately strenuous. Maybe even in the tens of thousands. The same went for myself, who was kind of ‘cheating’ since I acquired the physical strength of those I assimilated.   

Melusine had navigated to the stair climber. She found it intriguing, listening as Mary showed her how it worked. They weren't powered by electricity—everything was mechanically operated using pre-programmed commands inserted into the appropriate spell that drained mana from the user to keep the caster’s cost low.    

That was the power of modular spell-casting. On the other hand, it took someone like Tris to keep everything organized, so not just anyone could handle it.   

“Where does that strength come from?” asked Greggie.  

“I cannot claim to have the raw physical power,” answered Sekh, pressing 855 like it was nothing. “Remember, this world has mana. Yours does not. Two men living the same life in both realities will have wildly incomparable strength due to the overarching differences. I also possess passive boosts to my strength.”  

“You’re a Soul Warrior, so you’re getting that bonus,” added Tilde. “Along with a few others.” She pointed to the shoulder press machine. “Go on. Try it. I bet you could do 765.”  

Greggie walked over, sat, focused his core, and…  

“See?” Tilde rolled herself over, her face lightly sweating from the effort. She had a week or two before she’d be back to normal. “Big guys like you have a lot of power packed inside.”  

“Hmm…” Greggie raised it to 945 and did ten more reps.   

“Do you wish to try?” Tris asked Niva.   

“Umm… Maybe… Maybe next time. I—”  

Suddenly, we felt mana pulse from Sera’s teleportation crystal. It shimmered, releasing a speck of light that formed a small pillar. It grew, and out came Sera, who excitedly waved.