Strength of a Bloodline
Smash Mansion was no stranger to ghosts. Luigi was constantly going around in her free time and cleaning up whatever stray spirit managed to sneak in. There was one that not even he could keep a hold on. She would come in and leave so quickly that not many Smashers would even be aware she was there. This girl would introduce herself, but only as she went to leave. Usually her hauntings were only late at night, as to make sure she had as little exposure as possible.
This girl was Magnus' deceased child. The same one he lost to the Underworld soon after Medusa launched her attack on the surface world three years ago. He had grieved for her when it happened, and cursed the gods for not only her death, but also for letting her be taken by the Underworld. Magnus never learned her final fate, but he was probably not prepared to know either. This loss was the reason why he was so condescending towards Palutena, and why he had been determined to save Gaol from the Underworld Army.
Magnus and Dunban had been sitting outside in the courtyard on a warm spring night. They were discussing some of their backstories with one another, and somehow they got onto the subject of children. Neither had really asked about it before and they both ended up curious. They both had different ideas on how to raise children, mostly in terms of discipline anyway.
The mercenary was the first to ask though. "So, is blondie actually your kid or something?"
"I'm not even old enough to be his father." The Homs chuckled. "I may have acted as a father figure as he grew up, doing the same for my little sister and Reyn, but that's about all the experience I have. I was barely even eighteen when I took responsibility of them."
"With how he turned out and all the praise you give your sister, you seem like you'd make a good father for real. And I'm not being sarcastic." Magnus comments as he folds his arms.
Dunban shakes his head. "I'm too old by this point to be thinking about having a child of my own. I've had my chance at parenting and I'm content. And yourself?"
He took a breath and sighed. "I was hoping you would forget to ask me that." The mercenary stated, unaware the two of them were being watched from the shadows. "My baby girl was snatched away from me and there's been nothing I can do about it. She was no angel though."
"Hm?"
A cold wind blew over the two before Magnus had a chance to explain. It was very sudden and out of place for this time of year. Both males stood up suddenly and grabbed their weapons. In front of them was a young girl with curly black hair. She was holding a bloodied spade in her hands, although the handpiece of the handle was missing and the metal was sharp and jagged, like a spear almost. She was standing in front of them sniffling. The mercenary dropped his guard a little as he looked at her, sensing that she was familiar.
"Daddy…" The girl cried as she looked up, the black abyss of her eyes clear as the night itself, her tears actually being the black ooze that seeped from her eyes. "Why did you leave me to die?"
Dunban looked between the girl and his companion. "Magnus, this is your child?"
"No child of mine would look like that." Magnus growled, not convinced the girl was his offspring.
Her expression suddenly shifted when her father took a defensive stance in front of Dunban. She no longer looked upset, instead she looked angered. The girl shouted at her father for being a cheater. Of course, Magnus was confused as to what she was talking about.
"Listen here little girl, I don't know why you're claiming to be Alekto." He starts as he keeps a tight grip on his sword. "Or that I'm 'cheating' on my wife when I haven't been married. You have me mixed up with someone else."
What he didn't want to come to terms with is that the girl in front of him actually was his daughter Alekto. After her death she had been kept in the Underworld for three years, so she obviously didn't know what had happened between her parents in that time. It was only natural to believe her father was cheating with someone else. She glares at her father as she clutches her shovel close.
"Eleonora, I need help." She says as she floats away a little.
Magnus and Dunban were confused as sudden strong winds started blowing around them. The leaves of the trees started rustling and even the water of the fountain was being affected. The two watched as an orange haired girl suddenly appears out of the gusts in between them and Alekto. Her gaze was cold and lifeless as she stared at the two of them. Without a word Eleonora extended her arms and the winds started blowing towards the duo. They were strong, and as she raised her arms up above her making them even strong enough to break a couple branches of the trees, but Magnus wasn't going to budge as he slammed his sword into the ground in front of him. Sadly he couldn't get any closer either.
The Homs narrowed his eyes as he was unaffected by a trick such as this. Growling loudly he charged towards Eleonora with his katana at the ready to strike. Magnus called out to him telling him to stay there but he wasn't listening. Dunban lept into the air and started spinning in the direction of the gales for Soaring Tempest. His blade failed to connect though with the spirit as the steel went through her.
He landed haphazardly on the other side of Eleonora in surprise as his attack didn't even hit the girl. Dunban looked up to see Alekto grinning evilly at him. He gasped as the demon stabbed her spade through his shirt and lifted him into the air.
"Dunban!" Magnus shouted as he watched his supposed child take him hostage. "Let him go!"
"Awwww… daddy values this man more than mommy." Alekto taunts as she continues to raise the two of them to the point their level with the third floor of the Mansion.
Dunban was starting to get dizzy from the wind blowing around him, as well as due to the fear of the fall. He knew that if this sadistic child dropped him he was as good as dead. There wasn't much of an option though for him, for even if he landed in the fountain he would just dissolve into Ether due to it being too shallow to break his fall. He wasn't sure what was technically worse, the fact his head would be split open upon impact and he'd bleed out, or that if left in the water he would cease to exist after his death. The Homs turned his head to see Magnus still struggling with keeping his footing against Eleonora's powers.
