The sun rose above the Miload mansion. Rays of light pierced the window of their room. Ram's forehead rested against his uncovered chest, her nose flaring rhythmically. He didn't need to perform his normal ritual. He was, without a doubt, alive. He pulled Ram closer to him, her nude body rubbing up against his. Her warmth rushed into him as she stirred and pulled herself to him, not letting up until they were squeezed against each other.
Her lips were tilted up, just like his.
Subaru took his eyes off her, and stared out at the sunlight.
At last, he was free of Sanctuary, of the endless distrust within. The leap of faith had worked. Trust had brought him all the way here, to Ram's warm arms and heart. Subaru hugged her, crushing her small form.
"Mmh, fucking Barusu," she said, waking.
"So there are other ways to wake you up," he commented.
"Of course there are, but the one I taught you is the best method," she said, resting her head on his chest once more. She closed her eyes.
"Are you really going to sleep all day?"
She lifted her head and put her chin on his chest, "Let's just stay here a little bit."
"Did you run out of insults?"
Ram opened her eyes and gazed into his, "Maybe I don't have anything left to insult."
He didn't believe that at all, "I'm sure if you look you'll find plenty."
She chuckled, "Probably, idiot."
"See? It didn't take all that long."
"Of course it didn't," her expression turned smug and she closed her eyes again. He rubbed the top of her head, eliciting a wider smile from her. Eventually, the sun's rays forced Ram to open her eyes.
She glared at the glass.
"Scared of a little sunlight, eh?"
Ram turned her glare. It softened when her gaze landed on him, "Shut up, Barusu."
He shook his head, "You can go up against Roy Alphard without even flinching, but some sunlight is too much."
Ram's smile melted away and she lifted her head from his chest, "What do you mean?"
There was no humor in her voice. She wasn't making a joke or a playful insult. She was confused about something. Why would she be confused? Had he said something different than what he'd meant too?
"Ram?"
"Barusu…what did you say?"
"I said, you can go up against Roy Alphard without even flinching, but some sunlight is too much."
"Barusu…"
"What is it?"
Ram held her hand up to her head, trying to think. But after a moment she gave up, and said, "Barusu, who is Roy Alphard?"
They sprinted across the forest. Moonlight shimmered over them as their blood poured out onto the ground. Their wounds had broken open.
Wilhelm shook his head, "We lost sight of our goal."
"Why did my buds abandon me?" Julius asked with the same mouth. He stared down at his remaining arm; it wasn't his. Yet he still felt every bit of pain. After all, the bone in the wrist was snapped.
"Let's kill 'em," Beli Heinelga said, "they broke Carnivorous Beast, and we can't have that."
Neiji pushed into the conversation, "They also survived Palm of the Fist King. We should battle them, it would be a glorious fight."
"They killed Theresia," Wilhelm spoke again.
"Where are my buds?" Julius asked, his voice empty. Despair ran through his heart.
Bizarre screamed and threw them off. They yanked their identity free. They were Bizarre Eating. They were Bizarre Eating. They were Wil—Bizarre Eating. No doubt. Bizarre Eating. Through and through. All parts of them were Bizarre.
The love of Theresia van Astrea, them.
The love of murder and butchery, them.
The love for his buds, them.
The love for combat, them.
The love for eternal consumption, them.
They clawed at their face and kept running. A massive beam of fire burst out from behind, "What is…?" they had to turn around. The brightness seared their eyes. Bizarre tried to keep running, but they slipped on their own blood.
Beli Heinegla—No, Bizarre Eating, caught themself and continued the escape. They had to live. Other meals were easy to get. The ones back there…they'd kill them.
And still they worried, where was Mama?
"You shouldn't go back to that woman," Louis whispered.
"Of course we should," they thought back at her and ran to where Mama had been.
"You're losing too much blood, you won't make it, ~tsu."
Bizarre shoved Louis' voice away, they had to find Mama. She was all that mattered. Nothing else even came close. Where was she?
"Mama!" Bizarre screamed out. The urge to cough overwhelmed them. They leaned over and hacked out blood. Violent and wet coughs brought more and more red liquid to the dirt below. Their arm continued gushing. They took a step, and their consciousness faded.
Wilhelm tried to regain his balance. Beli stumbled. Neiji lost his footing. Julius plummeted toward the dirt. Bizarre slammed into it. They tried to suck in as much air as he could, but their lungs were losing strength.
