DISCLAIMER: This episode has a short torture scene. If that's something you don't want in your life, then don't read this episode. Or at least the middle portion of it.
"-use substitution by noticing the first equation can be rewritten as y=13−3x and substituting it into the second equation..." Gregory muttered underneath his breath, biting the eraser of his pencil for a moment, before stooping over and beginning to write on a slip of paper before him full of algebraic equations. This wasn't homework, nor schoolwork. He'd already finished all that he could on that. Besides, he didn't have an algebra class this year. This work was simply to pass the time. He was bored out of his mind being cooped up in his room since his grounding, but it would end soon, and he'd be hanging out with his friends once again.
So he continued, writing down equations and solving them for his own entertainment, before he paused, realizing he'd eaten his eraser. It wasn't as though that mattered, he never needed to erase his work.
A sudden knock at his door made him jump, and he practically threw his pencil across the room. "Yeah?" He called through the door, diving under his bed to collect his pencil. "Gregory, come outside. There's someone here to see you." His mother's voice came in, and Greg stood up, dropping the pencil he'd just collected, feeling his blood run cold. His immediate thought was that it was the Messiah, finally staying true to their words. However, when he left his room and turned to see the front door where his mother was standing, the door open, he felt relief wash over him. "Dad!" He yelled, racing forward and throwing his arms around his dad.
Karen Beatrice, Gregory's mother, looked a lot like him. Or vice versa. She was short, thin, and seedy-looking with thick glasses and mousy brown hair that extended over her shoulders. Daniel Favian, Gregory's father, was very tall, and very well-built, with long windswept light brown hair that usually hung stylishly in his eyes. He had strong, angled features, and typically wore button-up shirts with the top button open, revealing a bit of his hairy chest. "Hey, dude!" Daniel grinned down at his son, before looking up at his ex-wife. "Dunno what you mean, he looks perfectly fine to me."
"Just have your day together and bring him back before nightfall." Karen replied with a roll of her eyes, and slammed the door. "Please take me far from this prison." Gregory said to his father, who chuckled. "Can do, little man. Sissy is in the car waiting for us, so let's go."
The two approached Daniel's car, a sleek looking black Mustang with a silver cobra above each license plate. In the backseat, Gregory could see his little sister, Lisa- in the divorce, his mother had gotten custody of Greg, while his father had gotten custody of Lisa. There were often times when Gregory wished that both him and his sister had been placed in the care of their father. His mother wasn't the greatest caretaker. He couldn't remember the last time she'd made a genuine effort to bond with him.
"Say hey to big bro," Daniel told Lisa as he opened the driver's side door, while Greg got in the passenger's side- he never got to ride up front with his mom; that spot was usually reserved for her boyfriend of the week.
"Bubba!" Lisa smiled brightly at him as he got in. Like both their parents, she had brown hair, though hers was thick and a little poofy. While Gregory and his parents had colored eyes signature to their SOULs, Lisa, much like many people, was born without a traited SOUL. Her eyes were auburn, and very large and wide as she stared at her older brother. He smiled back at. "Hey sissy." He greeted, and she giggled at him.
Despite the fact that Lisa and Gregory didn't spend as much time together as the average siblings, they were still close. Every time the two were reunited, Greg could see Lisa's eyes light up with excitement to spend a day with her big bro.
It was nice to feel loved.
"Alright. Where to?" Daniel asked, his signature grin plastered onto his face as he looked over at his son. "Minerva's Garden? I know you love their tofu. Maybe we could go to the pool before they close? It's a nice day out, after all. Or... how about we cruise around town and pick up some hot chicks."
Gregory rolled his eyes in humor. "Daaad." He groaned, making Daniel chuckle brightly. "Right, right. Not with Lisa here. So what'll it be, little man?"
"Hm... well... actually, there's a place I've been wanting to show you. It's sort of become the hangout spot for me and my friends."
"Oh, really? It's appropriate for Lisa, isn't it? Can't be taking her to any of your biker clubs, man."
Greg rolled his eyes, but he was still grinning. His dad's sense of humor was nothing like his, but he still enjoyed it.
"It's a place called Grillby's. Frisk introduced it to us a while ago."
"Grillby's..." Daniel frowned, thinking for a moment. "Monster-owned, right?"
"That's the one." Greg nodded. He provided his father with the address, and they were on their way, Daniel turning on the cd player to play some kids song that he and Lisa sang along to, Greg only joining in after being convinced by his dad.
"So your friends are here right now?" Daniel asked as they pulled up to a free spot along the curb next to Grillby's. "Probably not." Greg admitted. "Terrence started some kind of kung fu training or something. Frisk has been spending the weekend with her dad, and the other two in our friend group are visiting family in Savory City I think."
"Glad to know your circle of friends is expanding." Daniel stated as he got Lisa out of the car.
"Yeah..." Gregory nodded, but admittedly, whenever he thought about his friend group, he got a little bummed out. After all, Rian and Sadie had each other, and it was the same deal with Frisk and Terrence. Being a fifth wheel wasn't much fun, and he really wished that he had someone he was close to like that. His friends always made a good effort to include him, but it wasn't the same.
And on top of that, Greg also had his mother to deal with... and, well, the Messiah.
"Something wrong, kiddo?" Daniel asked, holding Lisa's hand as they made their way to the bar & grill. Gregory shrugged. "Nah, I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind with... mom and all that." Daniel nodded in understanding as he opened the door. "Yeah. She's uh... a tough one. You know, she used to be a real rascal back in the day." He told his son with a grin, holding the door open for him. "She and I would sneak out during gym class and play strip poker underneath the bleachers."
"Visuals, dad." Greg replied, shuddering slightly as Daniel laughed.
"Just figured you should know. Your mom hasn't always been the woman you know her as."
Greg could actually remember a time when his mom wasn't so... well, distant and cold to him. It was before she and his dad had gotten divorced. They'd never told him what had really happened between them, and the poor purple-eyed boy had just been left to assume they'd grown apart.
"Huh. I think I like this place." Daniel nodded, placing his hands on his hips and looking around. "Real homey. Feels kinda like the bars I used to visit in college." His eyes traveled to Grillby, who was currently cleaning a shot glass. "And I'm guessing that right there is the man himself."
"Yep." Greg nodded. "His daughter Fuku works here too. He's also got some regulars, namely Sans the skeleton."
"Like the skeleton on TV?"
"That's his little brother."
"Ah. My bad, I haven't really been... keeping up with the news on monsterkind," Daniel admitted.
"That's fine," Greg nodded. "Uh... just know that you shouldn't ask Grillby for water."
"Noted," Daniel chuckled. "Lisa, do you want a table or a booth?"
"Booth!" Lisa jumped up and down excitedly, looking around at all the unfamiliar monsters around. There were some humans too, more so than usual. It would appear Grillby's business was steadily growing.
They were quick to slip into a vacated booth, and in no time at all, Fuku had approached their table. "Oh, hi Greg!" She greeted. "This is your family, right? No chance Rian is with you, is he?"
"Er- no." Greg shook his head. "About Rian, I mean. Yes about this being my family." He seemed a little embarrassed as Fuku offered them menus, and Daniel indulged himself in the choices. "I'll be back in a moment once you know what you want." Fuku told them, and hurried off to a table where nachos had just been spilled all over the ground beside it.
