The Power of a God
Prologue: The Lives That Will Intertwine
For as long as I could remember, life's been spitting in my face and stepping on my toes at every opportunity it could find.
I have been avoided by most people for as long as I could remember, from kindergarten all the way up to 2'nd year high school. I don't know what it's about, but people tended to find me strange. Like they couldn't approach me, even if they wanted to.
I never understood it.
I was a fairly ordinary boy in my 3'rd year of high school. I participated in every sport and extracurricular activity available, which made my body tough and strong. It also kept my mind sharp and smart, making school no trouble at all for me. But even with that, I didn't do it to get smart. I didn't do it to get strong. I didn't do it for those kinds of things.
I did it because people, the adults around me, told me that it would help me find friends. My parents and my teachers had told me that it was the way that they had found their own friends, and so I figured that it would help me.
But it seemed like no matter how much effort I poured into the work, my classmates just drifted further away from me. Every time I tried to reach out to them the way that people told me to, they just kept moving away.
Like there was some sort of impregnable barrier in between me and the rest of society. It didn't work. Nothing seemed to.
Then, one day...
I turned to games. To anime, to manga.
And I found...stories. Tales and legends of great power and adventure that no one in real life could ever hope to achieve. Stories of love that transcended definition, that I felt through the pages as if it were my own emotion.
And...I saw stories of what I really wanted.
I saw stories of my own greatest desire. What I wanted more than anything else in the world.
The greatest friends that one could ever asked for. Friends that would help each other through thick and thin, friends who braved mountain ranges and fought evil together.
Friends that swore to live each day together with smiles and laughs that would ring with happiness for the rest of their lives. Friends that could tell each other their secrets and fears, and not get worried over not being rejected. The best of friends, people whose bonds were stronger than things like beliefs, ideals and the opinions and meddling of other people.
Something I envied.
But I enjoyed the stories nonetheless. The books and the games never tried to drift away from me, no matter how much I played them. No matter how much time I spent around them, the books and games would never get tired of me.
I didn't have to communicate with them. I didn't have to go through the trouble, or to make things harder for myself.
And I began carrying those books around with me. I played those games as often as I could in the spare time I could.
Even when I was the Student Council President, no one questioned my tastes. It surprised me, actually. No one seemed to discriminate against me for what I liked to do.
But when I was in the classroom one day, I overheard chattering and whispers. And through them, I learned the reason why.
People didn't have to discriminate me for my tastes. They were already shielding themselves from me, blocking me out from the rest of the students.
But unlike before, it didn't hurt as much when I heard it.
It didn't. It was greatly lessened because I now had something to turn to, something that softened the blow. Something that I could rely on.
Something that made my life a little more worth living.
And then, one day...
I was perusing the game shelves, looking for a nice new game to buy since my old ones were getting stale. Since my part-time job wages had been handed out the day before, I had already decided to splurge them on at least one game. And as my eyes scanned the aisles and the rows, looking for something to try...they landed on a single game.
Hyperdimension Neptunia
At the time, I felt extremely curious. I didn't know anything about it, but it looked like a game that would be the perfect match for my love of anime and manga combined with my love for video games.
And I bought it.
And I played it.
The novelty and nostalgia of the gameplay, the characters' unique and lovable personalities, the comical humor and the mesmerizing plot. The art, the scenes...everything about it. I loved it. I couldn't stop playing it. Day after day, after my homework was done, the first I would do was turn on the game and play. I continued this cycle for weeks and months, and I finished the game easily. Unable to control myself, I purchased the second game and finished it a paltry few weeks after. Obtaining every ending possible, I divvied up my wages and purchased the third game without any hesitation at all.
And in a few months' time, I finished Hyperdimension Neptunia: Victory.
I fell in love with the game, no doubt about it.
A unique brand of force began to drive me, bringing me to the brink of obsession. Without further thought, I began focusing more on my athletics than before. Kendo, gymnastics, track team, soccer, basketball, biking, boxing and even different sports like fencing, swimming and judo.