"Mama," Bizarre whispered. They had to find her. Mama was everything. Even if they loved Theresia, and wanted to avenge her, Mama came first.
"Truly useless. Quite useless indeed. Indeed useless in every measure," Louis commented from her domain in Od Laguna.
Bizarre ignored her; they had to find Mama. They tried to call out for her, but only vomited more blood.
"So this is your last, and our last, our final look. Useless. Useless. How useless. A poor showing of Solar Eclipse. Unfair, so unfair. Ahhhh, why don't you know your place? You get to walk outside, and don't get Solar Eclipse. Trying both and ruining our chances, so unfair. So totally unfair, ~tsu!" Louis lamented as Bizarre fuzzed.
Their identity started to fall to nothing as their body heaved its final breaths. There was little blood left to pump. Tears came to their eyes, "Mama?"
"Stop ignoring us. Be caring. Be kind. Be doting. Be charitableeee, ~tsu," Louis whispered.
They thought something back to her, "Do you know where Mama is?"
"No. Not at all. Not in the slightest."
They whispered aloud as the world faded, "We just wanted to eat."
"Just use healing magic," Louis responded.
They could barely process her words. What had she said?
"We're so hungry, why can't we be full?" they asked the world again.
Louis turned her mental gaze back to them, "And why can't we be happy?"
Bizarre's mind slipped before they could respond. For a moment their identity fell apart in the wake of all the other personalities vying for their mind. Louis reached out and seized control.
"We're quite not done yet. Not giving up. Not yet letting go. Letting go not yet."
They tried to resist the foreign control, but Louis ignored him. She had the strength now. A name slipped from their mouth, and their body changed. Healing magic rushed into them. Bizarre grasped for control. They would reach Mama. Louis didn't want Mama. She would try to separate them.
And that wouldn't fly.
Even with their willpower, Louis rejected any take-over, "Please be quiet. Please give up. Please shut up. Please let us get to work. Please stop being."
"Give us back our body. We have to find Mama."
"And we won't be left alone," Louis responded with their mouth. After another second, she finished her healing and stood up. They felt every motion as she stretched.
Bizarre reached into himself, "MAMA!"
With all their need for her, Bizarre shoved Louis away. For a moment, the world burned white. Everything was pure and bright. Bizarre's eyes flailed around, searching for anything. All that greeted them was Louis in a ratty black dress made of a single cloth.
Her blue eyes were wide, "Brother…"
They ignored her, brushing the hair from their face. An imperial knight uniform clothed the arm. Yet the strands of hair he pushed out of the way were gray. Bizarre stared at their left arm, it was covered in muscles gained from years as a gladiator. A massive gut hung from their torso, and the apron of a butcher lay over it.
Louis' confusion turned to a smile, "You've broken. Quite broken indeed. Beyond sane."
"What is…" they couldn't understand…where were their buds, where was Theresia, where was all of it?
Who were they?
"Truly, you've lost it. Yes, of course you've lost it. It is no longer in your possession," Louis stepped toward him, a grin split her face.
Bizarre tried to shake himself from this place, to retake his body.
"Who are you?" Louis asked, her voice teasing.
"We are…the Bizarre Eating…" they trailed off.
They'd embraced their hunger…right?
Or were they still just a scared little boy, hoping for Mama to come save them?
"We are Louis Arneb, and we want to be happy, ~tsu!"
A little sob slipped from his mouth. Who was he kidding? He wasn't Bizarre Eating. He was just…Roy Alphard.
Roy shook his head and tried to think, but Louis dove forward.
He tried to resist.
It did nothing. Her hand had already pierced their chest—dispersing it like a hand through fog—and their mind was under siege.
All his mental fortitude barely kept him from erasure.
Louis ripped through her brother's mind. She reached for his body, trying to gain control. No more looking at the world from behind her useless sibling's eyes. She was done. And Roy had opened himself to Solar Eclipse, letting identities bleed together, weakening himself.
He'd left her an opportunity to seize happiness, her course was obvious.
With pure determination, she forged Louis Arneb.
Before, it had just been a name, but no longer. Now it was a hope.
She threw herself into his body and took control. Just as she flexed her new fingers, her brother managed to pull himself together and tried to get her out while he screamed for Capella.
She wasn't going to just give up.
This body would be hers. She held on, and tried to attain sensation. But this wasn't her body yet.
A hand grabbed her scalp, and all flashed white. Behind her, Roy's scarred and malnourished hand was uprooting hairs.
Her brother yanked her back, leaving himself in control of the body and her within the Hall.
