A few months passed. Beel had been able to report that Earth's rebuilding was going quickly and smoothly, thanks to the vim being part of it. The Mixom corporation had even helped, due to their experience with large-scale logistics and trade. Even some of the people in cryo stasis had been able to help. The first prototype vim reactor had also been built, and was undergoing numerous tests for both power output, and safety. The Slayerists had graciously accepted their new relics from Modeus, and even non-Slayerists had preached lessons based around their stories. Zdrada's night club, the Night Sentinel, had been doing well, and had actually done some franchising, causing some presence all over the world, and this really kept the Slayer happy, as now the Fortress had a source of income, and he refused to bully people into giving him things, which further endeared him to the people. Justice's radio station had grown too, and thanks to satellites, also had plenty of listeners all over the world. And in her off hours, which she had plenty of thanks to having remote staff, she got to relive her glory days, thanks to time spent in the Ripatorium, with the help of her new brass knuckles. Malina's team had made breakthroughs in the spacial manipulation technology, and were doing various tests to help confirm it. Judgement had been helping make sure law and order was restored, and followed, and few dared to cross her. Even Pandemonica was doing better, thanks to frequent naps, and training with the Slayer to give an outlet for her sadism, with the help of one of the hammers in barrels that was lying around the Fortress. Cerberus had been restoring wild areas all over the world, and were beloved by nature lovers the world over. Big corporations sought to complain, however, Cerberus was determined. But luckily for her, thanks to the Slayer's Commands, the Slayerists had been backing her.
Lucifer too, had been directing efforts, helping to make sure the rebuilding of Earth was going smoothly. If things kept going at the rate they were, it'd be a few years before all the damage was fixed. And beyond, if Malina's team were successful. The people were excited by the opportunity to explore the stars, and colonize other worlds. And all with the Slayer to lead them on. Everyone is sure grateful to him. She herself, though she didn't fully want to admit it, felt the same. If anything, she couldn't stop thinking of him. For he was so caring, underneath the hardened exterior. His eyes seemed to pierce into her soul. And everything about him was about as manly as possible. He could've posed for any of the old Greek statues and fit in. They'd likely believe that he WAS Ares. No, he would slay Ares, easily. And the rest of the pantheon. And even the Norse pantheon too. And if characters from games were real...not even Kratos would stand a chance, she thought with a chuckle. Though, she could also sense pain in him too. And loneliness. Sure, he could bear it. But it weighed heavily on him. The Beast had spent so much time loose, the Man had almost died away. But it seems as if recently, the Man was starting to come forth. I'll help you, Slayer. I'll help you remember how to be human. Once I learn that crepe recipe, I'll make it for you, among other things. For there was ZERO chance in all of creation a man like him didn't like his meat. And his taste in music was good too. Sure, the Beast may have enjoyed the heaviest of metal. But the Man enjoyed some similar things too. Some oldies from the 1990's, and decades close to it. For she too enjoyed Justice's Slayer Radio. And right now, it was some oldie named Immigrant Song, which it too sounded like a fight song. She had even tried to find a fault with him. He's mysterious. No wait, I like that. Danger—no, like that too. Stares into the soul...no, that just makes me weak in the knees, which I somehow enjoy. What is wrong with me? Why do I like him so...no. It can't be. Can it? Modeus would know. I hope it isn't. It would be ironic if it's so. For she now had a theory of what was wrong. But she wasn't sure if she WANTED to be correct or not. But Modeus was currently busy with Slayerists. So she'd have to wait. Oh please Modeus, hurry up and get here. She did however send her a message so that she knew.
Azazel had renewed the hunt for Daisy. She was close to that rabbit. She had however, noticed some things when she had gone over the data. Somehow, for some reason, this rabbit had 2 souls. And she also discovered she had the animal empathy ability of Cerberus. So, this time, she tried to sneak up, but with mind open, so she could understand the fear the rabbit was feeling.
Daisy was in sight. Azazel just had to sneak closer. But just then, Daisy looks at her. She can sense the fear from the rabbit, but there's something else. "It's her again! Why is she following me?" Did...did Daisy just talk? Well, not out loud, but in her mind. This was unusual.
"Father, it appears Daisy might possess intelligence. Human-like intelligence," she said into her earpiece.
"I will input the new data, and recalculate all prior old data," VEGA says back. "I believe I may have a pattern. I am sending you new coordinate data now." She then heads to the new coordinates, and follows the trail, but slower this time. Let's try something. "Daisy, can you hear me?" She asks out loud with her mind.
"You! How can you understand me! Why are you following me? Why do you know my name?" Daisy seems to say with her mind. "Why is everything so confusing?"
"Slow down. Start from the beginning, and so will I. Would you like to start?" Azazel asks.