Martial arts. I wanted to hone my body, to be strong like the heroes in the stories that I loved.
I wanted to become fast, strong and impossible to defeat. Before long, I found myself standing on the pinnacle of the winners for every sport in school. First place, where everyone who challenged me would lose.
At this point, even delinquents who were armed with any variety of weapons couldn't hope to match my level of fighting skill.
It was like becoming a high-leveled character in the midst of the prologue.
But even so...
That kind of gap only made it harder to make friends. Before long, I had lost any and all hope of socializing with my classmates.
Then...
I found myself on the roof of my home, staring up at the night sky. The stars, mostly blocked by the corruption that is human pollution, were still shining beautifully. As I gazed at them, feeling at peace even with the deep sadness brooding within my chest, my eye caught four twinkling stars. One shone with a slightly purplish light, which confused me. Another, right next to it, twinkled with a light that made me think of the color black. The light next to that was as white as white could get, standing out from the other stars. The last one, a bit above the white one, glittered with a slight tone of green.
They were arranged together, brighter than the other stars around them, in a diamond-like shape. It felt as if just by looking at their own shining light, strength and serenity were being poured into my spirit. Just by looking at those stars...I felt like there was something watching over me.
Prompting me to keep going.
And on those stars, I whispered a wish that I knew would not come true. A bittersweet wish that escaped my lips before I could stop them.
I heard my own voice, deep and raspy, whisper as if I were speaking like they could hear me:
"Please...let me see Gamindustri for myself. Let me be happy in the place where I want to be, instead of wasting my time here in this harsh reality. My only wish, is that."
My thoughts wandered as I stared at the stars.
Life is cruel, unforgiving, blunt and harsh. There are double standards, subjective ideals and lies.
There's no way to tell what to do and if it's right or wrong unless you do it and see for yourself. There's no way to change your relationships and progress with other people once you make a mistake or say something by accident, even if you didn't mean it or understand what it could mean.
People will shut you out because of fear, or because they don't understand what they see. And they won't want to understand. They accept what other people tell them, and act selfishly just because they want to enjoy life without considering the consequences.
Nothing lasts forever, and people will be forgotten. Conflict is inevitable in this world, and bonds are shattered easily, never to be repaired or restored to what it once was.
Life here is just...
A shitty game.
Those thoughts still dominated my mind as I decided to turn on my computer, and I clicked on the link for the website that I watched the animation of Hyperdimension Neptunia on. At the same time, I turned on the game and went to the official website and began browsing. As the game turned on and the anime began to play, I smiled to myself.
As long as I have these games, anime and manga, I won't need to bother much with the real world.
Suddenly, the world around me blew wide open. Flashing colors of every hue and shade threatened to rob me of my eyesight. As I stood up in alarm, the laptop screen in front of me suddenly went black. As I turned in panic, the T.V screen also went dark. Suddenly, both screens flew off their mounts, aligned with each other and floated towards the ceiling as the world continued to flash with various different colors.
I felt my head beginning to get pressured on both of my temples, and I began massaging them as I stared up at the monitors that were hovering above my head. The one directly over my head, the laptop monitor, began spinning in a clockwise direction at a speed comparable to a modern helicopter rotor. The television monitor did the same, only revolving counter-clockwise.
What the heck is going on?!
I began to hear a high-pitched whine become slightly audible, and I covered my ears to defend my senses against the offensive noise. I looked up at the screens, which suddenly blared to life and threatened to blind my eyes. I squinted to avoid that, instead staring at the lights onscreen.
The colors were now flashing purple and white, shifting between the two at godspeed. The transition speed alone was dizzying, forcing me to one knee in order to balance myself.
I felt my body pitch forward, as if it were suddenly devoid of its strength. Throwing my arms forward, I hit the ground and braced myself. But even my arms began to lose their strength, and my face struck my floor mercilessly.
