Disclaimer: I do not own DanMachi or any of Omori's original characters, nor do I make any profit off of my writing.
Aiz hummed to whatever it was that Finn just said, truthfully she wasn't listening in the slightest. How could she? The sky was clear. The sun was shining. She had a magical compass that would point her toward the Black Dragon so she could finally kill it and dance on its corpse. The wind was blowing. Everything was good, great even. Could she really be blamed for not listening a little bit?
She doesn't think so.
Her and the rest of her familia stood just outside western gate of the city. It was widely thought that the Black Dragon lived up in the northern reaches of the continent. The mountain range up there was called the 'Dragon Valley' for a reason.
Which is why her familia had been surprised when she first took hold of the compass inside the Twilight Manor, and it pointed immediately southwesterly. It wasn't that suspicious though; nobody had really been to the land west of the Kaios desert in a great many years. It was a land that held quarter to nothing but the remnants and ruins lost to the passage of time.
There was just one problem.
The compass now pointed east.
That's alright! Her and her familia would just walk back through the city and exit through the eastern gate! Of course, the Black Dragon could be out there too! It had only been a few odd decades since the destruction of Lakrios and the other ancient, sprawling kingdoms to the east. The 'Abandoned World' would be an incredibly logical place for the Lady of the Skies to take refuge. Nobody traversed the swamp lands ever since they were reduced to ash and dust, the country itself was populated almost entirely by monsters at this point.
So, imagine her surprise when her and her familia arrived at the eastern gate to find the Black Dragon was no longer in the east. Somehow.
How did this keep happening?
Last night it was in the south west, then it was in the east, now its in the.. how is it in the west again?
".. I don't understand."
Finn approached from her left, a frown marring his lips. "How did you say the compass worked again?"
"Asfi said it would point toward what 'the owner desired most.'"
The captain of the Loki familia before reaching his hand out to the girl. Aiz hesitated for a moment but ultimately lowered the device into the pallum's hand. Almost immediately the needle corrected itself, spinning around as it tried to get its bearings. It settled due south of their current location, Finn spared a glance over his shoulder and promptly tossed the compass back into the Kenki's hands with a grimace. Hastily, he wiped his hands off on his pant legs, retreating back toward Riveria and Gareth (who were laughing for some reason) leaving a muttered 'it works' in his wake.
Aiz blinked before turning toward where the compass had pointed and meeting Tione's confused gaze.
"Is something wrong, Aiz?"
".. no?"
What was all that about?
Tione shrugged before turning back to her sister and pretending to listen to Tiona's list of new foods she wanted to try on their travels. It was extensive.
Her golden eyes fell back down to the compass, watching as its needle flitted about, only steadying when it once again pointed to the west. Why? What was wrong with it? Finn said it worked, so why was it pointing in all of these different directions?
The Black Dragon isn't that fast, is it? It certainly couldn't circumvent the globe in the time it took her to walk from the west side of the city to the east?
She shook her head. Of course, not. The notion alone was ludicrous. It just wasn't possible.
With her hope renewed, Aiz set off once again toward what her heart desired most. Vengeance. That was the reason she wielded the compass; she was the only one who's heart burned with enough hatred for this compass to never lose its magnetic pole. Her worlds revolved around that beast, killing it, and saving her mother. It always had. Yes, it was her and her alone who could wield it. That much was certain.
So, she walked.
She walked past the colosseum. Past Daedalus and the Industrial district. Past the Entertainment District. Past Babel.
All the while, her eyes never left the small, metal disc in her palms.
And the needle shifted.
".. it's.. south?"
Behind her, the executives frowned and shared a worried glance amongst themselves.
It was Riveria who approached her first, laying a tentative hand on the young girl's shoulder and speaking softly. "Aiz, do you think that perhaps it's something else that you desire most?"
She shook her head. The idea itself was unfathomable. What else could she want more than to set her mother free from her millennium prison and kill the beast that stole her life from her?
"No."
She was certain of it.
Riveria nodded, still doubtful but nonetheless abated. She would trust in her surrogate daughter until a time came when her trust was proven to be misplaced. Aiz had always been steadfast in her pursuit, Riveria feared she knew what may have shaken her resolve in recent years, but she kept those to herself. Aiz didn't need to hear her doubts, not now, not when she had been so close to finally finishing her quest.
"So," the high elf began, "south?"
Aiz nodded, sure of herself, before doubling back. Her familia parted as she passed, created a path straight back toward the center of the city. Those relaxing the plaza around Babel were treated to the fourth passage of the Loki familia, as amusing as it was. Yet, almost immediately the party had halted once again, the toe of Aiz's tall blue boots tapping idly on the ground as she scowled down at the compass.
".. southwest.. southwest, why is it southwest?"
It didn't make any sense. She couldn't wrap her mind around it.
She tossed the compass back toward the high elf who had stuck just a pace behind her, nervously glancing around the girl's shoulder to watch the needle move. "You try, Riveria."