Roy used the body to sprint through the forest, searching for Capella as the sun rose. Even with the clown likely on the prowl, Roy was leaning on Capella, depending on her, and endangering himself for her. What a useless sibling.
Ley had at least been subservient to Louis.
"We just want Mama, leave us alone!" Roy screamed as she tried to claw her way back out of Od Laguna.
"We just want to be happy!" Louis yelled back. Anger rushed through her. It was stronger than anything she'd ever felt. A window had opened, a hope had appeared, a choice to make. Louis would jump through the window, seize the hope, and make the choice.
She tore Roy's mind away from his body and pushed herself in.
Quickly, she familiarized herself with every facet of what would be her form. Roy rebelled immediately, screaming about that woman, but she wasn't letting go easily this time. His body froze as they fought over it.
Their consciousnesses appeared across from each other in the Hall of Memories. Roy's lips pulled back in a growl as he struggled to reach Capella, and her lips no doubt looking fiercer.
"Not even Ley would do this to us!" Roy screamed, his arms thrown forward as he tried to argue, "He always let us go back to Mama!"
"We don't care what Ley did. Not at all. Ley's motives don't matter. Ley doesn't matter. Ley is meaningless. Ley is irrelevant. Ley is gone!" Louis shouted back, a tiny ache coming into her ■.
Roy grabbed his body on the outside, shoving Louis away. She rejected him again. She would have the body. She would be happy.
Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!
Louis held Roy out. But the body still wasn't hers. He still remained the one with all the feeling. She grasped for any way to make the sensation hers. Roy's screams had fallen away, now he just sobbed from the hall of memories, "Mama…Mama…"
She ignored him and continued looking. She wouldn't go back to the Hall of Memories…
Oh…
Louis' mind seized upon a solution, but right before she attempted it, Roy reached back and tried to take hold of his body. As their struggle began anew, he asked, in a soft and regretful voice, "What would Ley think?"
Surprising herself, she honestly said, "When have either of us cared?"
"Maybe we should have, a little," Roy whispered and assumed control of his body. Just like that, it was his again. She was a being of the Hall of Memories. This wasn't her body. And it never would be, he could always take it back.
As he searched for Capella again, she contemplated. Her first and second attempts had failed. Brute force wouldn't work. It was Roy's body. Her mind darted around, making connection after connection, trying to work out how multiple scenarios would go.
While she figured out her solution, Louis grew a tiny tiny tiny bit of hope.
She looked on the outside, through Roy's eyes, down at his skin.
This was her chance.
It was his body, but inside it was her Authority.
She seized his form once more. Pushing him out was easy, but staying would be impossible. Roy would destroy her hold on his body in a moment.
"We just want to find Mama and eat, get out," Roy whispered as his consciousness built. Soon, all his strength would wash her away.
The great thing about this plan, she didn't have to stay.
All she had to do was focus her soul.
The Witch Factor thrummed within her, pulsing like the soft tapping of a drum with long and deep tones. Roy's piece of the factor replied with an identical sound.
She made a little connection between them. And she knew exactly what she was doing. After all, Natsuki Subaru had shown her how to link an Authority to someone else when he'd done it with Elsa.
Thanks for the demonstration, big brother Subaru.
The thirds of the Gluttony Witch Factor within Louis and Roy touched.
A second ■beat bloomed in him, and a first ■beat began in her; the three joined together, pounding and pounding. He screamed and tried to throw her out, but she was almost finished. Chills slunk through her. Itching ran along her skin. Pins and needles danced across her nerves.
Then, ice prowled in her veins. Knives cut across her skin. Spears skewered her nerves.
Their stomachs became one.
All feelings and thoughts melted away from them, and they were the Witch Factor of Gluttony.
All that remained was hunger.
And it wouldn't be stopped.
Hours rushed by.
They were hungry, so hungry. They'd eat, they'd devour, they'd munch, they'd crunch, they'd gnaw, they'd chew, they'd swallow, they'd digest, they'd consume, they'd leave nothing uneaten, they'd have all things in their stomach.
Every name. Every memory. They'd eat it, all of it. Drink experiences like wine. Eat bonds like meat. It would all fill them.
The Gourmet, the Bizarre, the Satiating, they'd have it all.
Constant eating. Constant devouring. Never-ending. They'd cross the world again and again. Eating and taking everything into themselves. They'd be full. Nothing would stop them. With their strength, they'd move in front of the sun, blocking out all light as they consumed and drank the entire world. So much choice. Yet it didn't matter what they ate first, for they'd consume all of it in the end.