"She seems like a nice girl." Daniel noted, staring at the burger options. "Out of my league." Greg replied with a shrug. "Besides, she and Rian have a thing for each other."
"Is that so?" Daniel raised an eyebrow, continuing to examine his menu. "Are there any girls you have a thing for?"
"Uh... well, not really," Greg admitted. He'd had a bit of a crush on Frisk before she and Terrence had started going out, but he was over that now, more or less. He didn't really have the energy to be crushing on girls with everything going on, anyways.
"C'mon. My son's gotta have game." Greg's dad smirked, setting down the menu. "I like games." Lisa butted in matter-of-factly. "I like Dos."
"I just... I'm focusing on school." Greg replied. "Don't really have time for other stuff."
"Alright, alright, I get it," Daniel chuckled. "How're your grades doing? All A's, I'm guessing."
"A-pluses," Gregory corrected. He could see how proud his dad was the moment he said it- another difference between his parents. His mom really didn't care if he got good grades or not.
"How'd I get such a smart kid?" Daniel laughed. "Heaven knows you didn't get it from your mom or me. We barely scraped by in high school."
"I have A plus too." Lisa interjected, and Greg couldn't help but smile at her. "You better." He joked. "My teacher said so!" Lisa announced, puffing her chest out proudly. "Even in music!"
"Well, I guess you have two smart kids," Gregory told Daniel with a smile.
"Guess I do." Daniel grinned back, before Fuku returned. "Know what you'll be having?" She asked. "Uh, yeah. I think this burger sounds really yummy, so I'll take one. And uh... a grilled cheese for the little one, with two root beers."
Fuku noted it down, before heading off. "She didn't ask you what you wanted." Daniel frowned, and Greg shrugged. "I'm kind of a regular. She knows what I like."
"You must come here a lot," Daniel gave Greg a nod, to which the boy just shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess so. It's getting kinda popular, usually there's a lot less people in here."
"Maybe you and your friends made it look so cool that everyone else started trying it too," Daniel joked.
"My friends, sure."
Daniel stared at his son for a moment, clearly hating how the kid kept putting himself down, but said nothing, knowing it wasn't much use to address it. "So... your brother got the job." He stated. Greg perked up. "Tristan's a firefighter now?"
"Oh, no, no, the other job."
"Oh. Uh... what was it?" Greg asked. "History teacher." Daniel answered. "Apparently he's doing pretty good. He's only an assistant teacher right now or whatever."
"Oh, that's cool," Greg said. Tristan had had his hopes set on being a firefighter the last time they'd spoken... but a teaching job wasn't too bad either. Hopefully his brother would be alright.
"Speaking of which," Daniel continued, "I think he mentioned that he was hoping to get a job in Voxis soon."
Greg paled. "Oh... uh... why?"
"To be with his little bro of course!" Daniel grinned, lightly slugging Greg's shoulder, who only slumped back. "Uh... yeah."
"Here's your food." Fuku arrived just a second later, expertly carrying three plates and three drinks. Her balance was incredible. Once Fuku had gone, and Lisa was tearing into her grilled cheese like a wild animal, Daniel frowned at Greg's drink. "Were you just kidding about the water thing?"
"Oh, no, Grillby hates dealing with water. Fuku's fine with it, though. Usually." Greg replied, honestly not really feeling all that hungry as he stared down at his burger.
"...are you feeling alright, bud?" Daniel asked, obviously catching on that something was eating at Greg. The boy wasn't the most talkative in general, but something else was going on right now...
"Yeah, just not that hungry," Gregory admitted, ignoring Lisa as she continued to shred through her grilled cheese. "Sorry."
"That's okay. Still thinking about mom?"
"Uh..." Greg opened his mouth, leaving it hanging stupidly open. The answer was 'no'. Or at least a partial 'yes'. He was just having an off day, he guessed. He always had his mom problems to worry about, and it wasn't like getting third or fifth wheeled was exactly new to him, but it still bothered him. Then there was the whole issue of the Messiah hanging over him, as it had since he'd returned from Unitropolis. They wanted him to be a part of it and he had this terrible feeling he couldn't shake that their patience for him was wearing thin, and sooner or later, they'd come for him.
"Earth to Greggy!" Lisa's voice broke the silence, snapping Greg out of his Messiah-induced trance. He looked at his younger sister, and shook his head.
"N-No, it's not about mom," he assured Daniel. "I just... was thinking about school," he replied. "Y'know, I... there's this university that really has their eye on me..."
"Lightway? I know. I took you up there, remember?" Daniel asked, and Greg shook his head. "No, uh... a different one. It's... pretty obscure. I've heard some things about it, and I don't think I like it very much, but they seem to have mom convinced to send me off there. I uh... don't really want to go."
"Huh. What's this school like?"
"It's... really shady," Gregory admitted. "There's this one professor in particular that's visited a few times. He isn't taking no for an answer, and um... I'm kinda worried."
"Why would your mom want you to take something like that over Lightway?" Daniel frowned, folding his arms.
"I dunno." Greg replied earnestly. "They just seem to have her convinced."
"Well, I'll talk some sense into-"
"NO!" Greg blurted out, before catching himself, and lowering his voice. "Er- no. It's okay. I can convince her myself." He wasn't exactly keen on his dad getting involved in the Messiah business, he'd just been trying to look for some kind of advice, but his father wasn't exactly that kind of person.
"Greg," Daniel raised both eyebrows, mouth curling into a small frown. "If your mother is pressuring you to make a life choice like this that you really don't want to make, I need to speak to her about it."
"I can do it myself, I promise," Greg pleaded. "Please don't talk to mom about it, just trust me."
Daniel stared at his son for a moment, before shrugging, moving almost exactly the same as Greg did. "Alright. I'll trust you. But if things don't go your way I'm intervening."
"Alright." Greg was fine with that. For now. He doubted he'd be getting his way with the Messiah anyway. "Bubba. I want your burger." Lisa announced, staring hungrily at his uneaten food. Without a word, he split the burger in half and handed her a side, before silently indulging in his half, though just barely.
"Okay. Her."
They were driving down the road, headed for the golf course, having decided to get some golfing in. Lisa wasn't particularly thrilled about it. They were passing by a group of girls walking down the sidewalk, and Greg flushed, sinking in his seat. "Dad. That's Tiffany Woodrow. She's like, the most popular girl in school. I basically don't exist to her."
"Okay. Her best friend." Daniel suggested. "Popular girls usually have surprisingly nice friends. Sometimes."
"How about we just go golf and forget about my love life." Greg suggested.
"If you insist," Daniel shrugged. "But if I can offer you some fatherly advice... you really should start making more of an effort toward girls," he told his son, giving him a smile. "I mean, being good with the ladies is in your genes, thanks to your old man, after all."
Greg forced himself not to smile. "I'm too shy," he said simply.
"You can work through it," Daniel assured his son. "It's easier than you think. Talking to girls is like having a normal conversation... but with a girl."
"I have normal conversations with girls. Frisk and Sadie are two of my best friends." Greg replied curtly. "Okay. But there's usually more flirting involved when you're interested." Daniel added. "When you see a girl you like, just walk up to her, flash your pearly whites and say hey. Maybe give 'em a little wink. Chicks dig winks."
"That only works for football players. No girl's gonna 'dig it' if the class nerd winks at her."
