CHAPTER XV: DESTINED

"Well, shit..." I whisper as I find myself sitting at a familiar table wearing the outfit Shalltear gifted me. My parents are sitting across the table looking like farmers instead of the warriors they are. I take a look around at the home I spent half of my life in, everything from the odd ceiling decorations my mother collected to the simple but functional furnishing exactly as I remember it. The first thing I say to them as they stare at me expectantly is, "This is a dream made of my memories. Our farmhouse burnt down with the rest of Irlo."

"Your mind needed a new safe place after you rid yourself of the old one," my father states with a smile, his posture relaxed yet ready for action. Something shoves my right shoulder hard enough to push me out of my seat, my body orienting mid-flight so I can fall onto my back and view my assailant. Aura stares down at me with arms crossed as she shakes her head and states, "I didn't believe Shalltear when she said you pulled her into yourself with a magic spear and found others there waiting but now... I hate it when she's right... because she's always right..."

"These things happen... I don't want them to but they do..." I grumble as I get up smoothly and retake my seat at the table. Aura takes a seat next to me and seems calm given the situation she's in. Both of my parents are eyeing me specifically in silence, Aura looking between me and them when my mother states harshly, "When I gave my blessing for you to get married, I didn't expect you to forsake that vow and sleep with another woman-"

The atmosphere for me sours and I immediately get up and turn towards the front door of the house. Aura stands up just as quickly and stops my progress by stepping in my way. I try to go around her but she's agile enough to block my path forward with light shoves. She has a wide grin on her face as she gestures with her head back towards my parents and states firmly, "I want to hear what they have to say. Sit your ass down."

"If he doesn't want to hear what we have to say, don't force him to," my father states plainly, Aura looking at him for long seconds before shrugging and stepping out of my way. I don't look back and continue my path at a brisque walk, forcing the front door open and walking outside. The similarities of our front yard end past the white picket fencing which transitions into a landscape of dead trees that mark the way out. I reach the gate in good time but as soon as I reach to open it, a familiar voice states from my left, "You're just like your father. If you don't want to hear something, you run from it."

I spin rapidly to my left and find Isnadra crouching down, working on a bed of flowers in a planter box attached to the house. Her presence stuns me and she stops working on the flowers to stand up and dust herself off. Like my parents, she's in simple farmer's clothing but before I can utter a sound, she turns to me and smiles sadly before saying gently, "The Emerald Tablet took something from me when I used its power... half of my lifespan. Mortality finally caught up to me and I passed away while you were with the Pleiades. Those two numbskulls sitting inside helped me fight off my inner demons and brought me with them to this place. All we had to do was wait for the right time to intrude on your dreams."

Grief filled anger flares as I try to absorb the tragic news, my anger lashing out as I kick the picket fence nearby hard enough to splinter the wood. The pieces of wood stop mid-flight and reverse direction as they fly, reforming the fence as if time is going backwards. The noise of breaking wood and the same sound reversed echoes into the surroundings and as the silence grows again, Isnadra comments, "I've already lived five centuries in the New World so I lived a full life. My passing is not why I'm here. You are why I'm here."

I try to get a hold of myself but the guilt makes it very difficult, my voice growling lowly, "No one told me... I would have dropped everything I was doing if I'd known."

"I didn't tell anyone but Momongo and I instructed him not to tell anyone. You'll have to go see him when you wake up," she says as she walks towards me, her right hand pulling something out of an emerald box that appears. She pulls out a white helmet and holds it in front of her but I'm too busy trying to get a hold of the rampant rage I feel burning inside me. She stops a few steps away from me and states gently as I struggle, "Do you plan to repeat our families flaws? You're better than that."

"No..." I growl as I stamp out the anger, taking deep breaths and closing my eyes until I can think clearly. The rage subsides rapidly and is replaced with sadness that I shove out as well, leaving me feeling hollow and drained. I open my eyes and feel tears roll down my face but with no sadness to go with them. My hand wipes away the moisture as Isnadra crouches down to meet my eye level and states sadly, "The world isn't on your shoulders. Our legacy isn't on your shoulders. Not even your loved ones are on your shoulders. The only weight you have to bear is your own. Start bearing it."

She shoves the helmet into my hands, the item vibrating slightly to my touch. The craftsmanship is simple but elegant in its simplicity, a basic sallet helmet made out of solid mithril that only covers the top of the head. The item screams function over fashion and Isnadra beckons for me to put it on. I gently put it on my head and tense when I hear a voice project into my mind.

USER IDENTIFIED. BERIC LOWARM. COMMENCING MERGER.

Dazzling white energy flows from the helmet down my body, forming a strange layer on my limbs and torso that slowly solidifies into a solid mass. Two simple pauldrons, emblazoned with the many symbols representing each house I'm a part of, grow on my shoulders. Solid plates of mithril solidify to cover my chest, back, arms, and legs. Mithril chainmail grows to connect each plate until the suit feels like a single entity covering my body. The only part left exposed is my face which becomes surrounded by a mithril-chain coif. I look down at the marvellous gift, moving my arms and legs effortlessly and enthralled by the simple function and elegance. When I turn back to my mother, she smiles at me and states, "I fused everything I have left into that item. Just remember that it is you, not the armour you wear or the weapon you wield or even the gifts of your body, that wins the fight."

I'm at a loss for words so I drop to a knee and lower my head, saying with reverence, "Thank you... mother... I don't always make the right choices or think about what I'm doing but... I will do better..."

"I'm not your father. I don't expect you to do anything I want because that isn't right for me to ask of you. You're an adult so you do what you want to do and be who you want to be. Don't let anyone pressure you into being something else," she states as she pulls me by the shoulders onto my feet, my head craning up slightly so that I can look into her face. She hugs me gently, sighing sadly as she whispers, "And in truth... Gralesia Lowarm is your mother. She took care of you for most of your life by herself so if anyone deserves that level of respect, it's her. I'm just one of your creators."