Even the Witch of Envy and the Sword Saint.
They were not Ley Batenkaitos of Gourmet. They were not Roy Alphard of Bizarre Eating. They were not Louis Arneb of Satiation.
They were Gluttony.
They turned their head, searching for identities to devour.
GluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttony.
They sprinted toward the nearest village, there'd be meals there.
GluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttony.
They thirsted, they hungered, they ran with all of their body's strength.
GluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttonyGluttony.
They stopped. They wanted to eat. They wanted to drink. They wanted to devour it all. But to fill what?
Their stomach?
Something pushed; they held their hand to their head. They had to eat. Why? Why did they have to eat?
To fill their ■.
To be happy.
Louis rose from their mind, clawing and scraping. After a moment, she tore something in them.
Roy splurged up from the Witch Factor. He tried to escape, to get her off him, but when he pushed her back into the Hall of Memories, he came with. The process was horrible, bile rose in his throat, and his entire being shook. He stretched and stretched, his identity pulling. His heartbeat disappeared. He wasn't breathing anymore, but he was fine. He stopped sweating, and stopped feeling the sweat still on his skin. He no longer needed to blink. He no longer had any sense of touch.
He was in the Hall of Memories, but his body was just outside. He reached for it, but Louis grabbed his wrist, somehow holding him in with equal strength.
"We don't want you to leave us here again," she said, "we want to be happy."
"We're going back to Mama," he tried to push her away. She was just a being of the Hall of Memories, no matter how much she tried, he could always shove her back out and go to his body. He summoned all of his resolve to see Mama again.
She turned away his attempt with a smug smile. His eyes widened, "What…?"
"It's not your fault you haven't noticed, you just lack brains, ~tsu."
"What did you do?" Roy was hungry, he had to get out of here. He had to eat and get back to Mama.
"We made us the same, ~tsu!" Louis cried in a childish voice, "Really the same, you know. Big brother Subaru showed us. We merged our Witch Factors then linked us, you know. Subaru took Elsa's injuries, so we just took you, you know?"
Roy had no idea what any of her words meant, he just wanted to eat.
"You really do lack brains. It's pretty simple, we're now the same, ~tsu. Both bound to the Hall of Memories. Equal, finally. The walk outside is amazing, you know, change of pace," Louis grinned slyly, "so we thought you might want a look in here. To walk in the endless nothing, you know?"
It finally sank in. He was trapped here, with her. Mama was forever outside, and he could only get out if Louis let him back into his body, "Why…why did you drag us down with you?"
Louis stared at him, "Because we wanted to be happy. So now we at least have company, ~tsu. So while you're here, for the long or short of it brother, please be doting, please be kind, please be loving."
Roy met her eyes, she wasn't happy right now. It was so clear…why?
Why had everything gotten so much clearer?
It didn't matter, he had to escape.
"We're leaving," he walked toward her.
Louis didn't retreat, she stood firm, and responded, "After just joining us? We did say for the long or short, but this is short even for youuuuu, ~tsu."
He shoved his mind against hers, trying to get to his body, but nothing worked. She had a firm hold on him now.
They were equal in mind, but in body…
Roy punched her in the face.
As his knuckles touched her cheek, she gave way immediately, like soft cake. Then, for the first time since coming here he felt a sensation, a slight itch of his knuckles. He didn't focus on it too long, as when his sister hit the ground, she cried out in pain. Even if she'd only fallen a little bit, she turned over, tears coming to her eyes as she howled from the sensation.
He ignored her—Mama was more important—and reached for his body. Louis was too distracted to stop him. The transfer back in was quick, but right as he was regaining his bearings, Louis yanked him back.
As soon as his form manifested in the Hall, rage bloomed in his heart and he socked her again.
Her head jolted to the side, and tears dribbled down her cheeks, but they weren't from the pain. No…they were from wonder. While she rubbed her cheek, Louis whispered, "So this is pain… ~tsu."
He moved to punch her again, but Louis grabbed his fist, stopping it. She screamed even from the force of catching his blow. Rolling waters of pain returned, but awe again replaced them.
"This is feeling," Louis breathed, "this is it. Indeed this is what it's like to feel. This is what feeling is. Feeling is this. This is pain. Pain hurts. Pain hurts it hurts. It hurts so much," as she continued, her smile widened, "it's annoying. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts…oh if this is pain…then the other feelings must be wonderful, ~TSU!"