"Alright, time to shut down the pity party. Greg, you're a handsome boy. Most girls couldn't care less if you're sporty or not. Worrying about being too nerdy for girls won't get you anywhere- you have to start trying. Next time you see a girl you think you like, why not just try to talk it up with her? It'll do a lot for your confidence."
"Ah hah." Greg laughed dryly. "Yeah, no. I'm not ready for that sorta thing."
"You asked me to trust you, and I did. Now I'm asking you to trust me." Daniel pointed out, and Greg let out a sigh. "Alright. I'll... I'll consider it."
"That's all I ask." Daniel smiled. "So to bring back the old topic, you sure you absolutely have zero interest? You're not crushing on anyone? Not even anime girls like all the other boys your age?"
"Dad!" Greg's cheeks heated up. "No, I'm not crushing on any anime girls. That would just be... weird."
"You sure? The kids these days are apparently calling them... waifus? It seems to be a pretty big deal."
Greg's face was red with embarrassment. "Dad, you need to spend less time on anime websites."
"I read about it on Facelog." Daniel replied as they rounded a bend, nearing the golf course. "Well, then you need to spend less time on Facelog." Greg replied, hiding his face.
Once they finally arrived at the golf course, and after they'd all gotten out of the car, Daniel took in a deep breath of fresh air. "Man, I used to love coming here. Lincoln Park is the best golf course for... I dunno, I definitely don't know any better ones. Oh! Look!" He pointed at a couple of young women walking down to the first hole. "They look around your age. Practice my lessons, dear son. Make me proud."
"Daaaad..." Greg groaned, staring out at the girls. He'd be stupid not to admit that they were rather pretty, but he was certain they were college students. No chance he was going to start flirting with college girls.
...yet.
"Can I at least pick who I flirt with for myself?" Gregory requested, earning a shrug from his father. "I don't see why not. As long as you don't chicken out, of course."
"I won't," Greg stated firmly, looking around the golf course to try and find someone that was a little closer to his age, considering he mostly saw old white guys. He noticed another pair of girls, a little out of the way, but he did recognize them. Those two sat near him in second period- they were pretty nice, so he let his hopes go up, just a little.
"Okay. Them." Greg pointed. "That's your girlfriend!?" Lisa cried out. "What- no. Shush." Greg hastily replied, flushing once again as Daniel chuckled. "Alright. You go talk to them and I'll get our equipment. Come on, Lisa."
"Aw, but I wanna meet Greggy's girlfriend!"
Greg tried to recompose himself, praying that the two hadn't heard Lisa's shouting. That would be humiliating. He took deep breaths as he began to walk over to them, swallowing the growing lump in his throat...
"Oh, hi Greg!" one of the girls- Pauleen, as Greg recalled- greeted. He was a bit surprised she knew his name.
"Hey. Uh... didn't expect to see you here." Greg greeted. He'd talked to Pauleen and her friend, Georgia, before. The two girls were best friends and looked a lot alike. It was easy to assume they were twins, even though they weren't even siblings. They were both short, with fluffy, curly auburn hair, and round faces with large eyes. The differences between the two were eye colors- as Pauleen had green eyes and Georgia had brown eyes -and their hair length -as Pauleen had short hair and Georgia had long hair.
"I didn't realize you got out much." Georgia greeted back.
"Oh- well, you know, I'm just here with my family. I don't go golfing much..." Gregory swallowed, trying to think of something smooth to say. "B-But if I'd realized you two would be here, I would have started coming a long time ago," he managed to say, instantly regretting his words... but to his surprise, the girls didn't start laughing at him. In fact, Georgia was smiling, a hint of pink on her cheeks. Greg was ready to fall over, astonished that that had worked even a little bit.
"That's sweet," Pauleen smiled too. "Maybe we'll see you out there, if you can catch up to us."
"Yeah... uh... maybe I will." Greg scratched the back of his head, barely able to recover from the awe of successfully delivering a smooth line. Maybe his dad was right. Maybe this was in his genes. "I'll uh... I'll catch you later. Here with my dad and little sister."
"See you out there, Greg." The girls said together, waving after him as he retreated back to his father, who was currently trying to convince Lisa that she'd be better with a smaller club.
"But I want to use the normal one!" Lisa frowned, even though the normal-sized club was taller than her. "Okay, I'll bite. Lisa, if you can get one ball in the hole with the normal club, I'll let you use it. But if it's too hard for you, you have to switch," Daniel offered.
"Hmph. Fine, daddy." Lisa replied, and happily took the longer club as Greg approached. "So. How'd little me do?" Daniel asked, turning to his son, who awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Uh..." He straightened his glasses. "It was... well... easy." He admitted.
"Really? You sure you didn't chicken out?" Daniel teased, to which Greg shook his head. "I'm just kidding, I saw you talk to them while Lisa was stockpiling clubs."
"It was weird. They actually knew my name, and they didn't laugh at me," Greg stated, looking more confused than anything.
"Well, son, that's because people do notice you. Like I said, you're a handsome young man, and you're hella smart- pardon my french. I'm sure you have a lot of admirers you've never even considered." Daniel told him, and Greg blinked. He'd... honestly never thought of that. Could it be possible that girls around the school liked him in a way similar to how girls fawned over Terrence or Rian? Well... probably not that much, but... it was a hopeful thought.
"Thanks, dad. I couldn't have done it without you."
"You wouldn't have done it without me," Daniel corrected, handing Greg a club, the same size and shape as the one Lisa held. The little girl seemed to be struggling with her own, forced to hold it with both hands.
"Now let's go golfing."
The rest of the day went fairly great, and Greg found himself enjoying it. He hadn't taken the time to enjoy anything in quite a while. His dad always had that effect on him. Finally, however, the day was winding down and coming to an end, and before long, he was back home, hugging his dad and little sister goodbye. Greg couldn't help but notice that his mom hadn't even bothered to see her only daughter as he watched his dad drive off.
Once he was in his room, he plopped down unto his bed, pulling out his phone to notice the group chat was currently active. He opened it up, scrolling through various messages before he reached the end.
Sadie: Rian finally did it!
Attached was a video. When Greg watched it, he found Rian standing at the entrance to Grillby's, speaking to Fuku, the two staring at each other pretty intensely as they spoke. He backed out of the video, looking at the next texts.
Frisk: Congratulations!
Terrence: So prud.
Sadie: you guys should see him, he's so full of himself right now.
Terrence: Smug boi.
Frisk: Now we just need to get Greg a date to Homecoming.
Greg: Guys, I think I'm just gonna go by myself.
Frisk: That's no fun, you should have a date.
Sadie: I dunno, F. I'm going by myself, and I know I'm gonna have fun.
Terrence: Greg should have a date. He needs a pretty girl in his life.
Sadie: he already has 2?
Terrence: One he can date
Sadie: oh lol
Greg: Seriously. It's fine.
Terrence: C'mon, dude. I'm sure anybody would be happy to be your date. You're awesome!
Sadie: I can agree. well, when your nose isn't stuffed in a book.
Terrence: Not helping.
Sadie: what? It's a helpful tip!
Frisk: Greg. We're gonna find you a date. And you can't stop us.
Greg couldn't help but smirk lightly at that, before letting out a sigh.
Greg: Alright. You win.
