Disclaimer: I do not own Campione or any of its characters. I only own my OC's
Chapter 26
"I am the collector of knowledge and tales, the one that has caught all stories within my web. Thread weaver of legend and myth, let them take shape so that I may display and share their splendor."
Lancelot raised her arm to defend herself against the approaching attack, having moved before the words had even been spoken. Her only sign that it was coming before her lips moved being the sudden disappearance of the spider that had been standing on the green haired monster's shoulder. The woman in question let go of the poem book in her hand, showing the spider for the briefest of moments and the small piece of folded paper that was stuck to its backside, before it erupted and the paper exploded in a flash of light so bright that hadn't Lancelot been a god would she surely have been blinded in that moment. The light became like strings of light, fairly reminiscent of spider's thread for a moment as it whipped around the shop in a flurry. The former Queen of the Amazons were able to recognise the fact that the light threads weren't solid, rather being words made of light, flying by too fast to actually read or to recognise the language.
The threads of words coalesced back into her now open hand, taking the vague outline of a sword for a moment, before the space inside said outline was filled with an actual sword. All of that had taken place in the span of less than a second.
Lancelot was ready for the blade to be swung towards her, her armor already summoned unto her body in anticipation. But instead she saw how the inhuman being simply pushed the blade down into the floor, going through the wood with minimal effort. There was no hint of aggression in her stance, even taking a step back from the legendary knight and the blade she had created. That didn't make her anymore at ease, knowing full well that an attack could still be launched at any moment.
"...what is this?" the Amazon warrior asked eventually, as the green haired monster in the guise of a woman stared at her seemingly expectantly, as if she wanted her to take it.
"See it as a gift. Or calling it a bribe might be more accurate." She picked up the book she had dropped, easing the pressure the Knight of Camelot had been experiencing the entire time somewhat in the process. "I honestly believe that you are one of the few Knights I can see myself letting keep on existing in this world after all these years. Most of the others that I have come across were too dedicated to your King, so those had to go. But you, you have some semblance of doubt churning about, something that keeps you from becoming a borderline fanatic like those fools."
Lancelot's fists clenched hard, and would undoubtedly have pierced through her own hand hadn't she currently been donning her armor. All the fear she had been feeling was choked by the overwhelming anger that bubbled up inside her. An anger that the blade in the floor seemed to resonate with, as it seemed to pulse with power at her emotions.
For a moment considered the Knight of the Lake to rip the sword out from the ground and strike down the physical nightmare before her, the one responsible for so much loss and fear. But the logical part of her mind barely managed to hold her back, fully aware that a full out confrontation between them would in most likelihood end in her demise.
"Just think about it, Lancelot. Who knows, maybe you and that blade might find yourself more compatible in reality than in the stories. And it would be such a waste otherwise, do you know how much time it takes to make one of my 'webs' permanent?"
The Greek/French woman just glared at her in response, before her eyes drifted over to the sword once more. It was a nice looking weapon, and she could feel the power it held even from this distance. And if the green haired woman's words were true, would it be considered something on the level of an Authority in the right hands, something which she had seemingly done with her in mind if she were to be believed.
With that in mind she was prepared to swallow pride as she considered giving in depending on her request. "Very well, what do you want me to do?"
"Oh, not much, I just want you to give me this book, as well as promise me that you won't set foot in Japan the next coming… let's say 24- no let's say 48 hours just to be on the safe side."
That was a surprise to Lancelot, her thoughts having been nowhere near considering something along the lines of staying out of a country, especially one so far east as Japan, and only for a specific amount of time at that. She couldn't help but think there was something suspicious regarding her request, just wasn't able to discern what it might be, so there wasn't any actual reason to deny her.
"...may I ask why?"
"That it isn't part of the deal, now is it Lancelot?" the green haired woman brushed away her question without a second thought, simply smiling in response to the Knight of Camelot's disfavoring expression, seemingly finding gleeful joy out of her misfortune.
"...this blade will be fully in my control if I accept your demands right?"
"Of course, my creations aren't fully loyal to me once they find someone that they find someone with a stronger connection. For this particular piece of work would I say it should take… 12 hours maybe before bounding to you fully. Once it has done so is it fully outside my control."
Lancelot considered it all for a moment longer, before ultimately reaching her answer. "Very well, I accept your terms."
"I'm glad to hear that." The smile on her face then disappeared, a chill settling throughout the shop as she leaned towards her. The image of her body and face splattered with blood crossed Lancelot's mind for a second. "I hope you decide to follow the terms of the contract, as you should know what will happen otherwise..."
The blue eyed goddess nodded somewhat stiffly in response, the fear beginning to settle in once more at the underlying threat.
Without another word and nothing but a smile in kind, walked the woman out of the shop leaving Lancelot with the sword. Her hands were already moving through the pages as she walked down the late morning, almost midday streets of Rome, her focus seemingly entirely turned towards the book and its content. Her fingers suddenly stopped on a certain section of the book, speaking a bit about a time just before the twelve great deeds of Greece's greatest hero, about when he had a family.
Small wisps of light started floating up from the words, almost looking like white strings dancing in the wind as they rose up from the pages that her eyes were completely focused on. Her smile returned once more, having disappeared at some point during her walk. It felt as if everything was falling into place, all going according to one of her latest underlings' predictions regarding the situation. He had removed all doubt in what were the right options, as he could simply give her the words she needed to say and when to say them, and everything would go her way. And while there was still a probability for failure, were the odds so heavily skewed in her favor that such a thought never crossed her mind.
Soon. It wouldn't be long now before everything would click into place.
