So I’m a Fish, So What?

Once again, I find my powers completely stripped and my soul body trapped in the illusory land of dreams.

Haha, reeeaaal funny.

Might as well stop using all the barriers and illusions I surround my soul with, even air would work better at this point…

It feels like just about anyone could just barge in here uninvited and bring their family over for a visit.

I should probably focus on cracking Heretic Nullification as soon as possible. No one would feel safe if they stand naked in the middle of a thunderstorm.

My first time in a dream was one of the scariest and most confusing experiences I ever went through. Honestly, the combination of Sariel's cold eyes and mechanical voice still haunt me to this very day!

It felt as if I was a fish on a chopping board back then, literally!

Compared to that horror movie nightmare though, my reunion with Wakaba in the second dream left me craving for more.

It made me discover just how lonely I actually felt.

After experiencing them twice, dreams have already lost their novel touch for me. I’m still not a huge fan of this feeble feeling pervading my entire body though.

Being used to something doesn’t make it safe. Just like extreme sports, they are and will always be fatally dangerous.

Even if you’re two times the world champion in ice skiing, there’s still a high chance you’d break a leg or even a neck if you’re not careful enough.

In a dream, you’re stripped of means of physical defense or offense as you’re only left with nothing but your soul.

Fortunately, I figured out how to manipulate my soul power here, otherwise I might’ve actually died this time.

My overall strength hasn’t increased though. It’s like adding a new technique to your fighting style. Sure, the lethality increases, but your muscle mass is still the same, y’know?

In simpler terms… I’m still very much powerless to resist shit in here! I mean, how am I supposed to do that when there’s always some god waiting for me here?!

It’s like asking a mouse to beat down a blue whale after it learned to do backflips using its tail as support.

Sariel was the first to pull me into a dream, and The Living Rose followed soon after. Luckily, both were cut off by D before I was harmed.

Though D could’ve been an enemy, and I could’ve already said my farewells to life a long time ago…

Would you look at that! It appears I’ve survived because of pure luck once again!

I’m definitely the main character, wahahaha!

Phew… back to reality then.

This time’s dream is no exception, the visitor is still a divine being, but I highly doubt D could do anything about it.

In fact, I highly doubt she could even sense me getting pulled into the dream.

My guest is literally on a whole ‘nother dimension, after all… And that’s me putting it mildly!

When it comes to dream-like states, physical bodies and all of their qualities get thrown out of the window, only souls matter here.

As some of the strongest goddesses in this universe, D and Sariel’s souls are incredibly strong, so they consciously restrain their auras when dealing with weaker beings like little ol’ me.

Their auras are still terrifying to feel but I can hold myself and engage in a normal conversation with them, even if barely.

Against a divine being that has already transcended the concept of a universe though? Yeah, tough luck.

This is exactly why even though I’m supposedly in a dream, I’m currently laying face down on the ground, shivering with fright while my body’s soaked in cold sweat.

I feel a very familiar aura coming from right in front of me, but I can’t even feel my body, let alone get myself to look up and confirm it.

This is very different from last time when I carelessly stood up to her and presumptuously addressed her directly…

Sure enough, the ignorant are fearless, hehe~

“Oh dear, it appears I’ve forgotten to tone down my aura intensity before coming here.” A playful female voice entered my ears.

My heart nearly stopped.

It’s really her! Holy shit, why did she show up here all of a sudden?!

“How rude of you to think like that. Though I must say, your new appearance makes it very hard for me to actually get offended, fufufu.” She snickers.

Huh…? What’s she talking about? Is my mermaid form cuter than my human form or something…?

I know I’m cute in both forms, but I don’t know which one’s more cute.

A few seconds passed, during which I could feel her eyes intently studying me.

“Hooh? To think you actually sealed it… What an interesting development! There, that should be about right.” She said, her voice evidently intrigued.

Suddenly, the pressure faded and I regained control of my body.

Looking up, I recognized the familiar aurora-like glow covering the silhouette of the person who gave me a great new life.

Though I feel like I’ve forgotten a crucial piece of information, I supported myself and adjusted my posture into a seiza sitting position before speaking.

“Uhhh… Long time no see, Goddess Alkreya.” I put on my best innocent expression, but my eyes consciously avoid her face.

Not gonna lie, I really envy her precise control of strength. Doing more with less has frankly become one of my obsessions by now.

I mean, just look at my appraisal results! My specialized attributes are freaking poison, space, and soul!

If I ever get trapped in one of those mirror self battle traps, I’d definitely find myself the most disgusting opponent ever!

“It is quite the devious combo indeed, but that’s why you became this strong this fast, isn’t it?” Alkreya said with a chuckle.

Imma just ignore that question.

She’s totally not reading my mind, I must’ve unconsciously said what’s on my mind out loud, yup.

I’m definitely not a newborn chick frozen with fear in front of a lion right now.

“Cough…To what do I owe the pleasure, Goddess Alkreya…? Is there a problem with this world? Or did I do something wrong?” I asked nervously.

“None of that, little guy. It’s just that the marker I left on you alerted me of your upcoming contact with humans, so I decided to drop in and check on you.” She casually said.

Oh, so it's just that the marker she left on me contacted her, huh…? Yeah, totally understandable— NOT. 

What the actual fuck?! Why are you speaking as if it’s a normal thing to do?! This is downright terrifying!

“Hehe”

Don’t hehe me!

My inner Kumoko slipped out a bit there.

“Can I ask you to remove said marker…?” I asked without much hope in my voice.

“What do you think?” She replied while sending me a mental impression of a raised eyebrow.

Figured.