Terrence: I'm so happy.
Greg: You can like... set up some blind dates for me or something.
Sadie: that's actually a really good idea.
Frisk: I'm sure I could convince some of the girls at school to do it.
Terrence: And I know an alleyway where a bunch of girls hang out. I could ask them, if they don't mug me first
Greg: Please don't set me up with an alleyway girl.
Sadie: why not? alleyway girls are a lot of fun at parties. used to be one, myself, back in the day.
Greg: I'd rather go with someone from our school.
Frisk: I'm already forming a list in my head.
Greg: Anyway, I'm off to bed. I've had a pretty good day with my dad. Later.
Sadie: sleep tight, Gregerickson.
Rian: What'd I miss?
Greg turned off his phone and set it down on his stomach as he stared up at the ceiling, pursing his lips, thinking about all the potential people who'd show up for a blind date with him. A part of him wanted to believe that he'd get at least three, but a larger side of him doubted he'd get any attention.
Well... except maybe he would from Pauleen or Georgia... He smirked at that thought, closing his eyes, drifting off...
A sudden rapping at his door kept him from drifting off to sleep, and he sat up with a groan. "Yes?" He called. "Come out here. I need to talk to you." His mother replied.
His mother never wanted to talk to him unless she was angry, or if she needed something from him, so Greg was already dreading this. As he rolled out of bed, he thought about what his mom could possibly want- had he forgotten to do a chore? Did she want to yell at him again for sneaking out?
Taking as much time as possible, Greg slid out of bed, set his phone on his nightstand, shuffled over to his door, and opened it. His mother was in the living room on the moth-eaten sofa that was smothered in stains. He hadn't sat on that thing in years for fear of what his mom's various boyfriends could have left on it.
"What." He sighed to his mom, who pursed her lips, staring at him for a moment. "Greg, it's... time." She stated.
"Time for... what?" Greg questioned, but he was already piecing together in his mind what this was about. She was going to try and get him to join the Messiah again- no doubt to ensure her own safety from them.
"Is it about... those people?" Gregory asked.
"You have to go with them," she stated. "There's no other choice. If you don't, they'll hurt us both."
"I can't, mom. You know I can't." Greg argued immediately. "I already told you what I'm doing. I'm not joining them. I'm fighting them."
"You CAN'T!" His mother suddenly shouted, leaping up to her feet. "You'll kill us BOTH! The Messiah are more dangerous than you think."
"I know they're plenty dangerous!" Greg shouted back. "That's why I'm going to fight them! I'll never betray my friends."
"What's more important to you?! Your life, or this delusion of being some kind of hero?!" Greg's mother demanded. "They'll just kill you, and then they'll kill me! And then they'll kill your father and your little-"
"STOP!" Greg shouted. "I won't let them do any of that! I'm not going to be a terrorist!"
"You don't have a choice. You just don't," she growled. "You are going to join the Messiah, and that is final."
"You don't choose for me," Greg said, palms sweating as he put his foot down. His mom looked like she was going to say something, but then she paled. Greg thought he'd really pissed her off- but then he turned around and followed her gaze.
Standing in the front doorway was a boy about Greg's age, with white-blonde hair and flawless golden eyes. Most people at school knew him as Jason Clever.
But Greg knew who he really was.
"You're absolutely right, Gregory," the white haired boy smiled, closing the door behind him. "She can't make this decision for you... however..." Krashna's eyes glittered in the darkness. "I'm here to make that decision much easier."
Greg's blood ran ice cold as he took a step back, raising his arms defensively, even though he had no idea what he'd do if Krashna attacked. The Messiah leader noticed this and laughed. "You couldn't kill a Froggit, let alone harm me." He scoffed, taking a few steps forward, forcing Greg to back up against a wall as he stared at the golden-eyed boy, heart racing rapidly in his chest.
"I came by tonight in hopes that you'd come to your senses," Krashna explained, his golden eyes drilling into Gregory. They were nearly the exact same height, but Greg still felt like the other boy towered over him. Cold sweat beaded at his forehead.
"Here's what's gonna happen," Krashna stated with a wicked smile. "You're going to join the Messiah, and if you don't..."
Suddenly, a torrent of golden energy manifested beside Krashna, flying over to the couch and snatching Greg's mother by the throat, lifting her up and slamming her against the wall.
"You wouldn't want your poor mother to suffer, would you? I'm giving you a chance to save not just her, but your entire family."
"...m-my entire family?" Greg swallowed, looking at his helpless mother as she struggled to breathe. "I have my subordinates ready to eliminate your father at a moment's notice," Krashna explained. "Don't think I forgot about your little sister, or your brother. Aunts, uncles, cousins... You wouldn't want to be the reason I have them all slaughtered, would you?"
Greg was horrified, heart pounding in his throat as he stared into Krashna's unblinking eyes.
"You have a choice to make, Gregory. And I've grown so terribly bored of waiting."
"I... I..." He couldn't talk. His breath was catching in his throat, his stomach twisting horribly tight. He felt his legs shaking beneath him as he stared at Krashna, feeling nothing but fear at that moment. He felt so... powerless. He could do nothing except abide by their rules. He wasn't being given a choice... his mom was right. "I... I d-don't know..." He stammered out, and Krashna seemed to get a little annoyed, staring at Gregory for a moment, before the golden arm vanished, and Greg's mom fell to the floor, clutching at her throat, gasping for breath. "I want to show you something." Krashna finally said. "It's time to break you."
Two armed men in white masks, wearing all black tactical gear, rushing in behind Krashna, marched up to Greg and seized him by his arms. The boy did nothing, frozen in fear as they shoved a bag over his head, and began to drag him out.
"Karen Favian," Krashna turned to the woman as Greg was dragged out of the house, beyond overpowered. Greg's mother, still clutching her throat, looked up at Krashna from the ground, taking in shaky breaths. "The Messiah deeply appreciates your attempts to convince your son to take our offer," Krashna smiled warmly. "That being said... you did fail, miserably, it seems. This would have been so much easier for both of us if he'd come with me willingly, don't you agree?"
"I'm... s-sorry," Karen coughed, barely capable of speaking.
"I don't make empty threats," Krashna whispered. "If Gregory is still resistant in twenty-four hours, I fully intend to have you taken out. So you should pray to all you believe in that your son values your life in the slightest. Is that understood?"
Karen only nodded, still breathing shakily. The white-haired boy stood there a moment longer...
And when she blinked, he was gone.
Gregory could see nothing. He could only hear. Only listen. He was thrown into the back of a car, and it drove for a long while, before it finally stopped. No words were said as he was pulled out of it, and they began leading him somewhere. He had no idea where, but he could tell they'd entered a building from the change of ground texture, and then they entered an elevator, which descended.
Once out of the elevator, he was led down winding halls until a door opened, and he was thrown into it. The door closed behind him, and he was left in total silence. After a few minutes, he tore the bag off of his head and tossed it aside. He was greeted by total darkness. They'd locked him inside of some... room. He didn't know where or why, but here he was, unable to see anything.
Gregory looked around, squinting to try and adjust his eyes to the darkness... but there was no way, especially since his glasses had gotten knocked off at some point during the whole ordeal. He began to stumble through the room, feeling along the walls for a lightswitch or something... had he been taken prisoner? Was this some kind of sick punishment?