…
"I'm really sorry about this…" mumbled the currently mostly incapacitated King as he was both carried and dragged across the ground by his savior. The somewhat numbed pain that coursed through his system flaring up from time to time as he was being moved, thumping in a slight off-beat rhythm of his heart.
"It's no problem" the Shrine Maiden carrying said King on her back replied in kind. It was somewhat of a challenge for her, having never encountered the prospect of carrying someone taller than her on her back. Especially when considering the fact that said individual lacked the strength to keep their arms intertwined when draped across her shoulders for any extension of time. As a result she had to physically hold their arms together with one of her own hands. That left her with one remaining hand to lift up and balance their body properly, something much easier said than done she realised.
The silver lining in all of this would have to be the lack of eyes looking at them, as the blonde woman was instead using the tall buildings as a way of transportation, making excellent use of her magic and physical gifts to cover more distance than what would have been possible otherwise. This also made it so that she didn't need to worry about bumping into people, as she was in her opinion something of a rush.
She threw a momentary glance back, catching the exhausted Campione in her peripheral. He looked like he been put through hell, his face marred with peculiar looking bruises that she noticed traveling down his neck down under his shirt as well, leading her to believe that he was most likely covered in them. And while looking like nothing more than normal bruises, could Chizue tell that there was far more to them that, as each and everyone exuded a strong magical presence.
She had no clue what they did, only having the vaguest inclination that they might be the reason behind his current condition, not that she could be entirely certain regarding that. All she could be certain about was the fact that something had weakened him substantially.
As she leaped towards another building somewhat further away, couldn't she help but think about what people would think if someone saw her helping out a Campione, one of the few individuals in the world that could be considered the equivalent and most often superior to an entire military force in even the most prepared of countries, despite not knowing him and which such nonchalance to the entire thing. People would be in an uproar if they found out about it, running around like headless chicken in order to come to an agreement on how to appease the King for such 'insolent behavior' as they liked to call it.
She personally thought that those people could screw off, having long ago come to the conclusion that feeding into the fact that they were superior beings would only make them so much more infuriating than if they had been treated a bit more… well, human. While it was true that they had become something more, shouldn't that remove the fact that at their core would they remain human. It was a lesson that had beaten into her -both metaphorically and literally- until it fully stuck with her. Ever since then hadn't she cared so much about what the many different magical organisations in Japan thought, especially the History Compilation Committee, which she herself had been a part of a couple years ago.
Chizue couldn't tell what it was exactly that made her walk away from the organisation, something about it just robbed her the wrong way on a personal level. But if she had to make a guess, it would have to be around the same time as Hideyoshi's sudden appearance 3 years ago.
The Committee had quickly caught on to the fact that there was no actual information about him before he seemingly materialised out of thin air, and yet had he a house and a sizable income from… somewhere, but even the money seemed to just appear out of nowhere. Tons of theories started circulating about the blonde boy and his existence, ranging from anything between him being a fugitive under new identity, to some even claiming him to be a magically created human possibly made by one of the many cults that existed. That she was okay with.
It was when they considered taking more extreme measures that she had to put her foot down. They had first considered putting him under 24/7 surveillance without his knowledge, and would determine how to approach his recruitment into the organisation so that they would have a closer eye on him. She had detested the very idea about going to such extremes for a normal child, and decided to take matters into her own hands. As a result were several subordinates sent to the infirmary, and some had even been sent to the hospital after her retaliation against her former handlers, as well as whatever poor soul happened to get in her way while she was still somewhat pissed. Because they apparently didn't understand the concept of letting someone cool down.
Afterwards had she integrated herself into Hideyoshi's life, coming to care for him almost like an actual family member in the process. She had also felt more freedom during this time than she had throughout her entire time working under the History Compilation Committee, reinforcing her stand on the matter even further.
It was thanks to how much she had gotten to know the blonde boy that she knew that something was wrong, not that he decided to tell her anything about what may be weighing on his mind.
And then there had been their spar earlier today, something which from her perspective had come out of nowhere, not that it hindered her from agreeing to it. There had however been one revelation she had made regarding Hideyoshi's existence thanks to that fight, whatever his origin may be, was it at the very least divine in nature.
"...you seem angry about something."
Her thoughts were promptly put to a halt at the sudden comment from her passenger. His head close enough to her ear that despite the rushing wind and his voice being just above a whisper, were she still fully able to hear what it was he was saying.
"What makes you say that?" the Japanese woman asked, genuinely curious about what had tipped him off about her mood.
"Your grip got tight all of the sudden" he answered matter of factly, as the pressure she put into her grip had grown stronger quite a while ago. Not that it was the only sign he had managed to discern. "I can also see it… in your eyes. They hold a deep resentment towards someone or something, the kind of anger… that doesn't just disappear with time."
"You seem like an expert on the subject based on the way you're talking."
"Heh..." he let out a breathy chuckle, apparently finding some humor in her observation. "I guess you are right. One of my Authorities is so ingrained with the emotion that it might have helped… But if I am fully honest… would it probably be because I have lived with those eyes aimed towards me for a… long time now"
"From how you're describing it sounds like it concerns someone close to you. A family situation perhaps?" Chizue had a hard time believing Brenda would be the one, the red head positively radiating warm love and affection from what little she had seen from their interaction.
"Something along… those lines…" Each sentence that he spoke was getting harder and harder to get out, the pain and exhaustion making it a chore just to continue speaking. "I wish… it was as… simple as… just a family situation…"
The semi-delinquent had expected him to keep going, and as she looked back to see what had happened, was she met with him slumping his head against her shoulder out cold. He looked to be sleeping, his eyes closed as he let out slow but relatively steady breaths. It was peaceful in a way to see him fall into slumber, especially when compared to the pain and lethargy he had shown up to this point.
