The Church of Isekai

Борис Беленький

The Church of Isekai

Acknowledgments

To https://hotpot.ai/ – for creating the image used for the Book Cover. See, you wanted a “prominent placement” – I delivered.

To my kids for their editorial work. It was a tremendous help. Thank you. I didn’t realize you’ve never read an “Isekai” / “LitRPG” work before. Perhaps I wasn’t supposed to make the assumption that the reader is familiar with certain concepts common for the genre. I hope I didn’t spoil the whole “Fantasy” literary World for you.

To the cat that occasionally comes over to my doorstep. A Judging Look and a Meow to you too.

To Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, for saying "Ego sum Rex Romanus et super grammaticam." It translates to: "I am King of the Romans and above grammar." This is the line I quote to my editors. It’s My World, I get to choose the Plural for “Elf”, “Dwarf”, “Drow”. The missing commas, random capitalization, wrong use of tenses, an “if” instead of an “it” – same excuse. Misuse of Em-dashes, En-Dashes, and Commas; Commas vs. Semicolons – see above :)

To you, the reader, thank you for choosing this, thank you for opening the file or the paperback, and thank you for spending your time in My World.

Foreword

I wrote this after getting feedback from the first readers.

The very word “Isekai” implies the Hero’s journey to and through Another World – a World that has to be fundamentally different from the realities of his home. If the World isn’t that different, we don’t call it “Isekai”; we call it “Immigration” or just “Travel.” That also may warrant a book, and there is indeed plenty of literature on that topic, but this is not what this story is about.

“Another World” needs to either be Magical, or someplace in another Era, or populated by strange denizens. There can be a combination of all of them, surely. Magic Worlds usually are set in a medieval environment – after all, why would anyone try to invent the Telegraph if a Paired Artifact from the Lab of Professor Pulken-Shtutzer does the trick? Considering that it was later improved by his own students and developed into a Centralized Repository of Artifact Halves, you have the entire population walking around with only one of those Paired Artifacts. Meanwhile, the other Half is in the Repository, overseen by a million-handed Golem, who connects the Stored Halves, letting the call go through. A rather efficient system.

Depending on the World, all Magic users can either be able to do all types of Magic, or are born with one specific “Magic.” Think of an entire class able to make a feather fly (only having said the incantation PROPERLY), vs. only two of them if they are born with “Levitation Magic.” In this book, the Magicians have ONE type of Magic. A person can be a Tree-Mage (working with anything that grows, from moss to giant trees), a Fire-Mage (from a little flame at the end of a pinky to setting the World on fire), a Teleportationist, and so on, including a Cat Mage (Meowing, Napping, Purring, Scratching…. You may have seen those even in your own World).

If you become a Necromancer, your “area of expertise” is Death and the Dead. This is what happens in this story. I’m not “spoiling” anything – it’s mentioned on the book cover. The Hero is dealt that power and tries to use it to save the lives of those around him. This, however, leads to the story using words like “Corpse”, “Ghost”, “Death”, and such.

If you understand that a Necromancer is not a giggling Fairy dancing on the flowers, you’re welcome into My World. If you get easily disturbed by the idea of Mortality, please consider reading something else. Maybe the News?

Welcome to the Church of Isekai Part 1

"Welcome to the Church of Isekai" – the banner, printed in big, bold letters, was hanging over the stage at the end of a sprawling lawn. Below it was a large square portrait titled "Robert and Tammy's Wedding" with two happy youths hugging.  A crowd dressed in their "Sunday Best" was moving between tables set up "À-LA FOURCHETTE" or as they called it "Ala Furshet" – let's not be too fancy, okay?

A middle-aged man thanked a uniformed girl, who handed him a plate of snacks, and asked, "Can you explain what this church is about?" The girl refused, "Sorry, I'm with the catering. I can't discuss anything other than food. I did come here when I was younger – we had lots of fun. But you can ask anyone in a fantasy costume, or… see that red-headed man next to a woman in a green dress? He's Tammy's uncle and he likes talking to strangers… a lot…" "Thank you," the man said, thinking to himself about small towns where everyone knows and annoys everyone else over the decades. That "a lot" sounded like it has in it many, many, many hours of repeated stories that the kids had to endure, being too polite to cut him off. Just then, the green-dressed lady seemed to have wandered off and the moment seemed perfect.