As he found the walls, he began walking around the room, feeling about for a light switch, but came across nothing. There wasn't a single thing he could see. He couldn't even hear anything aside from his own ragged breathing. After he made what he believed to be a full circle- or square, as he was in a box-shaped room -he let his hand slide off the wall. "Think, Gregory... think..." He muttered, before recalling when Frisk and Terrence had been texting Rian and Sadie how to summon their SOULs.
What had they said, again? He needed to focus really hard on his ambitions, get in a fight, or get sprayed by turtle water, right? The latter two options were unavailable right now, but the first one...
What was important to him right now? Getting out of here and protecting his friends and family was number one on the list for sure. He felt sick to his stomach thinking about what the Messiah would do to them if Greg didn't act fast...
He closed his eyes, resulting in no difference in what he saw, trying to slow his breathing. 'I want to get out of here.' He thought to himself. 'I want to help my friends fight the Messiah.'
However, nothing happened. He was about to get frustrated, before he took a deep breath. "C'mon, Gregory. You got this." He said to himself. "I got this..."
And yet, still, no SOUL emerged. Greg was beginning to get angry at himself- why, even when his family's lives were in danger, was he unable to come through for them? This all felt like a disgusting dream. He was ready to wake up.
Gregory closed his eyes, concentrating so hard that his head began to throb. "Please..."
Still nothing. "Please..." He repeated. "I have to be there for everyone. I have to get out of here." He opened his eyes, and was greeted with darkness. Gritting his teeth, he dropped to his knees. "C'mon!" He growled. "C'mon! Why won't you appear!?"
Nobody responded. All he had was silence and darkness to greet him. Finally, out of anger, he thrust his fist into the wall. What happened surprised him, causing him to fall back on his rear. When his fist had struck the wall, a burst of violet light had seemed to erupt out of his hand.
A smile split it's way across Greg's face- even though he couldn't see his SOUL, he'd just used its power. Maybe he could break out of here...
"If you think you'll be doing your family any favors by escaping, you're much less intelligent than I thought," a familiar voice called to Greg. He frantically looked around, expecting to see Krashna, but nobody else was in the room.
"Don't look so nervous. I'm communicating with you through a microphone. I know you can't see the speaker without your glasses, so don't bother looking for it. Gregory, as the merciful-"
Krashna's voice was interrupted by someone speaking Russian in the background.
"Ahem... as I was saying... as the merciful leader I am, I've decided to give you one last chance to surrender the easy way. If you don't comply, I'm going to have my subordinates beat you into obedience."
Suddenly feeling a lot more confident, he stood defiantly in place, still gritting his teeth. Greg had just used his SOUL for the first time. If he had a chance of doing anything... of getting out of here... he decided to ask a question. "Why are you doing this?" He asked. "Why are you so focused on me? I'm just some nerdy kid. Why would the Messiah even want me?"
"You're in no position to be asking questions, Gregory. If you must know, you have untapped potential that the Messiah wants to get their hands on. I even made it one of my personal projects to recruit you and get that potential on our side... however, you've done nothing but disappoint me so far."
"I'm never gonna join you! Bring it on!" Greg shouted, stiffening his posture and puffing his chest out courageously.
He heard a snicker in reply, before light flooded the room, a door across from him opening, two men stepping in slowly- presumably the men that had dragged him here. Greg gulped, suddenly beginning to feel a lot less confident now that he was faced with physical danger. He wasn't even sure he could summon that power he just had earlier.
Greg nearly opened his mouth to beg for mercy, but quickly closed it. No, there was still a chance he could win this fight. But even if he did, he wasn't sure if it would solve his problems.
Greg ran toward one of the men, swinging his fist- but he wasn't fast enough, and the Messiah grunt simply took a step back, before driving his foot into Greg's stomach. The boy felt his eyes roll back in his head, collapsing to the cold floor.
His air had left his lungs, and his guts were clenching tightly as he held onto his stomach in pain, tears welling in his eyes from the pain. Before he could even chance a recovery, the same grunt drove his foot against Greg's side, knocking him to the side. Greg opened his mouth to plead for him to stop, but he still couldn't breath.
"You had plenty of chances to surrender," one of the grunts scoffed. "Don't even try now, kid."
Gregory couldn't even see anything- the dark spots dancing in his eyes were too overpowering, and any adaption his eyes had taken to the shadowy room was all but lost. Another foot slammed into Greg's side once again, mercilessly, his ribcage burning with pain.
Desperately, he tried to call upon the power of his SOUL again, but to no avail as he received a rather nasty kick to the head. He felt his head jerk back from the hit, and tasted blood as he desperately started trying to crawl away, only to receive another kick to his side. He cried out in pain, unable to defend himself in any way, the men beating him mercilessly.
Kick after kick after kick, Greg wondered when it was going to end. There was the occasional pause, when Greg thought it had ended, but his thoughts were constantly interrupted by more strikes.
It had to have been going on for, at the very least, fifteen minutes, before the two men finally ceased.
"Are you willing to accept the leader's offer now?" one of them demanded.
Greg laid on the ground, beaten, bruised, and bloody, breathing heavily. Slowly, he raised his head, struggling to do so as he looked up at the grunt. It took every ounce of strength in him, but he managed to spit out one word. "No."
Immediately, he got a kick right under his chin, but the continued abuse was stopped by a commanding voice. "Stop."
Krashna stood at the entrance, a massive figure behind him, carrying a case. "You two may leave. I have a method I would love to try."
The two men wordlessly walked out, and Krashna approached Greg, grinning maliciously. "This here is my friend, Nikolai. He's been trained in the art of torture. Traveled the world perfecting it. He's broken stronger men than you."
"You're not gonna break me," Greg spat, a drop of his blood falling on Krashna's shoe. Greg sat up, but immediately felt Krashna's foot slam into his chin, knocking him into the air, and then on his back. Greg could feel more blood pool in his mouth, and it was lucky he hadn't lost any teeth.
"YA mogu spravit'sya s nim otsyuda," Nikolai stated. Krashna gave the Russian a nod, before turning and slowly walking out of the room, giving Gregory one last malicious gaze.
Greg groaned, trying to sit up, but failing to do so, feeling the energy draining from his body quicker than he could attempt to replace it. Nikolai approached Gregory, staring down at him for a moment, before picking him up by his neck with one arm, and slamming him against the wall, holding him there as he set the case he was carrying down, opening it with his free hand, revealing an assortment of sharp tools inside.
Wordlessly, the Russian grabbed a metal rod, setting it aside, before grabbing what looked like a small metal platform, pressing a button on its side, and setting it down. He then grabbed the metal rod, placing the tip of it- which appeared to be some sort of design -on the surface of the platform. He then looked toward Greg, who was clawing at Nikolai's hand as he was still choking the boy, before he looked back down at his tools, eying them for a moment before selecting a very small blade, and waving it in front of Greg's face, still saying nothing. Greg couldn't have spoken even if he wanted to- there was no way to plead or shout for help, not with the man's hand mercilessly choking him. Greg shut his eyes, trying not to make any sudden movements as he felt the cold steel against his skin, slowly tracing along his neck... The sensation only lasted for a moment, before it turned into a sharp, stinging pain as Nikolai made a shallow, but still very painful cut. He kicked desperately against the man, but Nikolai didn't seem capable of budging as he cut slow and shallow, making it as painful and non-lethal as he could.