Chizue smiled, thankful for the momentary respite he had given to her thoughts. His words also gave her something else to think about for the time being, as she knew she was getting close to the hotel she had dropped Brenda off at before. And yet, no matter how much she tried to turn her thoughts away from Hideyoshi, couldn't she stop herself from asking what it was that was ailing him, and whether it had anything to do with his apparent access to divinity.
…
Dante wasn't that surprised to find himself within the boundless and seemingly never ending sky filled with large pieces of rock as one's only form of footing as his body lost consciousness. His back in fact being pressed against one of said such rocks, forcing him to look up towards the vast and deep blue sky that stretched onwards high above.
What did surprise him was the fact that his body was still aching all over, despite this not being his actual body, as he highly doubted that his body was actually teleported to this surreal world. And yet felt he still the pain that had been placed on him by Knowledge of the Runes Origin, although somewhat numbed it would seem. It no longer thumped constantly throughout his entire body, now only feeling like he gone through a full body workout and was experiencing the soreness that followed.
Which thankfully left him with the ability to move once more, as he lifted himself up so that he was at the very least sitting up on the rock floating in space.
Dante made no other motions to begin moving, seemingly content with simply sitting down and taking in the serene surroundings around him, as he in his opinion had no reason to walk down the road of stone at the moment. After all, there wasn't anything down that road that he yearned for, as Brenda was currently near him once more. The rock beneath him started sprouting flowers as his hands were pressed against the rough surface of it.
The majority of the flowers that sprouted up were the red chrysanthemum, easily dominating the other flowers that appeared in sheer numbers. It was however hard to not take notice of the blue lily that transitioned to silver along the edges that also was a lot more frequent than most other flowers that grew forth.
However, was his attention forcibly ripped away from all the flowers that had appeared around him, as he felt something try to force its way up right beneath his hands. It wasn't small, friendly bumps by the way, each time feeling as if it would lift his hand from the ground. They would surely have left bruises given enough time.
Wanting to avoid such a situation, and because he was genuinely curious, lifted he up his hand from the rock's surface. Immediately unfurled layer upon layer of pink petals, growing smaller the higher up they got. It wasn't the only unnatural thing about it, as it suddenly transitioned to a vibrant green in the last two sections that made the middle of it.
Dante could only stare at the unnatural lotus flower that had forced its way into his internal world, an anomaly that hadn't shown itself until now. There was no mystery what had caused the flower to appear, many more appearing as he continued staring unflinchingly at the first flower that had appeared after it had caught his gaze. He knew that his pulse had risen, his heart beating away much faster with noticeable force inside his chest.
Images of a certain martial artist appeared in his mind as his eyes started moving between all the pink and green lotus flowers that had risen. Three different versions of the same woman, two of which were of this reality, the first being as she usually looked in all other circumstances, while the other was her more wild and more unusual appearance, with the last being from the vision of her with a blade. He didn't notice it himself at the moment, but would one ask would he realise that the majority of his visions were either of the wild or sword wielding Luo Culian, with her more unkempt version edging out ever so slightly.
To his horror, Dante realised as his eyes scanned over the flowers that the amount of red chrysanthemum was almost equalled by the intruding lotus'. He tried to move away, only to find that his legs had quite fittingly been rooted to the rock by the roots of both the medicinal flowers and water flowers, making him unable to get away. Even just the thought of ripping out the flowers to get away utterly repulsed him to such a degree that he couldn't even bend down towards them. His situation wasn't helped by the fact that it almost seemed as if each and every flower of the two species were looking towards him, creating imaginary images of both Brenda and Luo Hao just… waiting.
They didn't acknowledge one another, being nothing more than manifestations brought forth by his own imagination while inside this space, just simply sitting down among their half of the large stone that their respective flowers had almost evenly split down the middle. They also didn't say anything, just sitting there, as if waiting for him to do or say something. His words failed him however, his throat having gone dry at some point due to the images that he had been subjugated to this last minute.
He felt emotionally exhausted, which didn't help with the fact that he was physically exhausted as well, wishing the day could just come to an end at this point.
It felt as if he had gone through more this last hour than he had ever since Godou became a Campione, and all of that had been hectic in their own rights. Yet couldn't it compare to the sheer amount of information and experiences that had been forced into him, and the complete development of actual feelings towards Luo Hao, while his emotions for Brenda still remained. Something which had physically manifested itself in front of him.
"This seems like quite the conundrum wouldn't you say."
The brown blonde man lifted his gaze up from the two apparitions sitting patiently on the ground, looking into the intense, sky blue eyes of Indra that stood right across from him. The crimson haired god had a smile on his face, not one finding humor in his situation, but rather a smile for smilings sake.
"Or you might think that this situation is the worst possible outcome."
"You know about my situation" Dante responded dejectedly, his eyes turning downcast.
"Maybe so, but there is no hindering something that has already come to pass. The best thing you can do right now is to accept reality for how it is."
"Easy for you to say God of One Night Stands."
Indra chuckled a little on the title. "Alright, fair. But you have to acknowledge the fact that your heart is currently overwhelmed by both these lovely ladies, and that trying to ignore one of them might have reprucations down the line. Or who knows, you might turn out fine as long as one is nearby at least."
The god of skies and lightning moved through the flower field, each step moving carefully through the flowers in order to not trample or uproot them. He didn't leave any track behind him, clear indication of the nonexistent disturbance he had caused to the vegetation as he now stood just in front of his usurper.