Soon enough, my eyes began to feel too heavy to keep open. But before they shut, I watched my own hands begin to change and morph. They began disintegrating into varying different colors of tiny pixels, which floated into the air and began dissipating into thin air.
"Neptune, please do some work!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, trying to get the lazy girl off of her rear end. She refused to budge, instead complaining about the work and my 'incessant nagging' over it all as she continued to click away at the controller.
It was already near midnight in Gamindustri, and in the nation of Planeptune, its beloved Console Patron Unit was slacking off the way she always does.
It never helped when her little sister, the CPU Candidate, loved her big sister enough to spoil her silly.
It warms my heart when I watch the two spend time together, but it irritates me to no end when I see her not doing her job. And as such, I act on that impulse.
After all, I do all the work that she was supposed to. The only thing I was incapable of doing was going out and defeating monsters, as my size and lack of physical strength left me unable to do so without risking critical injury.
But Neptune and Nepgear have not done a scribble nor a swing of work all day, and it irked me as it always does. Even if it has become something I've come to live with, striving for the improvement of my nation and assisting the CPU whenever needed is what I do as an Oracle. Naturally, I would do and say such things to my own CPU for that purpose.
But today...things just seemed especially off.
I felt a sigh of fatigue escape my lips as I floated back into my office, which was filled with paperwork and the like.
Well, I can understand why the active and happy-go-lucky Neptune would not want to do these kinds of things. I myself do not enjoy it, as much as people find it surprising.
Why do people think that I enjoy working?
It was a question that puzzled me to no end, and one that I kept encountering in my conversations with citizens and Basilicom staff. For some unknown reason, people seem to presume that I am a person whose life's enjoyment is to work.
As if I truly enjoy every minute of watching my pen write ink on dozens of paperwork.
I shooed away the idle thoughts and lowered my book to hover on the same level as the table. I stretched my arms and prepared myself to start the meticulous work once again.
As I placed my hands on the table and brought another piece of paper towards me, I found myself smiling.
Even with how my irresponsible CPU acts, and how irresponsible our CPU Candidate acts as well, our nation was bound to remain stagnant for a long time to come.
But if this peace were to last as long as my CPU and CPU Candidate remained the way they were...I wouldn't mind the irresponsibility.
Suddenly, I realized what my thoughts were drifting to, and I slapped my own cheeks to bring myself back to Gamindustri.
What do you think you're thinking, Histoire?! If you take that kind of attitude, you'll never get those two to straighten out! And if we don't, our nation won't become great!
I shook my head, ridding myself of all unnecessary thought, and focused on the paperwork in front of me. Grabbing the pen nearby, which was larger than a good portion of my very own body, I got to work.
But as the night dragged on, and the work retained it's tediousness, I couldn't help but feel satisfied with the way things were now. The smile that I had fought off before crept back onto my face, stronger than the last.
I will keep working. For my sake, for Neptune's and Nepgear's sake. And for the sake of our nation.
That thought was what kept me persevering as I worked through the night, never stopping for breaks.
I gazed out from the window.
Below, the twinkling lights sparkled with beauty I couldn't help but feel entranced by. I could see our citizens, bustling and busy even at this hour of the night, shuffling and walking around on the ground below. I smiled to myself, which I think is a rare thing to happen. I felt a single lock of my silver hair drift past my cheek and make contact with it, and I brushed it aside to keep it from causing the sensation again.
I found it distracting. Even if I were just trying to relax.
"Kei."
I heard the voice of my friend and leader behind me, and I turned around to greet her. Purely by reflex, I bowed deeply.
"Good evening, Lady Noire. Forgive me for slacking off from my work, but I wished to use some of my spare time to relax. I shall get back to the work soon."
The girl across from me just gave me a look of surprise, followed by a sigh and a look of disbelief. She smiled, and placed her hand on my shoulder.