"How do you do, sir? My name is Steve. The young lady with the caterers suggested I ask you about this church," he addressed the  red-headed Tammy’s uncle. "Oh, she did, didn’t she… well, little Alya knows me too well… and isn't that little anymore… heh-heh-heh… okay.. well… Nice to meet you, Steve. I'm Mike. Mike Geiger… I'm in construction… Here's my card… So… about the church…"

The story was long and rich in details. The way Steve remembered it was:

The man who runs it just calls it a "Church" – probably for accounting reasons. He showed up about… what was it… about 20 years ago. Showed up and started working in the town’s youth center. Somehow, the kids of all ages loved him. Helped them with homework, told stories that kept the youngsters glued to their seats, took them to the woods, taught survival skills… Yeah, like the Boy Scouts but more… Even taught them fencing and languages. He seems to know several – we took our daughter to Quebec, Canada, and she did all the restaurant ordering in French! We went to Mexico and she spoke Spanish there! Oh no, we don't speak any of it at home. Somehow, she picked it up at the youth center. Oh, about the Church – he started it. He calls it "Isekai" – says it's Japanese for "Other Worlds." Apparently, there are Japanese cartoons about kids getting transported into video games or fairy tales. Yes, they watch some cartoons. Yes, and read "manga" – I think that's the word they used. Age-appropriate? Oh yes, we checked. He's not arguing about religion and doesn't mind people being Protestants or Catholics or whatnot. He just calls it a Church because one needs to believe in those worlds and in being able to travel between them. His line of reasoning is – when people have the same belief, they come together in a church. No, it's more than a "Manga Club" – remember all the outdoorsy stuff? In the summer, he took the kids into the woods for two weeks at a time – they came back so happy. We had signed up our daughter for three sessions in a row, and she still loved it. They gather right here and then go off into the woods – tents and stuff. Come back after a week, say hello to parents, and off they go again. They have to dress up as elves, dwarfs, knights, learn real fencing. We had a boy take a county trophy in it two years ago. Yes, small town, we all know these things.

Oh, sure, we do have regular churches – my family goes to a Presbyterian one, there are two Catholic ones… there must be more… I'm sure there are all kinds – if not in our town, then somewhere within driving distance. No, the pastors and ministers didn't come here for a joint protest – they do have "youth clubs," but there is no homework help, and their after-school program is just not fun compared to this place. Sunday service – you drive the kids here after lunch on Sunday and you're free till 8 p.m. – shopping, resting. They do the sermons, but it's the kids who read them. They write essays about a life lesson from a cartoon they watched together in Japanese. Yes, in Japanese. I don't know if they really understand it – never took my kids to Japan. Sure, we do pay, but it's not that expensive. Besides, we do want this place to look nice. The "IsePope"… heh-heh-heh… no, he doesn't call himself that… doesn't have a Ferrari… I don't know what car he has, but surely if he drove anything fancy, we'd know. Strange, I don't think I ever saw him drive – he just shows up at your door if he has to talk to you. So yeah, he made a name for himself here. To my knowledge, he doesn't want to branch out. The "Misses IsePope"? Yes, I think I've seen her, but she's probably too shy – she rarely comes out. The kids say they all saw her during the Summer Outings, but we don't like people prying into our lives, and we let him have his privacy. Probably that's why he picked our town and isn't leaving – I think his lady doesn't like large crowds and in this town, you never come across any place with more than three cars parked near it.

The wedding – yes, Tammy, my niece, is a happy graduate of all of the programs this place offers, and so is Robert. Yes, high-school sweethearts – how romantic is that! Yes, our town doesn't have a separate high school – we pool with three more towns, and the kids drive there in the morning and drive home. Some have cars, some got parent transportation services, heh-heh-heh… Yes, there's a bus, but you have to request it, and kids hate it – if you missed it, you stay home, but if you come to the drop-off point early, you freeze or get wet… So Tammy is from our town, and Robert from another, and they did meet in high school. Tammy got him to come here – told him she's a top-notch Healer, and their party needs an Alchemist. He started coming to this place and here they are – graduating from school, from this… *ahem*… Church and joining for life. So sweet… Our little grown-ups… Their parents wanted them to wait and not rush with the wedding, but they insisted. Oh, the sincerity of the young. They are both going to the same medical school in the Fall – she wants to be a Pediatrician and he wants to be a pharmaceutical scientist – to design new drugs. They got to use the grounds for the wedding for free, I hear, and the IsePope will be officiating. What do you mean he can't officiate? You don't have to be a priest to declare people married – anyone can apply for a license to perform marriages in the state of Pennsylvania – not just clergy. The couple gets a marriage license from the town hall, and whoever got an officiating license stamps and dates it. Yes, a license everywhere…