"I might be a god, but I have had to accept the reality of humanity's insane potential twice in all my time. I have been brought down twice in all my time, mostly because I was arrogant, believing that humans were beneath me both times. The first time it took me by surprise, as that man decided to forgo most of his own humanity to defeat me for the sake of his father." Indra looked up for a moment, seemingly thinking back to the occasion he was talking about. Dante saw how his smile disappeared from his face as he stared straight up into what was once his domain to reign over. "It was because I decided to not accept the reality of us gods not being unkillable to you humans that I made the fatal mistake of underestimating you, even when I had already experienced death at one of their hands before."
"...why are you telling me this?"
"Because, I don't want to find out what consequences might befall you if you decide to decide to avoid the truth in regards to your feelings for Luo Culian. Forced upon you or not, have they become ingrained into you as if they were your own, the evidence being quite clear around us." The red haired god turned his eyes back down at the Italian god slayer. "I hope you take this seriously."
He suddenly kicked Dante in the side, the roots simply unraveling and letting go of his legs as he was sent flying by the remains of the first god he had slain.
"Have a safe trip."
"...I really hate you sometimes…"
He didn't need to turn around to know that the clouds were approaching him from behind as he was falling back first towards them, his gaze focused up towards the path he had been standing at just moments ago. Two figures peered out over the edge at him, as both the imaginary manifestations of Brenda and Luo Hao looked down at him before he passed through the clouds.
Dante thought about what Indra had told him, leaving him with a question that only he could answer before returning to the realm of the living: 'Can I accept these feelings as being real?'
…
"What are you doing here?"
Sita turned away from the bared opening, shifting her attention towards the young looking visage of Pandora. The mother of all Campione was bordering on glaring at the brown haired goddess, her twintails billowing ever so slightly in a non-existent wind as her eyes held barely concealed anger as they focused squarely at Sita. The prisoner of the cave behind Sita lifted his gaze up at the other young looking goddess, his expression seemingly more annoyed than anything about the fact that his conversation had seemingly been cut short.
"I was only partaking in some conversing with someone that has a better understanding in regards to what I am talking about. The other gods here haven't managed to catch my interest, and don't appear willing to partake in actual discussions or something similar." Sita responded as she stood up from her position on the ground. Her eyes of glass reflected Pandora's visage back perfectly at her as they stared at one another.
"That doesn't explain your continued interactions with this man, this prisoner, this absolutely foolish, misbehaved child!"
As her voice raised slightly, took the entire Netherworld notice, the fog being greatly displaced by the resulting winds and magical energy that erupted from her. Sita was forced to shield her face for a moment, as she was momentarily caught off guard by the sudden display of Pandora's actual power. Her hair and dress whipping around wildly in the constant gusts that originated from the Mother of Campione. It was a display of power and temperament so foreign from the twin tailed goddess that it caught the brown haired goddess by surprise.
That was all it did, Sita not feeling any apparent fear towards her fellow goddess at her display of her actual power. Something which she decided to meet head on, as magical energy and air erupted from her as well all of the sudden. The collision of their powers eventually got even, neither being able to fully overcome the other in the end, being able to just keep the other mostly in check without either unleashing what they both deemed an unnecessary amount of power.
However, would someone have had the pleasure of being able to see this confrontation, had they witnessed something entirely unheard off. Behind both young looking women appeared a female apparition, unmoving but clearly vigilant as they stared down at one another.
The one behind Pandora appeared to be an older woman bearing clear resemblance to the youthful goddess in front of her. Sharing the same tone of purple hair, but hers not tied up in two separate tails, instead freely flowing down her back. Her face eerily similar to Pandora's, except that it had more refined and matured features that clearly distinguished itself from the youthful splendor of the smaller female she resembled. The same could also be said about her body, with her long, slender limbs and full bosom that transitioned into womanly curves, all of it draped in a dress-like version of the greek toga that mainly exposed her arms and a small bit of her cleavage.
The one hovering near Sita also bore a striking resemblance to the glass eyed goddess. But while the figure behind Pandora's hair was let loose in comparison to its younger looking counterpart, was the figure behind Sita's hair formed into a braided crown that transitioned a large, voluminous braid at the back. Her face was similarly aged, but had minute traces of what looked like makeup, mainly to the corner of her eyes and lips. Her matured body mostly hidden behind a single piece of multicolored cloth of similar colors to Sita's junihitoe, exposing only her right arm and shoulder.
One would be able to tell at a glance that these two apparitions had some significant connection to their respective goddess, be they their true form, a manifestation of their power or something entirely different.
"I know you want revenge, Sita. But doing it through his help shouldn't be the way to accomplish that."
"You say that, but what I can't fathom is the fact that you hate him so much. Didn't you swear that you would love all your children unconditionally, no matter what happened. Then how come he is treated so differently from all the others?"
Both figures of Pandora gritted their teeth in perfect unison, the older looking goddess standing just behind her moving in perfectly synchronized motions to the real Pandora as she got a bit more animated in her response. "I love him just like any of my other children, but he has remained so stubborn all this time in getting out of here, when all he needs to do is accept what has happened. His persistence is what has been keeping him stuck here all this time! All so that he might have a second shot at revenge!"
She got quiet for a moment after her momentary outburst, the feeling of tears burning against the back of her eyes fully noticeable now as they almost began spilling over the edge. She breathed in shakily, doing her best to get her emotions in check.
"For all these thousands of years have I done my best to make him forget about all of that, you know that right? But he refuses to let his desire to return to the world of the living go, at least until he manages to take your husband down once and for all!"