Nikolai stepped outside of the dark room, his hands bloody as he straightened his shirt, carrying his suitcase with the other. Krashna stood across from the door, leaning against the wall. "Is he willing to comply?" Krashna asked. Nikolai shrugged, saying nothing as he turned away and walked down the hall. Krashna rolled his eyes, turning and walking into the dark room to see for himself. Slumped on the ground was Gregory, clutching at his wounds. Krashna could tell, even through the darkness, that much blood had been drawn.
"How about it, Gregory?" Krashna called to the boy. "You don't want to suffer anymore, do you? If you'll just comply, I'll see to it that you receive the best medical care we can offer. You'll have a warm bed to sleep in tonight, and then in the morning, I'll tell you about my plans for you. But if you continue to resist... well, things will only get worse for you and your family."
"...alright," Greg coughed.
"You'll comply?"
"Yeah," Greg said, almost too quiet for the other boy to hear.
A wide smile slowly split across Krashna's face as he used his foot to turn Greg over to see his face. The boy didn't resist, slumping onto his back with a weak, pained groan. The symbol of the sun was burnt into his skin on his chest, dead center. Branded by the Messiah. He was covered in small cuts all over his body, and a piece of his ear seemed to be missing. He was checkered in spots of black and blue bruises, and overall, had taken a surprising amount of damage to finally yield. Krashna had to admit, he was a little impressed.
"Let's hope you look a little more presentable tomorrow morning," Krashna snickered, turning away from Gregory and pulling out what looked to be a cell phone. He tapped something onto the screen, and it began to ring.
"Bring a few people to escort our new friend to the infirmary," the boy said, before hanging up the call, not bothering to exchange anymore words with whoever was on the other line.
Slowly, Gregory opened his eyes, aching all over. He felt terrible, and after a few moments, he remembered everything that had happened. With a jolt, he sat up quickly, regretting this immediately as pain shot up his side. It felt like one of his ribs had cracked or something, and he laid back down with a pained grunt.
"Hey, don't move so quickly," a voice ordered. Greg blinked, looking around the room he was in.
He appeared to be in an infirmary, covered in bandages. A woman was standing a few feet away, wearing a bright blue hairnet and an equally blue mask, writing on a clipboard.
"Gregory Favian. How do you feel?"
"Awful..."
"Do you know where you are?"
"...um... Messiah?"
"Can you see clearly?"
Greg paused, absorbing the question. He hadn't noticed it, but he could see clearly, despite his glasses still being nowhere in sight.
"I... yeah. Woah."
"Good. Leader Krashna will be pleased. Can you move without any pain?"
"Not really..."
"Hm... more anesthesia and SOUL-healing, then." The woman noted, not even looking at him. "Stay there while I retrieve Leader Krashna. You have a very busy day ahead of you." With that, she walked away, and Greg leaned back, feeling his gut twist painfully. He couldn't believe this was happening. Here he was in the base of the Messiah. Or maybe an outpost. He didn't know. He just wanted to leave. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see his friends again.
Almost everything that had happened last night felt like a bad dream. He'd been kidnapped, beaten, tortured until he could barely move...
And then he'd agreed to help the Messiah. He couldn't believe they'd broken him. What kind of a friend was he, agreeing to go along with Krashna's horrible plans...?
He laid there, wallowing in regret and self-pity before the woman returned, Krashna following close behind. How a kid who looked around Greg's age became a leader of the Messiah he had no idea. Perhaps it was better he didn't know.
"You're awake. Good. Get up." Krashna ordered. "Leader Krashna, he's not-"
"I'll let you know when I need your input, Nurse." The boy interrupted her, before snapping back to Gregory. "I said get up."
Greg didn't want to move, but he didn't want to get beaten or sliced up again either, so he slowly began to climb out of the comfortable infirmary bed. Once he was on his feet, the room began to spin.
"Good. Now, follow me. I'm taking you to our cafeteria."
"...why?" Greg asked.
"Because you look like you're ready to fall over and die. You can't be of any use to me like that. Besides, you already agreed to become one with the Messiah. Therefore, there's no reason why you have to suffer any longer." Krashna turned. "Follow me."
Greg hated to admit it, but his stomach was snarling, and it was hard to resist Krashna's offer. He regretted not finishing that burger at Grillby's the other day.
'No longer have to suffer, my ass'. He thought to himself, before timidly falling into step behind Krashna, absolutely terrified at what might happen to him. What sort of things he'd see. He found himself continually longing to go home.
Greg elected to remain silent as he followed Krashna out of the infirmary, coming upon a large circular tunnel that led to an intersection. Everything seemed to be made of dirty gray metals.
The tunnel continued for a couple of minutes- normally, Greg wouldn't mind, but his whole body was in pain with each step. He could feel the anesthesia beginning to wear off, too...
"We're here," Krashna stated, coming to a stop, eyes fixed on a large archway at the end of the tunnel. Inside was the Messiah's cafeteria.
"Go eat something," Krashna demanded. "Don't dawdle."
With a gulp, Greg walked slowly past Krashna into the cafeteria, his whole body trembling slight from last night's traumatic events still. The cafeteria was large, and quite full at the moment. Countless people in black clothing sat at the tables, their masks up so they could eat.
It was scary, really... just how many people the Messiah had at their disposal. Greg found himself wondering why the Messiah hadn't just launched a full assault yet. They had the numbers, and quite clearly the power...
He wound his way to the food line, where a burly-looking bald woman was slapping grub onto people's plates. It didn't seem too different from any school lunch line, so the boy grabbed himself a plate, stepping into line, trying to ignore the eyes staring at him. He stuck out like a sore thumb here. He was shorter than them all, and wearing a bright blue shirt with a faded pair of jeans.
When the woman slapped a scoop of food onto Gregory's plate, he noticed that it seemed to be some kind of mixture of scrambled egg, bacon, hash brown, and cheese. He wasn't quite sure why it was all mixed together; maybe for the sake of convenience. Either way, it didn't look too bad.
Now he just had to find a table. He looked around the cafeteria- each one looked pretty much the same, aside from one table that was a little out of the way. The people at that table didn't wear masks- there was a purple-haired girl in a dark hoodie who didn't seem to have much of an appetite. Greg assumed it was because she was sitting beside two people who were clearly flirting it up, or at least one of them was. A pink-haired girl with a devious smile, and a man wearing nothing on his upper body, only a pair of white pants. Also at the table was a man who towered over everyone else in the room, even while sitting- Greg's blood ran cold as he recognized him as the man who'd attacked Frisk, himself, and Terrence.
Though... he looked a little worse for wear right now.
He decided to approach that table. It wasn't as though there was anywhere left to sit. Even empty spots along the walls were taken by standing Messiah members eating their breakfast. He had no idea why this table was mostly still free, or why the people occupying it weren't dressed like the others, but he didn't really want to know.
His plan was to keep his head down and not draw attention.
So, of course, the moment he sat down at the table, all eyes turned to him as a hush fell over the room. The guy without a shirt turned his gaze on Greg, appearing more concerned than anything else. "I'm sorry, but you're not allowed at this table. This is for Lieutenants."