Looking down Part 2

I was standing in the belfry of my Church looking down at the last-minute preparations and the people seemingly having a great time. There’s Mike Geiger – seems like he got a new listener for his stories, and an out-of-towner. Must be his lucky day. Almost as lucky a day as it is for Robert and Tammy. Those two are my dear students, who have grown up to become such an adorable couple. I wish them well with all my heart.

It’s a big day for me too. Twenty years… Twenty years ago, I came to this town and loved the place immediately: the woods of northern Pennsylvania, the hills, the clean air, the calm gentleness of the place… and the people… the most wonderful people you can imagine. Friendly, eager to help, working hard and valuing the creature comforts their work affords. People minding their own business, yet able to come together on occasions of joy or sorrow. People always keeping their smiles up and working hard to make their inner state match the facade. Soft on the outside, strong on the inside. It seems like a set from some romantic movie. It seems like a set of well-connected gears – everyone’s in the right place, everyone knows someone or at least someone’s cousin through primary school or kids’ sports or a dog park. It seems a single outsider can bring the whole place to a screeching halt. But I've managed to fit in despite being more than just a regular outsider. I wasn’t just an out-of-towner or an out-of-stater. I think I wasn’t even an immigrant from another country. I think I came here from another World.

I said "I think" because there is no way to be sure, as it could be a similar World or maybe not. Surely one could just hop on a plane, fly to my old place and find out, but in all honesty – why bother? Would I run into an old version of myself? What if the Original Me had moved elsewhere? In that case, me not meeting the Original Me will prove nothing. I've poked around a bit looking for traces of The Incident that started it all for me but found none in the old newspapers. This seems to be opening a whole new can of worms – not only this could be a Similar World but also The Incident could have "replicated" me and the others who got pulled into it with me. Maybe some Forces erased our existence from history, or it could be anything else. At this point, I’ve realized that the only can of worms I want to deal with is the one I buy at the Lake where I sometimes go with a fishing rod to sit and meditate.

I was expected to excel in school as a child, and I did. Learning was easy, and I did a lot of extra reading. As a result, I often "knew" the way things must go from the novels. Surprisingly, they didn't do so in reality. You can read an entire bookcase of literature – from French History to the Legends of Ancient Greece to Bird-watching Guides – and still not know what to do when a class hyperactive jerk kicks you in the butt and runs away while his buddies burst out laughing. It only gets worse from there. The teachers make sure to notice nothing, and the parents being a bit too bookish themselves, lashed out at me when I got a "notice of bad behavior" after attempting to stand up for myself against the whole gang. NERD!!!! Yeah, that's me…

Things were supposed to take a turn for the better after the eighth grade. To continue in high school, one needed to pass the State Exams. I did it with flying colors while most of the rowdy crowd didn't, and they were sent to the trade schools to learn painting, plumbing, lathe operation, and whatnot, while the future doctors, engineers, teachers, literary critics, and restaurant waiters, who are just here temporarily, were on their way to college among their equals who aren't moved to violence upon hearing words like "ambidextrous" and "superfluous."

I was home enjoying… you guessed it – another book. I have most of the summer ahead of me, next school year promises to actually be good… Maybe I'll do some biking tomorrow… RRRRRING!… Our landline phone was loud and a bit scratchy. A call came from my school. I was required to show up tomorrow at 6 AM for a surprise school excursion to a destination unknown, but it's mandatory and there will be ice cream there. Strange – they've never organized any bus trips and free ice cream is unheard of, but I was at the school on time. Even stranger – everyone, all 54 of us, had shown up exactly at 6 AM to see the bus pulling in. As if by Magic, no one came early, no one came late, and even the bus arrived exactly on time. That never happens in real life. Must be Magic.