"It's alright. You and I have been doing plenty of work today, since the morning. Not to mention, we've had Uni around to help us. Relax all you like, Kei. I expect you to get back to work after you're done, though." She said, her deep crimson eyes reflecting the kindness and earnest personality that was Noire's alone. I couldn't help but close my eyes and smile back, then I bowed my head slightly and removed her hand from my shoulder with my own.
"Thank you. If you'll excuse me, I shall make some tea. If you would like some, please tell me." I offered to her as I walked past her, my senses tingling for the taste of the tea that was given to us in the Lastation Basilicom, courtesy of Planeptune's Oracle, Histoire.
"Ah, I'd like some. I'll sit with you here, and we can both take a breather." Noire responded, pulling up a chair and sitting adjacent to mine own.
It was only a few minutes later that I came back with the freshly brewed tea, and I offered one of the cups to the goddess. Noire thanked me courteously and took the teacup out of my hands. I heard the quiet sound of the chair creak when I sat down, and the quiet slurp that was emitted from Noire's lips as she began sipping her tea. Together, we sat in silence and enjoyed the silent companionship as we gazed out at the beauty of our nation in the night.
The splendor of Lastation.
For minutes, we sat and continued to enjoy the taste of the Planeptunian tea. The rich and strong taste of the drink perfectly reminded me of the nation's irresponsible leaders. It filled me with the energy to keep working, as well as enough excessive energy for me to do and say things only the over-energetic Neptune would ever consider.
I took a deep breath and harnessed the energy, directing it into a different part of my being. Regulating the amount of energy I was allocating into the different parts of my body, I felt like I could continue working for the rest of the month without stopping.
"...isn't this is a little too strong, Kei?" I could hear Noire to my right, trying not to let the new-found energy bestowed by the tea get to her. I was pretty sure that she was capable of completing all the current quests in the Guild if she were to accept them all now.
"Unfortunately, this was the lightest possible dose that I could administer. Any more, and we'll end up like Planeptune's CPU and CPU Candidiate." I muttered, trying not to imagine what would happen if we were to reach that state.
Lastation would surely begin to decline.
I smiled to myself once again and stood up from the chair, and I walked to the window. I placed my hand onto the glass, letting the ice-cold substance fill my fingers with their chill.
"...it sure is peaceful, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is." I heard the sound of the chair being pushed back as she stood up. Footstep after footstep rang out, and I felt her presence close to my side. Together, we smiled down on the nation that we had built up together.
It'd be great if this peace lasted forever.
"Well, enough of this. I'm going back to work." Beside me, Noire shook her head with a smile and turned her back to the lights and the hustle of the city below. I felt my own feet move in tandem as I spun on my heel and joined her.
I felt my drained energy beginning to replenish, now that my job has become easier.
To be exact, two times easier.
"...mm..." The sound of Rom mumbling her sleep as she was whisked away and preoccupied in whatever dreamland she was in was extremely adorable. The sound, like that of a purring kitten, was befittingly cute of her.
I tightened my grip for the bed-sheets, which she had neglected to use, and tucked them over her small body. Feeling a surge of motherly love sprout in my chest, I bent over and kissed her forehead lightly.
"...no, big sis...my candy..." From my right, I could hear her sister, Ram, mumbling nonsense in her sleep as well. From my standpoint, however, she was far more mischievous. Regardless of her aptitude for making both me and her big sister angry, I pecked her on the forehead as well. She let out a strange sound when I did, and I chuckled to myself.
Carefully treading across the floor so I wouldn't make any loud excess noise, I closed the door silently behind me. Once the sound of the door's mechanism clicked, I began walking normally again across the hall. The sound of my footsteps was muffled by the carpet, anyway. I wouldn't have to worry about stealth now.
I felt like it was time to visit my room and get things inside there in order before I take my time off from being a babysitter. As I reached my room, I noticed that the door itself was left slightly ajar. The light inside was on.
Is someone inside?
The thought itself began to inspire different ideas in my mind, down to the basic and extreme possibility of robbery. But being that this was the Basilicom of Lowee, no one in the whole of Gamindustri would risk robbing the home of my Lady.