Sita didn't say anything, neither version of her had shifted their expression throughout the entirety of Pandora's outburst. Two pairs of brown glass eyes just looked ahead towards the younger and older Pandora. Not with contempt, not with sadness, but with understanding.
"Do you really believe that it is the only reason he wants to get back? You of all people should know what, or rather who waits on him back there."
Pandora didn't give an audible response, instead turning her eyes downwards to the misty ground beneath their feet.
"I am aware that you lack the abilities to unseal any of the seals that keep him here, not being one of its creators, but you are under no obligation to keep acting as his warden, never have been. That is a decision you yourself made… all because you know how it feels to be left behind…"
Those words appeared to be the straw that finally broke the camel's back, as Pandora finally broke down. She didn't let out any sound, just collapsing to the ground as the tears broke free from her hold and started falling freely from her eyes. The apparition of her followed her motions all the way until her knees hit the ground, whereupon it disappeared without a trace, the winds calming down as the output of magic ended.
As she witnessed the Mother of Campione break down, removed Sita her own pressure on the surroundings, the Netherworld falling into a strange calm once more. The only sound that could be heard in the silent world being the barely contained sobs of Pandora, and the dripping of her tears as they hit the ground. The Indian goddess turned away from her fellow goddess, granting her some privacy in her current state, fully intent on picking back up her discussion with the prisoner.
She was therefore surprised to find him standing outside of his cell, several of the links that made the chain holding him snapped in a way that still held the entire thing together while being stretched to their absolute limit. But as he moved towards the crying woman, didn't the already over extended links move, instead was one of the still whole links affected by his motion towards the woman, being stretched to its limit before the same happened to the next link.
He walked unhindered towards the kneeling goddess, looking down at her. Before he kneeled down besides her, placing his hands on her shoulders before he pulled her into a hug. Pandora didn't try to pull away, actually seeming to accept the hug as she wrapped her arms around him as she balled into his chest. "Leave us"
The sudden order from the white haired man took Sita by surprise for a moment, but she didn't object, and walked away moments later. Leaving the two of them alone for the time being.
"There is no reason to cry, Pandora. Without you coming by checking on me would I probably have gone mad from being locked away here for so long. There is no reason for you to be angry at me anymore, for we should enjoy the remaining time we have here together while it lasts."
"You're *sniff* not meant to *sniff* get out… why do you think they placed those *sniff* requirements on it otherwise…"
"Because they needed to place a plausible opening to strengthen it overall, anything less they knew I would easily have broken out long from ago." He lifted her head so that she was looking straight at him, her green eyes looking straight into his pools of gold. She immediately knew something was wrong as she felt the presence of… something suddenly appearing behind her, her fingers for a second making contact with what felt like slimy scales. But knew it was already too late as he started to speak once more.
"You have no longer any reason to be angry, instead be happy that you have been able to spend so much time with me. Please don't be sad for your husband being gone, instead be happy that it happened."
The twin tailed goddess just met his gaze for a couple seconds longer, their eyes not breaking contact even once. Then, rather unexpectedly, shifted Pandora's mouth into a smile as her tears dried up, seemingly influenced by his words.
"Yeah, you're right." she responded with a bit of a giggle to her voice, all the sadness being erased as if they hadn't existed to begin with. "But you still better return to your cell young man"
The white haired man let out a chuckle at that, as he couldn't really see himself as being regarded as young by this point. He complied nonetheless, the chain links he had bent reforming as he walked back to his cave in the middle of nowhere. "Of course, mother."
There was a momentary shimmer of something following behind him, its shape hard to discern, bordering on invisible to the naked eye. All that was revealed momentarily being a long tail that ended in a large fin, covered in what appeared to be scales of some kind, the dark skinned man seemingly stroking its concealed head for a moment before it disappeared fully.
…
As Dante opened his eyes, he felt the pain roll through him once again as he fully came back to consciousness. He didn't have any recollection of blacking out, but at the same time there was this gap in his memory that was hard to make out what had happened, fractured pieces of his time in the world of endless sky being all that he could barely recall. No more than individual moments that were mixed in their order and without any clear indication of the time between each and everyone, leaving him with the feeling that some were missing as well without being fully certain. It was a puzzle without any clear shape to its pieces, just a vague idea of where everything should be placed to form a full picture.
Once his eyes fully comprehended what it was he was looking at, he realised that he was back in his hotel room. Recognising the room as one of the bedrooms in their suite. The one he and Brenda had decided to be sharing in fact, he realised as he recognised her bag sitting in the corner. With some effort, and a great deal of pain surging through his entire being, managed Dante to raise himself up to a sitting position on the bed.
He was alone in the room, but could hear voices just on the other side of the door talking, making him aware of the fact that there were others in other parts of the suite at the very least. Trying to push himself further, was Dante met by a wave of lethargy in opposition to his attempts of getting up from the bed. His legs refused to move in any direction, twitching ever so slightly in response to his commands. Worse would however be the fact that he started laying back down again, the soft sensation of the bed combined with his overall tiredness making it a lot more inviting than it already was. The thought of just laying down and resting for a bit sounding ever so enticing as the exhaustion began building up rapidly.
He sank back down to the soft mattress of his hotel bed, rising ever so slightly every time he tried to fight against his body's wish for rest, before he listened to it for a moment. His head sank into the pillow, softly embracing his head as sleep were about to take him once more-
*SLAM*
-only to suddenly be jolted awake by the door flying open with a slam audible enough that he for a moment was worried that the entire wall would crack from the impact behind the sound. In response to the sudden loud sound, shot the purple eyed god slayer straight up in the bed, suddenly wide awake after having been just moments from falling asleep.