The driver told us to load up and be quick about it – the principal is waiting at the destination. I sat down by the window closer to the front of the bus, and a girl sat next to me. I knew her well – she was the tallest in the grade and was very shy. She also passed the State Exams and was going to start the ninth grade next fall. Diana was her name. I was noticing the glances she was sometimes sending my way over the last school year. With all the knowledge I had obtained from romantic books, I figured she must be interested in me because I'm also tall. Considering that girls mature earlier than boys, she probably thought we'd make a cute couple. I've always avoided her – the books seem to suggest that it's either love or studies, and I'd rather get a good grade than a girlfriend. Just like that – teenage absolutes. There is “love” or “non-involvement” – there is no “flirt” or “romantic interest” or even “friendship.”

The bus started, and we rolled through the familiar streets. Noisy teens, for some reason, were quickly quieting down, and some even settling in the amazingly comfortable seats for a nap. By the time we rolled to a tunnel through the huge mountain, everyone on the bus was fast asleep. For some reason, I just surveyed everyone as I felt Diana's head resting on my shoulder. A girl's head calmly leaning on me – that sensation isn't something you can read about. It's just way too… real. As I was looking at her peaceful face, I suddenly realized… our city doesn't have any mountains around it. NONE. No mountains, no tunnels, especially without any other traffic, and no lights on the walls and the ceiling. WHERE ARE WE? Why did everyone fall asleep so quickly? Why is the Principal "waiting for us at the destination" with all the teachers, and no one is riding with us? Why are the different cartoons and video games about people going to other Worlds coming to mind? Plenty of them start just like this.

This is a surprise trip indeed, and I don't like surprises.

Emerald Cross Part 3

I was looking around and then back at Diana noticing how peaceful and defenseless she looked. These long eyelashes, the gently freckled nose, the tiny emerald stud earrings… Suddenly, her eyes opened wide and she rapidly breathed in. Her head went into the back of her chair while I instantaneously noticed a small emerald cross pendant in the opening of her blouse. "A set," I thought for a second, remembering a book on the History of Jewelry I’d read last year. Then she looked at me with a plea in her eyes and her lips slightly parted. It was clear to me she was asking for a kiss – after all that's what the romance novels talk about, don't they? A maiden looks longingly, sets her lips up, and the knight seals them with his before going off on a journey. I clearly had the theoretical backing, but sometimes wondered – what do you do about the nose? With two people bringing their faces together, won't their noses collide and the lips never touch? I mean you don’t even need a 3D model to understand that – it’s obvious on a simple 2D sketch! I looked into those eyes and decided to risk it – I'll do it even if someone tells my parents and they yell at me for this. I bent over and several things happened at once. First, I learned the answer to the "nose" conundrum – turns out when the heads are slightly tilted – by I'd estimate about 15 degrees – the nose almost touches the cheek of another person and is not in the way. Second, that cheek smells nice. Third, her lips are soft and are moving slightly, catching and releasing mine, causing sensations not described in the books. Maybe just hinted at – I might need to pay more attention.

Suddenly, a jolt of pain hit me through my whole body. I had felt electric shocks before, when I attempted to repair domestic appliances. No matter how good the guide is, wrapping insulation tape over wires with frayed casings is something you end up learning by experience. The pain subsided quickly, lingering in the eyes for a while. As I was still trying to open them, I heard Diana's voice: “Thank you… I got what I wanted… For a while now… My first kiss… from you… Thank you… Sorry…” I finally was able to open my eyes and saw her still sitting in the chair with her head hanging back into the aisle between the seats. One arm was hanging into the aisle, the other still held onto a large purse on her knees. I could see her mouth still parted and her eyes now frozen, looking into something beyond whatever the Living are privileged to see.