"Well, it all started...with my old life. My old master. It was...a different world. It was home. My master fought bad guys for a living. His latest mission had taken him to...I think he called it 'off-word?' to some location called Mars." Daisy begins, and Azazel goes wide eyed. If her suspicions were correct, this next part was going to get VERY ugly. "It was a long trip. I often had a pet sitter. But then one day, the sky got all red. Nightmares started appearing. This scary lady with sunglasses showed up, and took me away to somewhere from a nightmare. Then another scary lady with white horns..." Daisy didn't say any more here, but Azazel knew what she meant. "Everything was dark. Then suddenly, I feel as if I've merged with...another me. It was confusing, suddenly becoming smarter, and this...ability to go places. I'm just a rabbit! I've been wandering for what seems like forever. All I know...is I want to get back to my master. But he's probably...gone. There is this one guy I've been trying to get to though. Reminds me of him. Yet...somehow, I've never been able to." she says, her ears drooping. "Now it's your turn."
Azazel thinks carefully for a bit, before responding, not wanting to reveal too much. "Well, first off, your master's had quite the journey. The one you've been following? That's him. As for why you couldn't get to him? I'm not sure." Actually she did have a hunch. That it was Khan Makyr involvement. But Daisy didn't need to know that. She was likely ignorant of the larger issues in the multi-verse. "I actually work for him. I've been trying to catch you, so I can bring you back. Although...his new home is quite different."
"Really?!" Daisy now hops into view, practically leaping into Azazel's arms. "How is it different?"
"Well, it's actually a space station, orbiting the Earth. But it can get quite roomy. Also...there's more than just me and him in there. There's a lot of us."
"Just means more people to get to know!" Daisy says happily as Azazel teleports her back to the base, heading straight for the Slayer's room. He was busy looking at some of the data from all various vim experiments, trying to see if he could give some insight. He had heard Azazel come in, then looked in her arms. "Daisy?" he asks quietly, as said rabbit leaps into his arms, snuggling into him as he pets her head. "Something's...different," he says after a bit, staring into her eyes. "Like she's...smarter."
"Because she is. The soul of this Earth's Daisy, fused with the one you know," Azazel explains. "She even can...talk, of sorts." She starts to translate for Daisy. "'It's so good to see you! You seem different. What happened?'" Azazel translates. "Though Daisy, I can answer some of that, though it might soar over your head." Daisy just continues to nuzzle into the Slayer, enjoying her time with her master, after what was for her, untold years, though she didn't know exactly how long.
Pretty soon, the word spreads, about Daisy's return. Both on the Fortress, and even the Slayerists learned of her return. Daisy herself, hadn't spent much time outside of her cage in the Slayer's room. One day, while she and the Slayer were enjoying some time together, they got a visitor. "Hey, so about those vim experiments," Lucifer says as she comes in, and then notices Daisy for the first time. Daisy herself notices Lucifer, and starts going crazy, almost wanting to attack Lucifer. Lucifer rushes out in a panic, while Slayer restrains Daisy. A few minutes later, Azazel comes in, the others alerting her to what happened. By the time she gets there however, while Daisy is calmed down somewhat, the Slayer had an idea. "You said that she has two souls right? Her original soul, and this one? Does that mean she has all her old memories?" He asks.
Daisy meanwhile was fuming. Azazel crouches down next to her for a bit, then nods in confirmation. "It's true, she hasn't forgotten. Either J or L," she says, not wanting to say full names yet so Daisy didn't understand. The Slayer, however did understand, and nodded. "As for what we do...I have no idea. How do we explain your mercy? What might work in our favor however? Daisy knows the old you. But not the new you. She doesn't know...your legend." She says as the Slayer pets Daisy, and feeds her a treat. Azazel even chuckles a bit. "Hell, she doesn't even fully understand...her own legend. Go on and talk about 'Saint Daisy.' Even if she was smart enough to grasp the concept...she'd never believe, or understand." She walks out, leaving the Slayer and Daisy alone.
"Daisy, I don't know if you can understand me. But I have to tell you something. In some ways, the Lucifer who killed you, and the Lucifer you just met, aren't the same. She's changed. Repented. Suffered heavily. I wanted to avenge you. But at the last minute...I couldn't do it. And if you knew what I'd done, who I've become, you'd be VERY surprised by that. They call me Doom Slayer now. I'm considered a god by this Earth, which isn't our own. Even you are worshipped, as a saint. I know you've yet to meet the rest of the girls, but hopefully you come to like them. They're all wonderful in their own ways. And even Justice, the one who took you, she's repented too. She lost her sight because of me. It's a long story. Much of it is a long story," he says, looking into Daisy's eyes. "As one demon long ago said, 'In the first age, in the first battle...'"