"Put him down child!" The mercenary shouted. "Whatever you're planning to do with him isn't worth your time! Now lower him to the ground!"
Alekto hesitated for a second before descending a little. She didn't go all the way to the ground, but was at least level with the space between the second and first floors. At this point the fall wouldn't kill the Homs, but it would certainly cause serious injury to him. Though, the girl still didn't look like she was willing to cooperate, like something was on her mind. Regardless of that, she heard her father shout at her once more to put Dunban down.
She smiled as she spun in the air and flung the Homs man to the ground. He tumbled a bit before coming to a stop next to the fountain. Dunban swore that something broke because he could hear the crack. A swear could be said as he tried to put pressure on his good arm but he collapsed under pain. It didn't help that Alekto would float down and land next to him before stepping on his back.
The girl pointed her weapon at Magnus. "I put him down like you said daddy. Now what?"
The mercenary glared as Eleonora caused the gusts to stop blowing before moving to float next to her friend. Both were standing between him and his companion. He dislodged his sword from the ground and held it off to the side. Magnus was glaring daggers at Alekto as she grinded her foot into Dunban's back. Without any forethought he rushed straight for the girl, at least to get her away from the Homs. Their weapons clashed against each other as he swung his sword but she blocked the blade with the handle of her spade.
The two weapons separated as Magnus managed to just barely overpower Alekto. They were both pushed backwards a little by the force of their attacks separating. Apparently what Pit told him about demons being able to use one-hundred percent of their full potential wasn't a lie. Coupling that with how the girl was his child, and he was the strongest human, it meant that they were almost totally even in strength.
Magnus growled as Alekto didn't even look like she was fazed by the attack. By this point she's already ordered Eleonora to pick up and hold Dunban to prevent him from going to get help. Not only that but he served as a very good hostage. The mercenary looked back at his companion being held by the ginger girl with worry seeing how he didn't even look like he was able to stand on his own anyway.
"I'm not telling you again!" Magnus barked. "You will leave Dunban out of this!"
Alekto opened her arms like she was asking for a hug. "Really daddy? I already put him down. Why can't you just be happy to see me again?"
Once more he charged right for Alekto seeing that she was wide open. He ignored the protests coming from Dunban as he prepared to slice this girl in half. What he wasn't prepared for is her actually taking to account he would attack and lined up her spade. Magnus didn't have any time to react as the tip of the weapon was jabbed through his neck. The metal went all the way through to the other side, but it wasn't wide enough to actually slice his head off.
Slowly Alekto pulled her weapon out of her father's neck and watched as he collapsed to the ground, motionless. She smiled wickedly as Eleonora released Dunban from her grip and he stumbled his way over to his fallen companion. He couldn't find his voice as he cautiously reached out to turn Magnus over, not that it really did any good. For the first time in over two years the Homs actually found himself crying.
Alekto and Eleonora regrouped up in the air, aware from the war veteran, pleased with their work. They grasped each other's hands before disappearing into the night.
It wasn't until the next morning that anyone would actually find Magnus' corpse. Pit had been rudely awoken at the first glimpse of sunrise by Palutena to check the courtyard. Groggily the angel made his way downstairs and out the back door to head towards the fountain. Needless to say he was suddenly very awake when he
found Dunban sitting motionless next to Magnus' body, his clothes and some of his hair stained with dried blood.
Pit quietly walked over next to the Homs before speaking. "Should I ask what happened?"
"We were attacked by demons last night." Dunban replied in a whisper. "One claimed to be Magnus' child, and in the end she killed him…"
"And… you've been here all night?" The angel questioned, seeing tired the other looked.
"Pit, I don't really think you should be asking too many questions." Palutena interjected. "I think our top priority is getting Dunban inside and someone out here to see if Master Hand can actually revive Magnus."
"R-right." He replied solemnly.
Even if Desmond is able to bring the mercenary back, there is still a couple major problems. The fact Dunban is clearly traumatized from watching his partner get murdered in front of him, and the fact Magnus himself was killed by supposedly the child he lost to the Underworld that Palutena brought up three years ago.
There has to be some point that these occurrences stop happening throughout the timelines, as they seem to be getting more violent. In addition to that, Alekto is no longer just targeting Shulk due to him becoming very close to Pit in some of these timelines, but Magnus as well now that she's learned he's staying at Smash Mansion as well. If even her own father is powerless against her, that just spells tragedy for the future incarnations she targets as she's only going to get stronger.
End notes:
1. When Alekto brings up her mother, she's actually speaking in reference to Gaol. In my universe Magnus and Gaol had been married and had a child thirteen years prior to the start of Uprising. In chapter 2 Palutena brings up that Magnus had lost a child to the Underworld during Gaol's fight, so them having a child together, losing it, and then Gaol turning into the Dark Lord really is the explanation I have for why Magnus wants to save her. Not just because she is a childhood friend.
2. When I bring up the fact demons use 100% of their potential, I'm referencing a part of Disgaea 4 where it gets brought up as to why Fuka is suddenly so strong in her disillusion of being dead.