Then I saw a text floating before me: "Necromancer – Initialized. Level – 1" followed by some indicators which I didn't care about at that point. I looked back at her and saw several texts appearing – the emerald pendant now was marked "Energy store – level 10, filled – 0"; the earring was an "Energy store – level 1, Filled – 0"; the purse got a "Sub-dimensional storage – level 20, filled – 0"; and the next label made me try to hold back my tears – floating over the poor girl’s head was "Corpse – Fresh." I reached out with my hand under her neck and carefully brought her over to the center of the seat, upright, with hands on her knees. Then I closed her eyes and did what the books always have their characters do – I kissed her on the forehead. A text message appeared – "Necro-Energy collected" and I heard "Do me a favor, before I go, can you get a handkerchief from my purse and wipe the lipstick smudge from my chin?" I turned and saw a shadowy outline of Diana floating next to me with a label "Ghost – Fresh." "Yes, sure… Of course…" I was not sure about taking the purse as her hands were lying over it, so I opened it up as little as I could, trying to find the handkerchief but not succeeding. "It should be deeper and to your right," the Ghost had suggested. As I realized that my attempts to cause the smallest disturbance aren't working out, I removed the clasps and opened the purse entirely. At that moment her fingers touched the inside of the purse, and the body disappeared. The text floating over the bag now read "Sub-Dimensional storage – level 20, filled: 1."  Diana smiled, “I wanted to be with you, and now it seems I will – you can carry me around anywhere you go. Thanks for the kiss. Was it good?” I smiled back, “The best of all of the kisses I've ever had.” She smiled again – “First time too?” I nodded, "You know me well…" She moved like sighing, "I wish I could stay but I gotta go… We all do – see?" I looked around and saw ghosts floating all over the bus. Seems like everyone who was waiting for the bus just recently, was now labeled "Ghost – Fresh." A few seemed shocked, suspended over their bodies, several chatted in small groups, and a ghost of one of the class jerks was chasing a ghost of a girl around. Suddenly, a Cloud appeared in the front of the bus and the Ghosts started slowly moving toward it. I turned toward Diana and she looked me in the eyes, smiled, turned around and rushed toward the Cloud, cutting our goodbyes. I jumped up, stretched my hand toward her and screamed, "Come back!" and surprisingly something caught her right before she touched the Cloud, pulled backward, and then smashed right into me. "Oy! What happened?" I heard her voice inside my head, but I really didn't know what to answer. Instead, I stretched out both hands and commanded in the surest voice I could muster, "All of you – Stop! Come to me!" and they did. One by one they were entering me and settling inside, starting their conversations. Then a text floated before my eyes – "Not enough Ghost Hosting capacity on Level 1 – do you want to advance?" Who wouldn't, right? "Advancing to Level 2  requires 100 energy units; Level 3 – 300 units; Level 5 – 1000 units; Level 7 – 3000 units"

I had to act quickly – I guess Level 7 has the most capacity, and I won't lose any of my classmates if I can help it. Why? Because that's what heroes do in the books! So the answer is simple – Level 7, here we go! The upgrade process kicked in at the same time as the souls were being pulled in, and the same pain that I felt at the time of "initialization" came back. This time I was able to open my eyes and saw "energy indicator" in the red and very close to ZERO. Where do I get energy? I jumped up and remembered I got some when I kissed Diana on the forehead. I could barely move or even think but I had to climb out of the seat and across the aisle. Two bodies – two girls – best friends. Kiss one; put her fingers into the "Sub-dimensional storage" purse – she disappears. Kiss the next; guide her fingers into the purse – she follows her friend. Energy indicator popped slightly above ZERO but is going down again. I need to move to the next seats. My eyes aren't seeing well – tears running down, pain in my entire body, learning for the first time what "head-splitting headache" means. Moving on. One row back. Locating the head by touch, kissing it, can't find the fingers to put into the bag, trying to put the bag over the head – worked, the body is inside. The next body in the window seat – too painful to bend down to kiss. Located the head, putting my palm on the forehead as if feeling the fever, making a kissing sound with my lips – worked! I got the energy, the bag got another one of my poor classmates. Keep moving. PAIN.... Felt around, found the next body, not looking for the forehead – I think it's the elbow. Trying to do the kissing /  through-the-straw sucking movement with my lips – WORKED. I got the energy in and it was used up almost immediately. Bringing over the "bottomless bag" – worked again. Next row – the pain got even worse, as if toothache joined in with a mega-migraine. Keep moving. Keep moving…  I can't miss anyone. Next row. Feel around, find the body, suck the energy, bag the body. Don't think who it was, don't recall names, group projects, arguing over different answers to homework problems. Keep moving. "CLICK" in my ears, floating text visible even with my eyes closed – "Level – 2."