Lest they risk the horror that was Lady White Heart on an angry hammer spree.
I cringed at the thought of the horror that was sure to ensure if such a thing happened in reality. I was responsible in part for such a blunder, as I was the Oracle of this nation. And I would rather not forfeit my life to Blanc at all costs, if I could help it.
I shall eliminate this issue before Lady Blanc ever catches wind of it!
Slowly, I let my right hand reach for the door. Hesitantly, I stuck my head in as I pushed the door even further open.
And suddenly, I felt a pang of pain on the top of my head as the world suddenly went black. A metallic ring resonated through the air, and I began clawing at my face.
My nails and fingers encountered metal instead of my face, and I grasped the bottom of the object. With a heave, I squeezed the unknown object off my face. As my eyes were once again able to perceive color and the rest of the world, what I looked at in my hands filled me with irritation and resignation.
It was a bucket.
Those two kids...
I could imagine them snickering in their sleep as this had taken place, and I couldn't help but sigh in defeat. I removed the bucket and walked to my personal bathroom, placing it near the toilet. Hopefully, I'd be able to dispose of it properly later on.
Perhaps I can ask the Basilicom Staff to take care of the bucket for me...
As my thoughts drifted to this, a light knocking on my door sounded out. I stood up and poked my head around the corner, wondering who it would be.
"Mina, you're soaked. What happened?" A quiet yet concerned voice, complete with a near-expressionless face and brown eyes that still managed to glisten with the light of worry and curiosity.
"Did I interrupt you while you were bathing? Are we not going to stay on the terrace?"
"No, not to worry, Lady Blanc! I'll be out shortly, so please wait for me for a small moment." I waved my hands in panic and surprise before gesturing in the direction of the garden-like balcony that was connected to Blanc's room.
"Mm. Well then, don't take too long." With a quiet smile, Blanc
Within moments, I had changed clothes and taken a bath. I rushed towards the CPU's room. I threw the door open without a second thought and hurriedly scanned the room for the girl.
I could see the top of her white and brown hat poking out over a chair that was placed in the midst of her balcony, and I walked over to the seat. As I walked into Blanc's field of vision, she shot me a smile and offered me a seat near her, separated by a single table. On that table, there was a chess set already set up. Next to it were two cups of hot chocolate, varied colors of marshmallows floating in the steaming liquid.
"Sit down. You've earned the break." Blanc muttered as she picked up a cup and began gulping down small portions of the contents.
I smiled and took the cup off the table, savoring the smell of the drink. I shook it a bit, and the hot chocolate churned like a raging ocean, with the marshmallows like tiny sea vessels that were under the threat of sinking. The thought amused me, and I smiled as I drank a bit. The warmth spread from my throat to my chest, and then it filled my body. I sighed contently and turned my attention to the picturesque view from our position.
This balcony oversaw and overlooked the whole of Lowee, and the cold weather and snow that came with it. Tonight, however, it snowed not in the least. And as I looked at the view below, I could see the small figures of people passing by and going about their business. I smiled to myself as I saw a couple walk along with their child in tow, and the faces of Blanc's little sisters came to mind.
"...I prefer it this way. It's so much more peaceful." Blanc muttered nonchalantly as she took yet another sip of her drink. I couldn't help but nod silently as she said that, drinking some more chocolate myself.
Oh, wait. Where...
A question suddenly popped into my mind, and I turned to my CPU.
"Lady Blanc?" I began, trying to catch her attention. She turned to me, a courteous look of questioning on her face.
"Who made this hot chocolate?"
Upon hearing the question, she grinned and took another sip. Instead, she shifted in her seat and placed her hand onto the White King on the chess set in between us.
"I'll tell you who it was if you win." She responded, a little of a challenging tone beginning to sprout in her voice.
"I don't plan on losing." I responded, my own hands tingling for competition. As Blanc moved her Knight forward, I placed a Pawn a space forward.