"Let us have our body back," Roy threatened, his fists poised.
"Ah…that's certainly, very definitely, incredibly factually, not an option anymore, nii-sama," Louis stood against him, she'd felt pain, now she'd feel everything else.
She'd feel breath in her lungs.
She'd feel her feet rubbing the grass.
She'd feel herself eating, even just normal food.
She'd finally feel alive, then she'd—
Roy kicked her in the shin.
Louis couldn't hold in the scream. Her knee hit the ground, another stab of agony gripped her. Roy's foot slammed into her chin, knocking her to the floor. He tried to slip back into his body, but she forced through the hurt and held him here. She couldn't let him leave. Not now. Not anymore. Not ever.
Louis reached into herself, to her Authority.
While her focus shifted away, Roy began entering his body, whispering, "So this is what it's like to be you, ~tsu. Never able to eat. Never able to feel anything. We're sorry, but Mama comes first."
Louis stared at him. Pity? From her useless brother? Looking beyond his hunger for once? Really? Did he expect it to matter? Did he expect her to suddenly care? Did he really think it was possible, after so many years of force-feeding her bland meals and spurning her at every opportunity? Did he think she'd just stop caring about the unfairness of all this? Did he really think she was just gonna give up and accept the Hall of Memories as her eternity?
No.
Roy gradually faded from the Hall of Memories, something in him seemed to have changed. For the first time, he saw Louis. Truly saw her.
"Maybe Ley wasn't so insane," he whispered, his eyes gaining a glossy sheen.
That wasn't pity…that was…sympathy…
"You don't feel hunger right now, do you?" she asked, pausing for a moment.
Roy shook his head, and clarity existed in her brother's eyes, "We can find a way to get you a body."
She scoffed. He thought she would just take his help now? Everything Roy tried was a failure. He couldn't hold off his hunger. He couldn't think properly. He couldn't stop following Capella.
And yet, Louis put on a false smile.
And yet, it wasn't entirely false.
And yet she still lied, "That would be wonderful, ~tsu."
He smiled and restarted the process of returning to his body, believing her so easily.
It reminded her of Ley.
Something twinged within Louis' ■.
Far too little, far too late.
As Roy passed back into his body she took hold of their Authority. His consciousness passed from the hall, and he reached a middle-ground right in between the Hall of Memories and his body.
For the briefest instant, his body and the entire Witch Factor of Gluttony remained within the Hall, but his mind wasn't there anymore. The entire Authority of Gluttony was under her command. Soon, he'd regain his segment, but Louis had tasted pain.
She would taste joy as well.
Her ■ ached, but she rejected it and took hold of the Authority. A decade of torment built up within her scream, "Solar Eclipse!"
Her form shifted, for a moment her outward self was identical to Wilhelm van Astrea, but inside she remained Louis Arneb, intent on happiness. She sprinted across the white void and grabbed Roy, just before he faded. His eyes widened, "Louis?"
It was the first time he'd ever said her name. Her face twisted—the pain in her ■ was different, from the lingering effect of the punches, but hurt even more—she ignored it and bellowed, "Roy Alphard."
She forced her tongue to run along her hand.
Roy's soul had been separated from the Witch Factor of Gluttony; it hadn't possessed any protection from this.
His name and memories latched onto her tongue, and she devoured them.
His existence fully returned to the Hall of Memories, and he teared up. He reached out with his fingers, brushing her arm, "What would Ley think?"
Louis turned away from the boy as his knees gave out and he hit the ground. All of his bodily function drained away as his identity seeped into her. It joined the thousands of other memories her brothers had consumed over the years, yet he was still holding on.
"Ley, we're sorry," Roy whispered. His arm grazed Louis' ankle. Of its own accord, her body kneeled down, and her fingers ran along his cheek, wiping his tears away.
What in the world was she doing? For a useless sibling…why? Why in the world was she doing this for a sibling so useless?
"WHY?" she screamed. Why was that wish there? Why was that desire there? Why was that need there? Why?
Roy and Ley meant nothing.
So why?
It didn't matter that they were gone. Louis looked down at Roy; he was a sleeping beauty now. Od Laguna began its natural function and moved to recycle him. His essence disappeared, leaving Louis alone in the Hall of Memories. She didn't miss him at all. She didn't. She didn't. She didn't.
So…why?