"It's fine, Mosu." The purple-haired girl replied irritably. Mosu looked at her for a moment, before returning to his food. The girl across from him stared at him, biting her lip as she moved her foot to rub his leg. This only seemed to make Mosu uncomfortable as he tried to ignore it. "What's your deal?" the purple-haired girl whispered to Gregory, and he looked at her, expecting aggression- but instead, he found a look of curiosity. She didn't have the same cruel gaze that Krashna or Nikolai gave off- in fact, she almost looked... friendly. For a Messiah lieutenant, of course.
"I'm... new around here," Gregory swallowed, beginning to dig into his food mid-conversation.
"They usually don't recruit kids as old as you," the girl replied. He gulped at that. He was older than their usual recruits? "And you aren't wearing the usual grunt clothing. There has to be something else to it." Greg frowned. "I'm... Krashna's new recruit," he explained in a hushed tone.
"Oh. Gregory, isn't it? I heard you'd be brought here eventually. I guess Krashna must have gotten impatient. My name's Trickster, but most people call me Trixie." The girl extended a hand. Greg swallowed the food in his mouth, before hesitantly shaking it with his own. Trixie eyed him for a moment in interest, before she spoke again. "You know why you're here, don't you?"
"Kinda here against my will." Greg muttered, though he instantly regretted it, expecting her to turn hostile, but she only chuckled sadly at that. "Yeah... a lot of us are." She replied. "Mag, Krashna and I... we were all inducted when we were real little. We never got a chance to grow up outside of this. But the Messiah is our home now. And we defend it."
Sensing an opening to discuss something on his mind, Greg leaned forward, speaking again. "Defend it from what? Monsters?" She nodded, so he continued. "I haven't met a single monster who even remotely tried to wrong a human." He informed her. "It's been thin ice, and they've been on their best behavior. Your people were the ones who struck first."
"Don't let Krashna catch you talking like that." Trickster stated gravely.
"But... it's the truth, isn't it?" Greg dropped his voice to a whisper, catching on that his ideals wouldn't be appreciated if anyone else heard.
"The Messiah operates under a set of beliefs much different from yours," Trixie replied calmly. "It's not about what monsters are doing in the present. The Messiah's motivation to do what they do lies in the past. Some people fear that history will repeat itself- and some people fear change." Greg took another bite of food. "Do you believe that what you're doing is right?"
"I try not to think about it," Trixie shrugged. "I just do as I'm told, obediently. The Messiah is the only family I've ever known, so they have my loyalty. Even if being loyal to them means I have to get my hands dirty." Greg pursed his lips, leaning back. He honestly had no idea what had happened in the past to make the Messiah like this. To make these people fear monsters even though they were doing nothing wrong. "What happened in the past?" Greg asked, and Trixie scoffed. "You're all cozy up with that Frisk girl. How would you not know?"
"I guess I... never thought to ask before." Greg admitted, looking down.
"Listen... the next time you have a chance, I suggest you study the history of human and monster wars," Trixie told him. "Believe me, there's a lot of it. But right now? You don't wanna keep Krashna waiting. He's not patient." Greg nodded, taking a few more quick bites. "Yeah... I figured,"
"Hey, listen. I know you must be convinced that we're all awful people, but... it's not true," Trixie said. "I know you disagree with what we do, but it's just how we operate. And as for Krashna..." She frowned. "He's not the same kid he used to be. But he only acts the way he does because of everything he went through to become a leader. And everything that comes with being a leader." She folded her arms. "He... doesn't know any better. Try not to take anything he says personally."
"Right..." Greg leaned back, glancing around the room, still very much uncomfortable. He finished his meal, took several minutes to find out where to put his dirty plate, before he left the cafeteria, secretly hoping he could just waltz out of the base somehow- but he had no such luck. Krashna stood at the entrance, leaned against the wall, arms folded, waiting for him. "Eat faster next time." He instructed. "This isn't a bed and breakfast."
Gregory didn't say anything in reply, just waiting for whatever his next order was. "Walk with me," Krashna ordered, turning his back to Greg as he began to return down the tunnel they'd come through. Greg followed, disgusted by how obedient he was acting.
"I'm sure you're aware that Voxis High School homecoming is fast approaching," Krashna began.
There was a long moment of silence, before Greg hesitantly replied with; "...yes...?" With that, Krashna continued. "I need your help on that day." He stated. "You see, our plans had to be revised because we underestimated our enemy. This time, however, we won't fail." He smirked. "We will be striking fast and hard, and leave the monsters without their powerful leaders. Your job is to assist me in killing your friends."
Greg could feel his heart physically stop. His legs stopped moving, and he stood in place, eyes wide, before his heart started thumping again, faster than before. "Is that an issue?" Krashna asked, folding his arms. "Of course it is. I'm not gonna help you kill my friends."
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," Krashna replied. "Unless you're willing to let me arrange for Nikolai to pay a visit to your family."
Greg's eyes widened.
"Do you understand your situation yet?" Krashna's eyes glittered. "I'm making you pick between your friends and your family. Your pacifistic values have grown exhausting, Gregory. Someone is going to die based on your choice, and that's that. Give me your answer." Krashna's words rang in his ears, and the sheer carelessness of it stung. The choice he was being forced to make was an absolutely brutal one. Not only that, but there was no situation where his friends wouldn't be attacked. The only choice he was truly being given here was choosing whether or not his family lived or died.
It was a horrifying choice. If he submitted to his task under the Messiah, he would be betraying his only friends. The friends that had helped him through so much. The friends who had taught him to care about others. But his family would be safe. If he still tried to help his friends, then... well, he and his family would just be killed, and his friends would still be attacked.
"I can tell from your face that it's sinking in," Krashna nodded. "You're starting to realize how powerless you truly are. Cooperation guarantees the safety of your family. Failing to cooperate means they'll die." The white-haired boy placed a hand on his hip, cocking his head to the side. "It's a really simple choice. You have straight A pluses, Gregory. You should be smart enough to see the obvious path."
"You mean the only choice I have." Gregory mumbled. Krashna didn't reply to this, but his smirk seemed to stretch wider. Greg had no idea how a kid as old as him had become so callous, cold, and cruel. It was hard to believe Trixie on the idea that this guy used to be any different. Feeling his stomach sink, he lowered his head, speaking to the floor. "What are you gonna make me do?"
"It's quite simple, really," Krashna replied. "I've made it a personal project of mine to eliminate your friends, Gregory. But you... I can tell you're different from them. Isn't it tiring? Feeling like you don't fit in? Doesn't it make your insides twist to think about what a fifth wheel you are?"
Gregory felt grosser and grosser the more Krashna spoke.
"Essentially, I just need you to get Terrence Anoma, Sadie Brexin, and Rian Dasterian in the same place when I say so." Krashna then laughed quietly under his breath. "It's flawless. They won't suspect a thing." It was like a nightmare come true. He could recall telling his friends he'd never choose the Messiah over them after he'd returned from visiting Lightway University. Now he was being forced to do just that, and he was powerless to oppose it.
"You don't actually have to think about it, do you?" Krashna scoffed.
"...I kinda have to do it," Greg sighed.
"Exactly. I'm glad you understand," Krashna nodded. "That wasn't so hard. Now, I'll show you the rest of our facilities."
Greg had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.
Krashna led him to the crew quarters, which was massive to say the least. There had to be at least five hundred beds, all apparently in use.