As the night dragged on, Lady Blanc was the one who won. She smiled a serene smile and stood up from her seat, taking the cup with her. She walked out and was just about to exit the room when she called out to me.
"Mina...keep up the good work. That's what Rom and Ram wanted to say." She said before she swung the door open and left.
I smiled and stared down at the contents of the cup, now empty. I sighed and thought back to the game.
Who would've known that those two would've asked Blanc to teach them how to make hot chocolate...?
Lady Blanc, I will keep this nation safe. I will make sure it stays a world where you and I can play chess again, and where the little ones will keep playing around and being themselves.
Maybe if I work hard enough, maybe...just maybe...I'll beat you in chess, Lady Blanc.
That dangerous thought crossed my mind for a moment, before I remembered just what happened the last time Blanc lost to someone in chess. I couldn't quite recall if it involved sulking or stabbing, and I didn't really want to remember.
The tingling was still there.
I rubbed my cheeks, which was still in pain, and I traveled down the stairs towards the ground floor of the Basilicom. I smiled as I did, even with the burning sensation racing down my cheek.
Slap 1: Attempting to see my beloved CPU bathe in the shower.
Slap 2: Attempting to wash her back and help her bathe...in all sorts of places.
Slap 3: Attempting to play a game with her and dying easily in the midst of an online battle.
Slap 4: Attempting to extricate the goddess from playing her game and cuddle with me in my room.
Slap 5: Repeat Slap 4.
I was just trying to get some skin-ship in, and she hit me 5 times.
The fifth one was the hardest one, of course.
I made my way back down, deciding to work a bit more before turning in for the night. As I reached my room, I took my hairband off and threw it onto the bed-sheets.
In a few minutes, I had already bathed and changed into a set of light green pajamas. Neatly folding my used clothes and my ribbon into a neat pile and setting it on the side, I felt the drowsiness begin to come into my mind. I covered my mouth as a yawn came on, and I laid down on the bed with my face directed towards the ceiling.
Ah, Vert...
My beloved "big sister" was still upstairs, pulling another all-nighter on her online games. I could hear her complaining to whoever she was playing with over the microphone, screaming some nonsense about appropriate magic skills and battle formations. I only felt negative emotions whenever I could hear her talk about this. After all, she was such a beautiful girl with a bombshell body and an intelligent mind. To me, I couldn't understand why she chose to waste her time on such things when she could be out doing much more fulfilling things.
I decided to stop my thoughts right there and then. After all, I have no right to tread upon and judge what she chose to do for fun. What she does for fun is her choice, and hers alone.
Besides, she's a goddess. If there was one upside, it was that she would never change her appearance. No matter how long she played her games, she would not pale or get fat. She wouldn't lose the time she spent playing, since she can't die of age.
She'll always stay by my side.
I smiled as this thought crossed my mind, and I stared at the ceiling again. As the night wore on for another hour, I could hear nothing but the cicadas outside and the sound of Vert's game from the floor above me.
...what am I doing?
I sighed and stood up from the bed. I walked all the way to Vert's bedroom and knocked on the door quietly. I heard her voice through the door speak to her online comrades for a moment, then I heard the sound of feet shuffling unsteadily due to lack of sleep.
The door creaked open, and I saw the girl's face pop out from the side. Eyebags had already begun to form under her eyes, but I decided not to mind it.
"Um...would you mind letting me play with you again?" I asked her, fidgeting uncontrollably in place.
"...sure, Chika. Come in." She let the door open wider, and I felt my heart leap. The chance to spend a lot of time with Vert doing the things she loves to do was more than enough for me. As I walked inside, gleefully dancing in my mind, only one thought stood out.
I wish that this peaceful and fun life with Vert would stay the same for as long as time stands.
Four Oracles, separated by nation and loyalty, were united by one wish.
For Gamindustri to remain the peaceful world that it was now.
But...
Tonight, this fictional world was going to be rocked and shocked by one of the most shocking events ever to detail it's colorful history.
The coming of a God.