She stood up. No speech passed from her mouth, no thoughts entered her mind, and no hunger rumbled in her stomach.
So why in the world was there a pounding at the back of her eyes, like something wanted to be let free?
A memory flashed to the surface, so vivid, captured in perfect detail by her mind. Ley stood, his eyes closed in the Hall of Memories. The endless white had surrounded him, and his soul was being taken away. He'd looked over at Louis, and began to cry.
Why did she wish to…?
"Sister, we're sorry," that was all his feeble mind had said.
So why?
"Truly useless. You are indeed useless. Quite useless after all. In no way useful. Quite annoying. Incredibly annoying," Louis had berated him, "now we have to rely on Roy. Such a useless sibling."
He was utterly useless.
SO WHY?
He stepped over to her, the side of his body fuzzing and disappearing. With his final action he smiled at her and wrapped her in a hug. She was stunned. Not by the action, but because she didn't resist.
SO WHY?
"We're truly useless, you're right," Ley had said, "we're sorry. So sorry. But…sister, you're brilliant, amazing, wonderful, exceptional, and you deserve happiness. We love you sister. No matter how you feel about us. Even if you hate us, we love you."
Ley's words made her uncomfortable, she wanted to reject them in every respect, call them out for the meaningless spewing of the idiot Gourmet. They made her so uncomfortable, because she couldn't do those things. She'd just remained silent as Ley disappeared, worthless to the very end.
SO WHY?
Her memory retreated, leaving her staring at the spot where Roy had gone. "Useless. Useless. Burdens. Wastes of space. Negatives. Impotents," Louis whispered her rage.
SO WHY?
All of Roy's memories lay before her, his experiences all the things he'd been through. The reason for his hunger. His entire identity was there.
SO WHY?
"Roy Alphard, you're a desperate child struggling to feed himself."
So why?
Roy Alphard's ■ lay open to her. She understood it.
So why…?
Ley Batenkaitos' ■ was so obvious. She'd watched every moment of Ley's life, she knew him.
So…why…?
"Ley Batenkaitos, you're a disgusting slave trying to play at sophistication."
Ley Batenkaitos and Roy Alphard, were so useless, they'd done nothing. They'd just been born outside. They hadn't freed her. They hadn't rectified the mistake.
So…why…in the…?
She melted away from the Hall of Memories, and attained her body. Upon entry, it matched her soul. Roy's body became hers, the arm he'd lost returned, and long blonde hair spilled all the way down her back. The same black dress, patchy, made of a single cloth, and run down, covered her from the elements. She rubbed her arms, they were hers. She ran her fingers through her hair, it was hers. She breathed in, the lungs were hers. Louis truly experienced every single sensation. All the things her brothers had felt this whole time.
So…why in the world…?
Louis Arneb was alive. Everything about her body was hers. Ley and Roy had done nothing to enable this…
So why, when she opened her mouth…did her voice break…?
"L-Ley…Roy…you were both useless…"
So why…were tears rolling down her face…?
So why…was her ■ in such pain…?
"You were both so useless…you understood so little…"
Louis blubbered and cried, "SO WHY IN THE WORLD DO WE LOVE YOU!?"
Oh…that was why her ■ was in such pain.
Because her ■ wasn't closed anymore.
Now, her heart was open.
Tears rolled down her face, and for the first time they were hers.
Ley had tried to do so much for her, and she'd never repaid him. Why had she never seen it before? Too late, it had all come too late, and now she had a body. Roy had tried to change his ways, to help and support her…
So that was why…
Because they were her brothers…and while the Hall of Memories had hurt her so much…it's not like they'd had it any better.
Ley, whipped, beaten, molested.
Roy, transformed, ripped to shreds and healed, molested.
Her brothers hadn't gotten the long end of the stick.
For them, the world had only possessed three short sticks.
Louis tried to smile, but all that happened was her knees gave out and she wept.
"Why did this happen now…Ley…we let you die…please forgive us. Roy…we ate you…please forgive us. Please don't hate us. Please don't wish for our death. Please don't despise us. We know its unfair…but please don't…hate us…"
Louis wept, hands desperately held to her face, desperately trying to stop herself.
"Please forgive us. Please. Please. Please, please, please, please, forgive us. Forgive us. Forgive us, forgive us, forgive us forgive us forgiveus forgiveus forgiveusforigiveusforgiveus forgiveusforgiveusforgiveusforgiveusforgiveusforgiveusforgiveusforgiveusforgiveus!"
There was no answer from her dead brothers.