Standing in the doorframe were both Brenda and Liliana, his knight standing behind the girl he loved. But neither of them appeared to be the one responsible for opening the door, that honor went to the taller girl standing behind them both. Her hand still on the door, Shizue stood there patiently waiting behind the two other females.
"Dante!""My Lord!"
""What in the world were you thinking!?""
Brenda and Liliana's combined shouting was more than enough that whatever remaining grogginess that might have remained would surely have disappeared by this point. He looked at the two women wide eyed, caught off guard by their surprisingly synchronized shout aimed towards him. His surprise wasn't long lived however, as it quickly turned into unease as the two of them began moving towards him.
Brenda was the first one to speak out of sync, her temper seeming to be just as fiery as the heat she exuded constantly as she was bordering on shouting towards the currently exhausted god slayer. "I am fully aware that you get a bit reckless in situations where I am possibly in danger. But what you did today was not just reckless, it was idiotic!"
Everyone was taken aback by Brenda's sudden outburst. Even Liliana, who seemed to have been agreeing with the Scandinavian redhead, now just looked on mouth agape at the raw emotion that she was letting out.
"I know I am just overreacting, as I always know that you will be fine somehow. And yet can't I help to worry sometimes, okay? We might be apart sometimes, as my duties dictate that I present from time to time, but I always know that you worry about me no matter how far apart we might be. I just want you to know that it goes the other way as well. I might not be fully aware of all the stuff that it entails to be a Campione, but I am more than aware of the potential devastation that can result from a confrontation between two of them. And I always fear that one day I will get a letter or other form of message of your passing, despite the fact that no Campione has died by another's hand in centuries. I might just be paranoid, but I can't stop myself from caring!" Brenda had to take several deep breaths after her sudden tirade, her body in the meantime fooling inwards as her arms and legs moved towards her chest.
Witnessing this, moved Dante towards her. Signals of excruciating pain shot through his body, something which would have kept him down and barely moving, was overridden by him unconsciously. Allowing him to momentarily ignore all the pain for the moment, his first priority being the comfort of the Swedish girl. In any other circumstance would it have been utterly impossible for someone to move as effortlessly as he was while one's body experienced the amount of exhaustion and pain he did at the moment. But for Dante was it second nature, his Campione physiology being fueled by a unyielding determination only possible by someone that couldn't afford to lose something no matter what.
Liliana was actually shocked by Dante's behavior, being aware of the state he had been in just minutes ago, looking more like a corpse than an actual person. What brought the most pause was however his expression. Eyes filled with nothing but sadness and pain, yet empty like the void. Expression vacant of any display of emotions, yet cracked enough to somehow reveal what lies underneath the near perfect mask.
His arms wrapped around Brenda before she could have a chance to get to the ground, her arms kept open by his hold from underneath her arms. As if grabbing onto a lifeline in desperation, she wrapped her own arms around his neck almost like she was in a panic.
Dante could feel her shaking in his embrace, seemingly at the brink of crying as she seemed to hold on for dear life in his grasp. It made his heart throb painfully, knowing that it was his fault that she was experiencing this. All those conflicting feelings that he had experienced after his fight with Luo Hao were swept away, becoming nothing more than an afterthought.
"I'm sorry…"
That was all he could say at the moment, finding no other words of comfort in this situation. All he could do was apologise and support her for as long as she needed him to, and he wouldn't think about complaining about it. For she took priority over everything else in his mind.
"I'm sorry…"
Her grip around his neck got tighter for a moment, before easing up once more. Her breathing easing to a calmer rhythm than it had been before as she stopped trembling.
"I am also sorry, I shouldn't have exploded on you like that. I know that you have been going through a lot without me, and while you do manage to irritate with your hard headed decisions, doesn't that change the fact that I actually do care about you a lot. And I know the same goes for you" Brenda let a smile return to her face as she pulled him closer to her, finding comfort in his embrace.
"You had every right to go off like that on me to be fully honest. I know that I don't take your feelings into account, the thought of keeping you safe spurring me into action long before I take any consideration of that. And I apologise for that."
The Swedish pulled away from him, her smile still present as she kept her hands on his shoulders. "There you go apologising like that again. You might say that now, but we both know that something similar will still happen as long as it involves me." She flicked his nose playfully, her smile turning into a full grin. "Idiot. My loveable idiot."
Liliana meanwhile was finding herself out of place, feeling that it was a bit inappropriate to be a spectator during this very emotional moment. A sentiment that appeared to be shared by their guest as well, as the tall Japanese woman looked quite uncomfortable about it all. The knight cast a quick glance to the couple embracing one another on the floor, before moving out of the door as silently as possible, wishing to not draw the attention of Dante or Brenda.
As she closed the door to their room, she turned towards Chizue, her features suddenly turning sharp and unreadable. Liliana knew that the taller woman had carried her lord here, but that just brought up more questions, especially when coupled with the state he had arrived in. Her duties as a knight requiring her to find out the answers to all of her questions.
To any other person it would have looked like Chizue didn't take notice of the silver haired woman's change in demeanor. The Croation knight however could recognise the subtle tensing of her muscles, ready to fly into action at a moment's notice if the need would arise.
"If you don't mind, I have a couple questions I need to have answered."
The tension between them didn't dissipate in the slightest, neither women having blinked once since it was created, nor where they moving their gaze away from the other. Neither of them was thinking about striking first, but they wouldn't give the other the option to take them off guard. Both having an inkling about the others strength and capabilities.
