The Saga of Ruby the Rose
Hello, and welcome to the Saga of Ruby the Rose! This story is one my mind concocted a few days ago, and I've been feverishly writing on it ever since.
Despite incorporating an element or two from Youjo Senki, this story is not a complete crossover, hence why I am posting it here.
In regards to updates, expect them to be sporadic, as my schedule does tend to be fairly uneven at times due to how life likes to act.
That being said, I hope you enjoy the Saga of Ruby the Rose! Comment/criticize if you'd like.
Introduction
It should have been a fairly simple and easy life, all things considered. I lay off workers to maintain company efficiency, go home and rest, and then continue on with my life. Perhaps a promotion for an improved standard living, maybe even a marriage down the line, with a child or two. Raise them to become successful as I have. Now, however...
Now that I think about it, perhaps I should have taken my superior's words into a more careful consideration.
It's a standard day. Another man lies on his hands and knees, begging for me to reconsider my decision - he dares to call it hasty. I tell him that I have reconsidered, and that he simply did not meet the marginal requirements necessary to keep his position intact. And such a small margin too – had he just remembered to fulfill one crucial obligation, he would not be in this position in the first place.
However, he did not do what was required of him, and because of that I am now bearing witness to yet another devolution in my office. It is sad, really, watching a man transfigure into something truly pathetic right before my eyes. All I can do now at this point is to advise him a voluntary resignation to preserve whatever shred of honor he still has left.
I leave the office with a sense of accomplishment, having completed my day's obligations, and I stand in front of a subway platform. I never feel eyes watching me. The overhead lights begin flashing their characteristic blue coloration. And that is when I feel a hand press against my back.
A single, simple shove is all it takes to show the world that emotions truly overpower rational thought when it matters most. I land on my hands and knees, and look up at the platform in brief shock. It is the man I had released from employment. A pity, I think to myself, as the subway train comes for me like the damning hammer at a sentencing hearing.
"Give me a break."
The voice startles me, and I find myself kneeling as before, my arms raised for an imminent impact that would never come, for it had already happened.
"Humans like you have little to no sense of right and wrong, these days," says the bearded being in front of me. He appears as a man in his sixties yet possesses an impressive muscular physique. He wears a humble robe, draped over his left shoulder, which covers his beltline down to his ankles; how he appears grand still, I will never know. He completes his ensemble with simple sandals.
"Excuse me for the rudeness but, who are you?" I ask.
"I suppose I am…the Creator," he says, matter-of-factly.
A myriad of possibilities bombards my mind in an attempt to rationalize the mere possibility of a divine being standing before me. I could very well still be alive yet suffering from severe trauma. Perhaps I am dying and my life is flashing before my eyes with this exact sequence playing out before me. Maybe I'm still dreaming, and I have yet to wake up -.
"Your personality is twisted beyond the likes I have seen. Your head is full of such utter nonsense, lost lamb."
Did he just read my thoughts?
"Indeed, I did."
I take a moment to take a breath, not fully realizing the folly of such a motion until after it has occurred. "I never realized I would be talking with the devil himself."
He looks at me – through me – his piercing eyes boring down into the very essence of my being. "You nonbelievers talk utter nonsense."
Only two entities are capable of utterly defying all known universal laws on a whim – God, and the devil himself. If God truly existed, He would not leave the world in such a pitiful state wrought with countless injustices. Thus, there is only one logical, and rational, conclusion. The being before me is not God. And, until I receive enough concrete evidence to prove the latter, I shall henceforth call the one before me as "Being X" for now.
"Why do you fools find it within yourselves to be so complacent? Why do you not strive to attain enlightenment through advancing human nature? Do you not wish for deliverance from the bondage that keeps you so restrained to the earth?" He questions me deliberately, with emotional quips as if seeking to derail my counterargument.
"I think it is due to the simple fact that social progress determines human development as a whole. After all, if a society develops to attain the understanding of God, and comes to understand more, and begins the cycle of seeking knowledge for unending fulfillment, what use are deities in society?"
I pause for a moment to consider my words.
"I must ask, though. Say that I do not attain enlightenment, that I do not come to understand God. What happens to me then?"
"Then I shall merely throw you into the cycle of reincarnation, so that you may be born again, in hopes that your next life will see the light of truth in God. It is far too late for regrets."
"Very well, carry on," I say, just a tad too quick.
There is an audible silence. I never thought a pin could be heard dropping in Heaven, if it were indeed real. Being X closes the gap instantly, mere inches from my face. I recoil.
"Why can't you humans ever get your pitiful acts together? How do you even begin to hope to break the cycle without even a single shred of faith in the divine?" He snaps at me. Honestly, what is his deal?
"Humans nowadays have strayed from the universal laws for far too long! Their compasses discerning right and wrong on the scale of morality are so skewed that a homeless man returning stolen money will receive a life sentence in prison while the rich live in the cruel amalgamation of the third and fourth circles of Hell, free to live in content after a month's slap on the wrist if they ever got so careless as to get caught! I even gave all of you humans the Ten Commandments as a standard to live by!"
Ah, the ten simple rules etched onto stone tablets. "Please do not assume that all of us humans believe in the teachings of the Old Testament."
"Besides," I continue, while adjusting my shirt collar. "I was born into a world enriched with scientific ingenuity, raised within a country holding an exceptional standard of morality, and I am a salaryman. I possess advantages that are both biological and social. I have no need for gods."
I look up, and Being X is suddenly much, much taller, and his eyes…his gaze is far more sinister than before. "I understand full well now, of why you are of such little faith! We must fix this sin right away!"
To say that I experience the worst gut feeling in my life while in limbo would be an understatement to my predicament.
"So, what you are saying is, if you received a life filled with constant strife knocking on your door, that even a nonbeliever such as yourself would awaken to faith?"
"Do you even hear yourself? When does God jump to such conclusions? Let's just calm down and settle this in a calm and rational manner! Isn't it your job as God to lead nonbelievers with a heart of compassion, and a gentle, staying hand?" My last-ditch rational approach needs to work. It has to.
"Such pitiful groveling shall get you nowhere, now. Humans all across the universe were in awe of what I once did, hailing such acts as magic – miracles, even!"
"If I may interject with one thing, my Lord! Magic and miracles – both have never been proven by any scientific measures. They are merely superpowers at best, with little to no regard for scientific norms."
And his gaze grows even more evil.
"I see. You seem to doubt the existence of magic, of powers and miracles far beyond the explanation of science?"
"Your very existence is an anomaly in and of itself -"
"Silence. I believe I have an experiment just waiting for the right subject. I'm going to try something."
My gut feeling grows to levels far worse than it had been mere moments before.
"E-excuse me?"
"You, my fair human, will be reborn into a world that has known only constant strife since its very inception! You shall know the pain of constant dread and suffering and be driven to the limits of your very existence!"
Every fiber of my body and soul shifts, and I find myself hurtling down an endless spiral of everything and nothing, until I black out.
…
I awake, only to find my field of vision filled with the sight of a woman above me. She has black hair with red tips, most of which is obscured by her stark white hood. Underneath her fringe of hair, I see piercing silver eyes.
"Good morning, my little Rose," she says with a smile only a mother would know.