The only answer came from a soft voice, with an undercurrent of divine fury, "That dress is quite beautiful in its own unique way."
The world held its breath. She stared up, and Pandora was there. The woman's skin shimmered in the early afternoon light.
Louis' first time meeting someone in the flesh, and it came when she was a whimpering mess, crying over her brothers, tortured by this world, trying their best to help her in whatever way they could.
"Pandora," she whispered.
The woman turned her eyes, blue like gemstones, to Louis, "You've finally found your way onto the path of life. The determination required to do that is admirable. I can give you what you seek."
Louis pushed a smile onto her face;, somehow, she managed to push away the tears. She wanted to keep crying for Ley and Roy—to beg for forgiveness which would never come, or just find some way to not want to clutch at her chest and scream. But she could feel that this wasn't the time. She could see it in that gaze of Pandora's. There was no kindness there, only a cold and calculating entity seeking a goal. Best to stay on this thing's good side, that way Louis could use her to become happy.
"You can give us what we seek?" she asked, eliciting a curt nod from Pandora. "Then what do you seek, ~tsu?"
Pandora smirked, it looked like she wanted to tear Louis apart with her teeth, yet needed her, "Yes I am. All I seek is your help on two occasions."
"We might be able to spare the time…but that depends on what uses you have for us," Louis answered, voice measured, barely kept from breaking as a memory of Ley happily offering her a meal, trying to help her, arose.
"Well you're not doing anything right now, and now is the first occasion, so come see. It's just an unfortunate circumstance. An old friend is getting in the way," Pandora said.
"Those closest do get in the way," Louis agreed, her eyes filling with tears again.
"They do," Pandora whispered, and stared off into the distance.
"Just who is this old friend?"
"We'll show you, be ready," Pandora grabbed her shoulder, and brought them.
Louis activated her Solar Eclipse without hesitation, becoming Beli Heinelga, though his mind didn't affect her in the slightest. Across from her, a little girl in a black robe was kneeling down on the ground, holding a flower in her hand. She pulled it off, breaking the stem in the middle and popped it in her mouth.
She remained there for a time, letting the taste seep in. After a long moment, she opened her mouth, letting it flop to the ground, and stared off into the distance.
"Ah, why must love fade?"
A little giggle jumped from her mouth, and she began walking. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder, and stopped. Turning around, the pink-haired girl watched and began analyzing Louis. Her lips tilted down in a bit of curiosity, until her eyes passed behind Louis, to Pandora.
The woman sneered in disgust, "Pandora."
"I'm sorry, Echidna, but your travels are at an end," Pandora said, her voice becoming sinister.
"It's Omega," she responded.
Pandora ignored her, "This is truly unfortunate, but necessary. Ah, why must it always come to violence…? Alas…Bishop Arneb, kill her."
Louis stepped forward, Omega threw her hand up, "Goa!"
A ball of fire launched toward Louis. It exploded on her face. A tiny tickle of heat brushed her cheeks. She rubbed away the dust, while an aura began forming around Omega, catching Louis' heart, pushing a hook into her brain. After a second, another stabbed in. This was dangerous, she couldn't make the same mistake as Ley.
She smothered a sob at the thought of his death.
"Neiji Rockheart," her body shifted into that of Guinihive's greatest warrior. Muscles rippled along her body, and she dove forward. Omega's cold demeanor broke, and her eyes jumped around, searching for any way out. Before she could do a thing, Louis slammed her fist straight into the woman's chest.
Omega's bones shattered under the force—just like Roy's all those times Capella beat him—and she vomited blood all over Louis' chest.
But it didn't matter, Louis already had Roy and Ley's blood seeping into her skin.
The woman hit the ground, choking on red. Her head flopped to the right, where Pandora had moved to. Omega grasped her own chest, "Pandora, you disgusting…"
The woman couldn't finish with all the blood in her chest.
Pandora knelt down, and cupped the girl's cheek, "I'm sorry your journey had to end this way, Echidna."
Omega glared at her as she drowned in her own blood. She hacked out enough red to whisper, "Love does, hatred doesn't."
They watched while Omega struggled to hold onto life. She convulsed, searching for air, but there was none. Her gaze shot around, trying to find any way to get out of her predicament. She pushed her hand to her chest to heal herself, but it was far too late. Her hand just fell to the side, worthless.
The woman's struggles and attempts at clearing the blood gave way to silence. Omega stared into the sky, immense curiosity still in her eyes. Louis understood that look—the need to find out what death was like. It wasn't in any of the memories she'd ever consumed before.