I hear footfalls behind me but before Isnadra lets go of me, she whispers lowly, "And take care of them, Beric. They'll take care of you better than you think."

She releases her hold on me and when I turn around, Aura is standing behind me. Judging from her expression and her posture, whatever my parents said to her was humbling and disturbing. I remove my helmet and feel the armour leave my frame instantly, my former clothing filling the void left behind. Aura remains silent for a few seconds, staring directly into my eyes with a haunted expression before sayings slowly, "Your mom is scary... and so is your dad..."

"Yeah... they're very protective of me...and so is-" I reply while turning around but Isnadra isn't near us anymore. The facade of a farmer is gone, replaced by the supreme being now staring at the wilderness around us. Her posture is the rigid tenseness of combat readiness but her tone is hollow when she says, "We have to go now, Beric... you're starting to wake up and this safe space will be consumed by the forest around it... we can't be here when it collapses."

I rush over and hug my mother, feeling her relax slightly from the sudden affection. Time was a factor and I have to keep my hug brief but I say aloud in defiance of her wishes, "You're still my mother too and you're trying to do better. That's enough for me."

"We have to go. He's waking up too quickly," my father commands from nearby as I let go of my mother. She strides by with swift steps towards the gate leading out and on watching her go, I see my father and mother dressed in their armour waiting for her. The farmhouse starts to creak and strain against the trees and darkness trying to overcome it so I leap over the fence with Aura in tow. I turn back to see the three supreme beings open a gate and sprint into it, slamming it shut behind them.

The farmhouse, unable to maintain its integrity, implodes and shatters as a dark pit in the earth sucks everything towards it. Tentacles of darkness latch onto the pieces of the safe space, pulling them into the maw at the centre of the safe space. Aura mumbles as we watch the chaos ensue, "What the hell am I looking at?..."

"Shalltear's corruption nestled in my body... it consumes everything that isn't akin to it and transforms it into itself..." I whisper as dead trees spring to life in the corrupted space. I turn to see black tendrils avoiding direct contact with her as if she's inviolable to them. She looks down and takes cautious steps away from the limbs but they follow her like lost animals, creeping closer but remaining at a safe distance. I nod as I whisper, "Close your eyes and think of home. It'll get us out of this place."

I follow the same advice, closing my eyes and letting the dark presence behind the corruption pull me back to wakefulness.

I open my eyes to Aura's face rubbing against my left cheek and sharp pain on my right shoulder. Half of my body feels cold and when I turn my head to the right, Shalltear is firmly clamped onto my right shoulder with her mouth. I gently try to nudge her into letting go but as soon as I touch her, her teeth clamp down harder on the meat of my shoulder. I wince from the pain as fresh blood leaks out and say hastily, "Okay, okay, you can stay there."

An exhausted sigh escapes me as I let my head loll back onto the soft pillow, Aura whispering groggily as she rubs her face against mine, "You do love her... you let her corrupt your body and soul... I don't think I was supposed to see what I saw... and I don't want to see it again..."

"That sums it up nicely," I reply as I feel Shalltear slowly let go of my shoulder and lean herself against me. I'm about to greet her properly when I feel the dampness from tears land on my shoulder and neck. She whispers sadly, "I let you down, Aura-"

"Oh, shut up," Aura interrupts playfully as she grabs Shalltear's left side and pulls her further on top of me. My arm automatically moves to Shalltear's back as Aura brings the three of us into a tight embrace and states, "I already knew that you had Bukubuku's access codes because I asked Lord Ainz about it a few weeks after you got them... and you were probably right to be cautious with their use. I hid the repressed anger I had and revenge against everyone sounds like something I would do without thinking."

I feel incredibly uncomfortable being a part of this conversation because it felt too private and personal. Aura chuckles and gestures with her head towards me, "And I already figured that you two would be a better couple. You both have that unique level of messed up that works well together... and confuses everyone on how it works."

"Well, thanks," I reply sarcastically but Shalltear giggles from her remark, Aura hugging me tighter and cutting in with, "But! But... I guess I'm a part of your unique level of messed up now... I don't see how I can stay at my post and pretend that nothing happened after what you did to me."

"I don't think Mare will appreciate this rapid promotion," I comment idly but Aura snaps immediately, "He's the one that wanted to step out of my shadow so here's his chance. He'll just have to grow a pair and take over for me with some dignity."

"He's in good hands and he isn't as helpless as he used to be," Shalltear states with amusement, Aura shoving her lightly by the right shoulder. I hold onto Shalltear so she doesn't fall off of me and she looks at me with embarrassment as she whispers, "Sorry for not asking what you wanted before all of this... this is all very sudden for you-"

"She's your sister. She takes priority over what I want," I state with a shrug, both of them smiling and hugging me tightly in reply. Aura giggles to herself and exclaims, "Now I get what you see in him! He goes along with whatever you want, no questions asked! He even comes up with the justifications!"

"I wasn't lying when I said his unthinking loyalty is his best trait," Shalltear replies as she gets more comfortable but as we embrace and I feel loved by them, the fugue of wakefulness starts to wear off and reveal what I didn't quite remember. I let go of Shalltear and reach into the crimson box that I summon, pulling out the helmet that my mother gifted me before she passed on. The item drops from numb fingers as the raw emotions come back and I feel the sadness return in waves, my right arm falling to my side as I fill with hopelessness and melancholy. Noting the change in my mood, both of them hug me in silence as I close my eyes to avoid the stinging of tears.

I'd lost someone else despite my efforts.