Krashna assured him this wasn't where he was staying, as his role was more important than a grunt. Then he took him to the command quarters, where the lieutenants stayed. Once again, Krashna told him this wasn't where he was staying. Then he took him down a passageway that branched off the command quarters. It was a dark, seemingly rarely used hall, where at the end of it, they came across the SPEC quarters. There were three rooms attached to the lounge room they'd entered, and it was all a little dusty.
"Every leader has a personal protégé." Krashna explained. "One they personally train. These students are known as SPEC soldiers. There are only ever three. One for each leader. You, Gregory, are my protégé." Greg felt his blood run cold for what had to have been the hundredth time in the last twenty-four hours. He didn't want to be Krashna's protégé. The Messiah was planning to keep using him for their cruel acts, even after forcing him to help kill his closest friends in the world.
These people disgusted him, but he couldn't exactly express it.
"Nothing? I expect you to become a lot more talkative once you're my official protégé, Gregory. I'm sure it won't take too long to mold you into my vision, but you'll have to make more of an effort. If not... well, I can always get rid of you. You may be special, but make no mistake- you are not invincible to us."
Greg swallowed. "Noted."
Krashna swept a finger across the central table, looking at the dust before wiping it away on his pants. "Clean this place up. You will be meeting the other SPECs shortly. They're just returning from a rather crucial mission out at the Dead Sea. Really hush hush, but I'm sure they'll tell you all about it if you ask nicely." With that, Krashna turned and left, leaving Greg alone to stew in his worry.
Gregory didn't feel like cleaning, but it was obvious by now that defying Krashna's will would only result in him- and others- getting hurt. Besides... if the Messiah was going to force him to stay in this place, he'd at least prefer for it not to be coated in dust.
Gregory quickly stood up from the table, wiping away the tears on his face as he took a step back, hearing voices coming from down the corridor, talking quickly and quietly. He only hoped it wasn't Krashna. He couldn't stand that kid. The longer he listened, the closer the voices got. It was clearly a conversation between a man and a woman, but the door to the chamber was shut, and he couldn't quite make their words out...
But, on the bright side, neither voice sounded like Krashna.
He stood there awkwardly for a few moments, making sure it didn't look like he'd recently been crying before two people walked in. One was a large figure with shaggy blue hair and a constant scowl on his face. A lit cigarette sat in his mouth as he listened to the blonde girl beside him talk, her magenta eyes covered by a pair of shades.
Neither even looked at Greg as they walked by him and approached a console on the far side of the room, powering it up. "We can't keep going out on these hunting missions for rumors anymore. The leaders need to see that we're needed here." The woman was saying as the man folded his arms, staring at the screen, remaining silent.
Greg was confused; did they even realize he was here? Were they ignoring him intentionally, or was whatever they were discussing just that important? He didn't really know how to feel. Maybe it was for the best that the Messiah didn't want to harass him for once.
"You know, I hear they're already launching Phase 1.2 soon," the girl continued. "We aren't a part of it, obviously. We'll probably be out on another mission like that last one, again."
The console finished waking up, and the blue-haired man began typing away at the keyboard as the woman continued, apparently very used to his silence.
"Next thing you know, they'll send us out to find Bigfoot or something. I mean, sure, there's potential it's a feral monster like the snake-people we killed in Greece, but there's no evidence to support Bigfoot. Oh, or maybe they'll send us after Nessie next. Maybe Count Dracula."
Greg swallowed. "I'm gonna have to look for cryptids?" he asked, immediately regretting speaking as the blonde turned her head to eye him, the blue-haired man still not saying anything, taking a puff of his cigarette.
"Gregory." The woman stated, eyeing him for a moment. "Typical of Krashna to pick some scrawny little kid he can push around. Do you know what you're getting into?" Greg scratched his arm awkwardly. "Uh... I'm here against my will."
"Classic Krashna. Of course you are. That's all this place is." The woman rolled her eyes. "I am Arrow. This talkative little ball of fluff here is Ravager. To answer your question; yes. Where do you think legends come from? You think Greek mythology is fictional, don't you? Wrong. We've fought a Hydra before. Cryptids are just a subspecies of monsterkind. A feral version. At least, that's what some would say. The old books say otherwise."
"Um... are you the other SPECs?" Gregory asked. "I thought you'd both be... well, scarier."
"I could say the same to you," Arrow shrugged, walking over and sitting down at the table, attention fixed on the screen."And... Krashna's gonna make me go and fight those feral cryptids with you two?" Greg swallowed, processing this. He was having a hard time believing any of this was true.
"Maybe later. From what I hear, Krashna himself is stepping in for the next phase of our plans, and he's dragging you along with him." Arrow stated, and turned back to Ravager. "Finished logging the mission yet?" A couple seconds passed, before he took a step back, shutting the console off, giving the girl a nod. He then turned to Gregory, eyed him for a moment, before extending a hand.
"Go ahead and shake it before he decides he doesn't like you." Arrow advised. "Don't worry, he doesn't bite hard."Greg nervously extended his own hand, wincing as he felt Ravager's tight and crushing grip, feeling like every bone in his hand was getting rearranged. "Listen, kid, I've got some advice for you," Arrow offered as Gregory managed to get his hand back. "You have the same look I did when I was first recruited. Fear. Hesitance. Anger. Sorrow. Do you want to escape?"
Greg froze- if he said yes, would they snitch to Krashna?
"I'll take that as a yes," Arrow folded her arms. "Take it from me. There's no escape. Your best bet is to do what your leader says and pray that you get used to what goes on around here. Okay?"
"Has anybody ever tried to escape?" Greg asked, tucking his throbbing hand into his armpit. "During my time here? No. But I've heard stories. The last people who tried to escape were chased down all the way to the Bahamas. And they were killed. Being in the Messiah, whether by choice or not, is a life sentence." The boy gulped, feeling the familiar clench of his guts in his fear and anxiety. "Oh..."
"We'll see you around." Arrow patted his shoulder before she and Ravager left the room, leaving Greg alone to think about this revelation.
"Did you like your fellow SPECs?" a voice called from the corner of the room after several minutes. Greg's eyes darted around, quickly detecting Krashna standing, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. "...they were alright," Greg replied, feeling his mouth grow dry. He blinked, and the golden-eyed boy was gone. At least, he thought so until he felt the hand on his shoulder from behind.
"Listen," the boy began, "I'm sending you back home. If you were to suddenly go missing, your friends would become suspicious, and might even skip out on Homecoming... but once it's all over, you'll be permanently relocated here. Understood?"
"...understood," Gregory said quietly. Would he be here forever? Never allowed to see his family ever again? He didn't want the Messiah to become his new family. There was just no way to accept that. "See yourself out," Krashna ordered, before turning and disappearing through the doorway.
Gregory opened the front door to his home to find his mother standing anxiously near the entrance. She stared at him for a moment, but no words were shared as he made his way past her, trudging into his room, closing the door behind him, and collapsing on his bed, feeling sick to his stomach.
"What am I gonna do..." He groaned quietly, grabbing his phone off his nightstand and turning it on. His friends had been trying to get ahold of him all day apparently, and they'd gone to Grillby's as well as met Gerson. He only felt worse as he turned the device off, closing his eyes as he felt tears beginning to well in them.
There was only one thing he could do.
For the sake of his family... he'd have to turn on his friends.