That look stayed for a moment, then vanished as the woman seized up. A quick whisper slipped out, "I wanted…to see what you accomplished…Natsuki…Subar…"
They kept watching the woman, but she was silent after that.
Louis broke her watch on Omega and focused on Pandora, "You've sought, now it is our turn, ~tsu."
"You've been a wonderful help. Remember, I will call upon you once more. But in the meantime, this will aid in whatever it is you seek," Pandora put out her hand, a black book lay there. It hadn't come from anywhere, it simply was.
Louis took it, quickly flipping the book open. Within were words that read: Welcome to the world, Bishop Arneb.
"Have a safe trip, Bishop Arneb," Pandora whispered.
Louis looked up from her gospel, but Pandora was gone. She shook her head, what few memories Roy had of Pandora had shown her how insane she was, so it wasn't unexpected. Her breath was heavy at remembering his memories.
"Hm…" she grunted, rubbing the book. This would help Louis reach her goal, which seemed even further away right now. She dropped the forced smile. Her face grew weak once more, and her lips quivered. She flipped the paper of her new gospel. Held on the new page were directions to a meaningless village. But of course it wouldn't be meaningless. The gospel always led toward the desired future, so someone in that village would have a unique perspective. Memories that Roy wouldn't have had the luck to find, and Ley wouldn't have wanted to eat.
But someone that they'd want her to push on for, someone they'd want her to consume, someone they'd want her to take so she could be happy.
Louis tried a real smile, Ley would want her to move forward, Roy might too.
They'd want her to become happy. To take the world for herself and use it to be happy enough for all three of them.
She could, and would.
For she ate all that was unique, accepting no repetitive memories. She held no care in her heart for the preparation, she wasn't the Gourmet. She held no care in her heart for sheer consumption, she wasn't the Bizarre Eating. She was the being with total mastery over Solar Eclipse. She possessed the arms of Neiji Rockheart, that which none could resist. The body of Beli Heinelga, that which resisted all. The skill of Wilhelm van Astrea, that which none living surpassed. The magic arts of thousands, that which rejected all attacks and reduced all defenses to nothing. The mind of herself honed in the Cradle of Od Laguna, that which was sharper than all others.
She was Louis Arneb.
The spectre of the Hall of Memories given form.
The being which would blot out the sun and genuinely smile.
The Satiation.
Loose upon the world.
Thus ends Arc 4: The Butterfly's Colors
Holy fuck, this arc took a hot minute to finish. Started this shit in April, goddamn. Alright bois, imma go outside, then when I come back in I'll get started on arc 5, the final arc of this story.
I want to say thank you to the many beta readers who helped this long journey that arc 4 turned out to be. Specifically the consistent ones.
Dyn, who did major work on "The Suwen Method" giving the arc a strong start, and working on typos and other stuff for most of the remaining arc. A chad of epic proportions, go read A Maiden's New Life by him and Syra.
Speaking of Syra, another big typo man who helped with the later half of this arc. Also a very cool dude, and he's the other author of A Maiden's New Life. (Look Syra I'm pretending Dyn actually writes anything)
Pro_Enderguard, who did a lot of typos along with helping keep Elsa consistent for a couple scenes. He made a real dumb one not so dumb.
And best for last(Fuck you Dyn you don't beta read for shit, still love you tho)TheColourPurple, who gave lots of good writing advice starting after "Isn't it Obvious." He's essentially been the thing that's shaped many of these recent chapters, and what's made them so much better than they were with just me working on them. Seriously the man is amazing, I truly do not deserve all the help he does, and certainly not for free. If you don't know he's the author of Pride's Greed, and a new fic which is probably releasing soon, or maybe already has by the time I upload this. Anyway check him out, great author, great guy, great friend.
Thanks to them this arc shaped out to be what it is, and while if I redid this I'd cut some loops off and redo much of the pacing, I am proud of the final product.
And I'm going to make sure I'm proud of arc 5, so imma be writing the entire arc before I release any of it. Just to make sure I create the best arc 5 I can.
When I'm done I'll probably just drop it in a long string of chapters one every day until the arc is over. I'll drop a few interludes at some point between this and arc 5 chapter 1. So for now, see ya bois later.
P.S. By the time I'm releasing this I've started work on arc 5(more specifically I began on November 23rd)and the arc is already about 37k words. It'll probably end up being around 250k by the end.