Blink.

"I am quite happy with my free stuff, no complaints," out loud, "it was just surprising."

"I'm sorry if I seemed offended, but I am pledged to His service. For all His eccentricities, I believe He is truly trying to do right by this world of His."

Do not insult the nice angel that is giving you free stuff, Blair.

Nod. "It's quite all right. I apologize for any implied insult. It seems that there's an awful lot of world to fix, how he does it is up to him as long as the results are good."

"He is rather busy, and this world is unfortunately too deeply in the Shadows' control for Him to focus His efforts here. Things will become better soon. They always do."

"Oh? Is there a standard procedure for this?"

"The Shadows make a bid for control every century or so. So far there have been eight near-apocalypses. All were averted by the actions of the Creator."

"And this is the latest bid for control? ... Why are they grabbing random people during it?"

"The Creator believes the Shadows are trying to subvert the Universal Law by introducing foreign elements. So far, they haven't succeeded."

"Good to know. Universal Law?"

"The rules by which physics and magic function."

"Ah. And if they subvert this, the Creator's powers are weakened?"

"'If they subvert the laws of physics, would the creator's power would be weakened?' Well, yes, if you count 'atoms ceasing to exist as a coherent concept' as an attack on the Creator's power."

"No, I'm... Why are they attacking by this method? They're creating enemies for themselves, and I don't think they're stupid, whatever they gain from potentially subverting the Universal Law has to be worth making enemies, albeit often very shortlived ones."

"The Shadows themselves are bound by the Universal Law, such that only a certain number of their forces can exist in this world. By summoning people from other worlds, they can bend that restriction, since those they summon are not Shadows - but the Shadows' own innately cruel nature works against them. They do not know how to cooperate with those they summon."

"... But they see their own failures to cooperate and still keep doing it? That doesn't make sense, the shadows I talked to were - cartoonishly evil, perhaps, but they weren't stupid."

"Gaining allies is a secondary goal: with every person they summon into this world, the Universal Law weakens slightly. The more they shift the world from its intentions, the less control the Creator has. It is like raindrops disturbing the surface of a still pond."

"Is it in their best interest for the person they summon to live very long lives affecting as much as possible, or is just the summon enough?"

"In many cases they prefer the former, but they are not exactly opposed to killing their summons if they become problematic. I believe they offer the Majokko option specifically for those who intend to fight them, so that they know which summons are more trouble than they're worth."

"Ah. And then have a way to easily identify them and kill them, after," murmurs Blair.

"Yes. They don't even have to come to you: you are forced to go to them."

"How efficient. Though - why even arm us at all? Is it in the Universal Law that it has to have some semblance of fairness, some gains to recoup the losses?"

"Yes: that is also why the Shadows are bound to speak the truth if you ask the right questions."

"Hm. Will the Universal Law bind me in any ways I'm not accustomed to from my previous world? That being things that aren't 'having atoms' and 'obeying the laws of thermodynamics' and the like."

"No: as an outsider you are not generally subject to the Universal Law. This is why outsiders such as you are so dangerous when allied with the Shadows. Consider what would have happened if that shadow had been able to outright lie to you."

"Quite. Thank you, Universal Laws."

Not that it means that they're universally helpful, he thinks.