"Very well then, what do you want to ask me?" Chizue eventually asked, having arrived at the conclusion that keeping quiet was not worth it. Especially when considering the fact that she didn't have anything to hide, so long as the shorter girl didn't ask more personal questions.
"Alright. First, where did you find my lord?"
"By Kasai Rinkai Park, he seemed to have emerged from the water before I saw him."
Liliana narrowed her eyes a bit as she looked up at the taller woman. "Second, what were you doing there to begin with?"
Chizue smirked a bit in response to the knight's glare. "An acquaintance of mine appeared to have gotten lost, and I thought they might return there. It is something of a meeting place for us if you'd like to call it that."
"So, you meeting my lord there was nothing more than pure coincidence?"
"That's right"
"Then how come you knew where to take him? Why did you know that he was staying here of all places?"
"Because I helped Brenda get here earlier." The smirk she had been holding up till now turning into a full on smile as she revealed that piece of info. "How else do you think she would have found her way to the hotel her first time here?"
Liliana's posture faltered a bit after hearing that, no longer as ready to fly into combat as she had been before. She still had questions, and it wasn't clear if what she was saying was actually true, and just managed to be convincing with her responses in order to persuade her. She would have to ask both Dante and Brenda for details later in order to reach any concrete conclusions. "Very well then. I don't have anything more to ask of you."
"Well, in that case will I be taking my leave then. I have some… personal matters to attend to."
Liliana didn't respond, just looking at Chizue as she left through the front entrance. Her eyes taking in whatever she could perceive with that one sense alone. Analyzing her movements and posture in order to find out anything about her capabilities in combat. And despite the small display of movement, had she somewhat of an inclination about her prefered fighting style at the very least.
'I will have to keep an eye out for her in the future. She doesn't appear to be an enemy, but she surely can't be regarded as an ally either, at least not yet.'
The silver haired knight turned her attention towards the clock hanging by the wall, taking note of the time.
'We will have to get going soon'
…
Meanwhile, nowhere near the city of Tokyo, at the most northern tip of the entire country, on the island of Hokkaido. Hidden among the trees of the island's massive forest in the mountainous central regions, was a hunter currently stalking its prey. A massive brown bear, the largest land predator in all of the land, this particular specimen appears to be among the largest of its kind. An absolutely massive male lumbering through the woods without any clear goal than its next potential meal.
That was the prey that the predator had their eyes trained on.
About a mile away, separated by a great number of trees, were the hunter tracking down their target, the tracks of the large bear clear as day to their eyes. A pearly white smile spreading across the young looking woman's impeccable face. An expression of excitement as she looked up, straight at the bear despite its coverage. Her long hair cascading down her back like a waterfall of green. Which shifted ever so slightly in response to the breeze that made its way through the trees, in the direction of the bear.
Her summer dress had been exchanged for a white button up shirt and white dress pants, both of which, while covering more skin than her previous get up, was noticeably loss and airy. It was something that wasn't quite fitting in a forest, especially with how the ground was quite muddy and slippery at the moment. One wrong step and she could have lost her balance, ruining her pristine clothes with dirt and grass spots in the process.
That wasn't something that she paid any mind to, unlike her companion not far behind.
"Should we really be doing this, your majesty?"
Trekking through the undergrowth with more difficulty than the green haired woman, was a very changed Fadil. His once purple looks having now taken on a dark brown color, be it through modern means or magic was anyone's guess. But while his shift of hair color to something more inconspicuous, would the largest change have to be his attire. The straight jacket he had been forced to wear for years was now fully discarded, fully switched out for clothes that were both comfortable and practical, especially when compared to those of his companion.
"Why of course. We will have to celebrate our achievement with a feast."
"You say that, but you haven't made it clear what it is we will achieve. What does it matter that one more Campione exists?" the young man asked, very confused at what it was the green haired beauty was getting at.
He barely had any time to blink before she had turned around and closed the distance between them to nothing. It wasn't however done in a threatening manner, the way her fingers traced along his face and torso while almost pushing herself against him only threatening his own innocence. His desire to look down was simultaneously quenched by her entrancing pools of emerald green, catching his gaze like moths to a source of light with how bewitching they looked. But even so was he fully aware of the fact that that could change on a dime if she so desired. Her fingers having the potential lethality of the sharpest spears.
A situation equally as exciting as it is terrifying.
"To most people within the world of magic it has no meaning, it really shouldn't have. But to those of my family it has great importance, or it used to have at the very least." she backed away from the younger boy, making some space between them while still maintaining eye contact. "Not that I can blame them, as no one knows if any progress has been made, and with no apparent difference for millenia can't I blame them for turning their focus towards something more worthwhile."
Her gaze turned away, her expression seemingly reminiscent about something. Fadil didn't know how to react, being fully aware that the woman before him was far older than she let on. He didn't know a lot about her, not much more than that she had silenced the voices inside his head, and brought clarity to the chaos in his mind. And that despite how she acted before him most of the time, was she a being of undefinable origins and age.
Suddenly were those entrancing eyes focused back on him, but there was something different about them now, something greatly different. All manner of emotions swirled, burned and flashed inside them all at once. A utter chaos of feelings that the Egyptian convict recognised all too well.
"ThEy BeTRayeD uS! tUrneD THeiR bAckS on mY father!"
The noises that exited her mouth weren't actual words that any human or mage could truly hope to understand, closer to an ancient incantation in a long dead language than anything else, an incantation that would have killed any human that heard it. The only reason that Fadil could both understand what she was saying and stay safe being due to having read from the Book of Thoth.