Sigh… You do you, I guess. You’re the boss anyways.

I heard a chuckle, but I ignored it. As long as I don’t acknowledge it, both my thoughts and sanity are safely hidden inside my head.

“I’m currently in the middle of preparing a grand prank on a certain hanged man, so let’s get this over with quickly. Every second is important when it comes to setting up a prank.” Her tone shifted to a serious one.

“I agree, but I can’t actually help when I don’t know your purpose, Goddess Alkreya…” I said while scratching my head.

“It’s okay, I’ll explain it. Listen carefully, cause I’ll only say this once!
Names have incredible powers in many universes.
For example: Commanding a demon with their true name in some universes, they will be forced to comply. There’s also the Tensura world where names bestow magicules on the named and causes them to evolve into higher life forms.
In this world, being named by a god makes it incredibly hard to resist their commands and involuntarily inspires good feelings towards them inside you. It’s infinitely close to a slavery seal while not actually being one.
That child’s system gives the mortals of this planet limited access to divine conjuration in the form of skills.
There’s a naming skill in the list, but it’s very weak compared to the divine version, so you can’t actually name yourself.
However, if that little girl names you, your positions would forever remain unequal and any chance at getting close to her would be gone. Additionally, you’d be forever bound to this universe and unable to leave.” 

She let me mull over her words for a bit, but an impatient expression soon appeared on her face, forcing me to temporarily hold them.

“By child… Are you perhaps talking about D, Goddess Alkreya? Why would I be unable to leave if she named me?”

“It’s her. You wouldn’t be able to leave anymore because of that girl’s special status.
You see, this universe’s divine pantheon follows an order that is a bit similar to that of Hinduism where each of the word GOD’s letters have a special meaning. You can probably see where I’m going with this.
In Hinduism, it’s G for generator, O for operator, and D for destroyer.
G is the god of creation has already fulfilled his destiny and fell into a deep sleep while O, the goddess of fate is still actively maintaining the universe until today. That child called D is the missing link, the goddess of the end and death.
While she is relatively free from O’s machinations, her fate is to lead this universe to its end someday, after which she will forever be trapped in the void between the worlds, alone. And unfortunately, she can not escape this on her own.
If she names you, then your own fate will be bound to hers and therefore, to this universe. Note that your fate is currently non-existent due to your peculiar soul, so you can leave whenever you’re strong enough. You’re also the only person who actually has a chance to rescue her from this.”

That’s a lot to take in…

So that evil woman actually turned out to be the most pitiful person in this universe? Damn, if this isn’t ironic, then I don’t know what is…

… Now, there’s just no fucking way I’d leave her to such a cruel fate!

“I understand. Please, tell me what I should do to rescue her.” I gave Alkreya a bow while speaking in a solemn tone.

“Oh my.” She covered her mouth. “Now that’s an unusual knight and princess duo if I’ve ever seen one.” She giggled. “Let me be the one to name you, then you should actively travel to other worlds in search of other ways to improve your strength.
The day this universe gets destroyed, her connection to fate will be the weakest. You can then forcibly shatter that connection and take her away. Of course, except for the name part, everything else should be after you ascend.”

I see… I can get behind that.

“And I’m guessing you’ll be giving me missions in other worlds until I’m actually strong enough to travel by myself, right?” I asked with a certain tone.

Everything has a price, this is an established fact.

“Indeed. You’ll have to help me a bit in preparing my pranks, but you are free to do whatever you want before and after that.”

“Sounds fair to me. It’s like an internship before I take my position as one of your subordinates in the future, I guess.” I said while nodding.

“Yup! That’s about it. So, will you do it?”

“Yeah, sure.” Nodding, I look at her with a determined expression.

“Lovely! Do you have a name in mind or do you want me to give you one?” She said with a clap.

“Uhh… My naming sense is pretty bad actually, so I’ll leave it up to you.” I sheepishly replied.

“All righty! In the name of Alkreya &#!&$^#~, I hereby grant thee the name: Irisia Violet!” Her voice shifted from cheerful to dignified as she declared.

As the words came out of her mouth, I felt something being engraved on my very being, followed by a warm feeling washing over my soul.

I couldn’t hear nor understand her last name, so I’m guessing it’s from a language that my brain can’t even comprehend.

Looking down, I saw my translucent hand gradually solidifying until it became the same as my physical body.

“Judging by how you look, it should’ve worked. Well? How do you feel? I guarantee my service is the best!”

Despite being unable to directly peek at her face, I could still feel her twinkling eyes intently staring at me with anticipation.

“I feel great. Better than ever, actually.” I answered with a smile.

The name felt fitting for me.

I think I’ll only use my last name unless in a formal setting.

Using colors as names or titles seems like it’s pretty common here, so calling myself Violet should be okay.

Thankfully, I don’t have any unwarranted feelings towards her, other than the gratitude I feel towards her for reincarnating me, of course.

“Phew… Fortunately, it worked.” She murmured in a voice I couldn’t hear.

“Huh?”

“Nothing nothing. Since your soul was solidified, you should be able to take the soul body route in the future! Well, I’ll be going now! You gotta work hard if you wanna save your girlfriend, little fish! I’ll be watching you, kuhahaha!” Her silhouette poofed out of existence, but her spirited voice was still echoing in my ears.

Her words sent me into a daze, then my face went beet red and I started murmuring words like ‘What girlfriend?’ and ‘Since when were you a love goddess?’.

However, I had no time to think. As the aurora-like glow that always shrouds her body faded, my consciousness also slowly did.

Before long, I fell back into a deep sleep, with a new future goal added to my list.

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