In return, all she received was a sad smile. The needle spun and spun and spun yet–
"I'm sorry, Aiz. What my heart desires is no longer on this plane."
–it never found it's north.
The young girl's eyes widened as she stared at Riveria's face. "W- what?"
And Riveria simply continued to smile that smile. "I'm afraid who I yearn for is already in the next world, but I can assure you this compass works." Because how could it not? Most of the other executives had already tried, yet it was only Riveria's turn right now that had shown anything like this. The needled continue to spin listlessly, no rhyme or reason behind its shifts.
Tione's had been simple enough. The needle never moved from one person.
Tiona had been much the same.
It was cute, knowing that what both sisters wanted the most in the world was each other. That despite their constant moaning about one another they always put the other first.
Gareth had abstained, whether it be because of the jokes about his drinking or his own fear of the results, nobody knew.
Bete's north was.. well nobody really liked to talk about it. Not when they knew the reason the needle never shifted from a certain graveyard.
It was strange; how Riveria and Bete's circumstances remained the same yet their destination different. Perhaps it was the fact that the high elf had already allowed herself to mourn, to accept her loss, while Bete had not even allowed himself the chance. In truth they may never know.
So why was hers acting this way? Why wouldn't it just tell her where she was meant to go to finally free her mom?
'.. perhaps it's something else you desire most?'
It was a foolish idea, one she barely entertained.
Yet.. what if?
Could she have been wrong? Could she be wrong?
"Wait here."
"Aiz?"
She shook her head.
"I'm going off the main street just to be sure, just.. stay here."
The needle had directed her in a path almost directly between West Main and Southwest Main.
So, she followed.
As she walked down Southwest Main the needle ever so slightly shifted more and more west. Then, once west-west was achieved, it proceeded north; going up, up, up until it reached its peak.
Aiz stopped where she was, lifting her head for the first time and staring blankly at the metal gate set before a sandstone mansion. A building she knew quite well.
".. "
".. "
Aiz frowned as she pressed the button at the gate.
And then she waited.
And when the renard girl approached, Aiz merely shook her head. "Bell."
The girl didn't get the message. "What is it y– "
Aiz shook her head again, more firmly this time. "Bring Bell." She paused before adding on a soft, quiet 'please.'
And so, the renard girl left.
And Aiz waited.
And the compass stayed still.
And she waited.
And the front door opened again and Bell approached.
"Aiz? What's wrong?"
Aiz smiled despite herself, he was level six now but still no less kind.
She had wanted him there on the Loki familia's journey to find the dragon, but it was ultimately deemed unnecessary. It was merely a scouting mission. The establishment of a base of operations. A joint expedition was pointless.
In lieu of answer, she took a singular step to the right.
And then another.
And another.
And then she moved forward until she was standing behind him, just past his right shoulder. All the while, her eyes never left the compass or its needle. She watched and she watched and she held her breath and it never lost its north.
It was always true, unshakeable, just as it was designed.
It never left what its owner desired most. What – deep in their heart of hearts – they wanted more than anything else.
And her heart had spoken.
"Bell."
The boy looked at her worriedly as she held the compass out in the space between them.
"Hold this for me.. "
".. "
".. please?"
".. uh.. okay?"
So, he did.
And Aiz took a singular step to the right.
And then another.
And another.
And then she moved forward until she was standing behind him, just past his right shoulder. All the while, her eyes never left the compass or its needle. She watched and she watched and held her breath and it never lost its north.
It always stayed true, unshakeable, just as it was designed.
It never left what its owner desired most. What – deep in their heart of hearts – they wanted more than anything else.
And his heart had spoken.
Unfortunately, there would be no conquest for the Black Dragon leaving the dungeon city that morning.
But maybe, just maybe, there was something better taking place.
Author Notes:
A lil' Captain Jack Sparrow action for all y'all, who doesn't love the best captain to sail the seven seas?
ANNOUNCEMENT:
Hey everybody! Guess whose back?
I'm happy to let you all know that I've got a great drop of fics for you all this week and next, starting with 5 today! I've written over 100,000 words and nearly 40 chapters for all of your enjoyment! (Though with twelve whole days to release them all you can bet your butts I'm going to be writing more!)
Story releases will continue around 5 p.m. EST every day between December 13th and December 25th. Happy Holidays!
Now, you may be asking "why?" which is fair. I said I was taking a little bit of a vacation and now I'm proving that I did the exact opposite of that! Well, the answer is pretty simple! I'm asking for all of your support in raising money for a charity fundraiser I help head with my university, all of the information is included in my profile but I can assure you it's for a very good cause! Head over there to check out more about it.
Any amount you can spare will be truly helpful, if all of my followers alone (and that's only about 1/10 of my viewers) were to donate just $2 that's already over $700 we'll have raised which is honestly crazy!
Oh, also I've started doing my own artwork for some of my characters. Check out my Deviant Art page to see the first few members of the Astraea familia that I've been working on for Great Spirit of the Skies. More coming soon!