Just as suddenly as it had appeared, was the maelstrom of emotions gone, as her emotions got back under control. The change from one emotion to another happened so fast that Fadil had trouble actually figuring out how much time had passed in between, his mind just drawing a blank in conclusion.
"But I can't blame them, as doing so would be hypocritical of me." she started walking again, seemingly a bit absentminded at the moment as she picked up small rocks before throwing them in random directions a moment later. "Even I have lost faith in the idea of releasing my father many times before. The only reason I have continued is that I have lived long enough to pick it back up again, something most of my descendents never get the luxury of experiencing."
The previously cursed teen listened to every word she spoke, never missing a single detail. Even if he looked distracted as his eyes started following the stones she was throwing. Which made him realise something about the small rocks. They were traveling much further and faster than they should have from such an absent-minded motion. He could barely see them leave her hand before they had disappeared amongst the trees, never making a sound that indicated that they had hit the solid trees.
"Meanwhile have I experienced being left behind by so many throughout my life, both friends and family alike. I watched so many be born, meet so many people, from all around the world. They all grow up, experience life, and ultimately die. Some remain for a longer time than others, but they ultimately leave me in the end as well. I have witnessed millions of those closest to me die with my own eyes, some even by my own hands."
Fadil didn't respond. He couldn't find the right words for the situation at hand, a result of lacking a large degree of social skills, and because the one before him was for all intents and purposes an ancient being who rivaled many and even surpassed some gods in age. None of the words of comfort would be something that she hadn't heard before, just as hollow and without any real meaning behind them like all those before. The more he thought about it as she looked at her from behind, the more he began to understand just how little he actually knew about how truly alone she must truly feel in this world.
"Well, it looks like we will be eating good tonight to celebrate."
The egyptian boy looked at what she was referring to, and was somewhat taken aback by the sight. Lying completely motionless on the ground, was the headless corpse of a massive bear. The point of bisection looked flawless and clean, but from what he could tell about what had happened to the missing head shouldn't that be logically possible. Blood and gore covered a decent part of the trees around the corpse, together with what he could only guess was small cuts and punctures caused by bone fragments and teeth flying at high speed.
From what he could tell, the bear's head had exploded, and quite violently at that. But it also appeared that only the head had been affected by that strange phenomena, the rest of the body looking pristine and unharmed beneath the point of beheading.
The green haired woman didn't seem the least bit perturbed by the corpse before her. In fact, she seemed excited if anything, running up to it without hesitation with what he thought was a smile on her face. And for everything that had perplexed him until now, would her next action cause him more confusion than everything else had. It wasn't the action itself that confused him, but rather what happened after said action.
She reached out towards the slain beast, the palm of her hand touching its fur for just a moment, barely enough time to blink, and the corpse was suddenly gone without a trace. The only proof of its previous existence being the flattened patch of grass, and the gore that covered the trees around the small clearing. It was as if it had been utterly annihilated or sent somewhere else, upon her touch. Whatever she had done, he couldn't fully discern.
"Now, let's go get the others. This feast will be able to feed all of you, a nice way to at the very least celebrate your escape wouldn't you say."
Her focus then went towards the direction of Tokyo, or more precisely, towards one particular spider that she had placed in the large city, which was currently stalking its target. Getting ever closer was it only a matter of time before the myth inside it would take place once more. She had no idea how many would get injured or even killed during the process, but to her were they a necessary sacrifice.
…
The carrier of Heracles had left his house behind once more this day, a day that he couldn't help but feel would never come to an end by this point. It felt like so much, yet so little had happened these last couple hours, the change of the sky's color being very welcome as it shifted from blue to orange. Assuring him that time was still moving as it should. But with the knowledge that time was passing as it should, grew his heart heavy once more, fully aware that he could be here one moment, and gone the next.
Neither Athena or even Heracles appeared to have any real idea for an actual time frame for when it would occur. The best answer he had gotten was some rough and unclear estimates from the god inside him, as it seemed even he didn't have any real idea as to when it would happen, seemingly being more of a 'gut feeling' as he had described it.
'Hideyoshi'
Speaking of the great hero, would it appear he had a message for him. Speaking quietly to not draw any attention to himself, he addressed his occupant.
"What is it?"
'Something is following you'
The blonde boy gave a quick look around his surroundings. No one seemed to be paying any particular attention to him, besides the momentary side glance from the occasional passersby. Nothing beyond that from what he managed to see, and he didn't get the impression that anybody was tailing him.
"You sure?"
'I have experienced my fair share of hunts, and I recognise when the hunter becomes the hunted. Someone or something is definitively following you. And it is giving me a real bad feeling'
He couldn't exactly refute the claims of the god inside his head, or wherever he actually resided currently, but had his doubts as he lacked any form of confirmation to the claim, be it visual or any other form of extrasensory sensation. So, he just continued walking as if nothing was up. Each step carried him forward at a noticeable pace, as he wanted to get to his destination as soon as possible without exerting himself, previously having felt that doing so would be slightly silly. Now he did it to not tip off his potential assailant.
Hideyoshi wasn't aware of the small spider that looked down towards him from one of the tall skyscrapers. Eight, small beady eyes staring unblinking towards its target. Usually entirely lifeless in their expression, was this particular spider somewhat different from its peers. In those small eyes shone an underlying anger and madness that could barely wait to be unleashed. A bloodthirsty madness that wanted nothing more than to rip anything apart, regardless of the consequences or who got in the way.
It would have to wait a little longer, it wasn't time just yet. Soon, soon would it get to unload what its mistress had prepared it with.
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