Chapter 20: Expedition (11)
"So...what's this deal about Chaldea and the fact that it seems to have propagated outwards into a LOT of different timelines or realities or whatever. And how does, umm…"
Nanashi found himself blinking gormlessly at the Sumerian goddess as she alternated between staring intently at either Manaka or himself, Abigail happily leaning into the woman's embrace as her blonde tresses were stroked with affectionate motions. Or at least as affectionate as they could be with the ornate chains keeping Tiamat's limbs bound.
"Well, how does one of the primordial goddesses or something mesh with all of that?"
Blissfully nuzzling into the buxom goddess's lap the host of the Outer God responded, "To make a much longer story short, one of the many crisis Chaldea dealt with included the release of Tiamat from her prison, a scenario in which she then attempted to destroy humanity and replace them with her own newly born children."
Manaka's eyes narrowed, Nanashi dumbly blinking before neutrally remarking, "Well we all have our bad days."
Giggling at his wary words Abigail happily stated, "Have no fear, friends. The madness and desire of a goddess long abandoned by her children and kin has ceased, Tiamat is now very much in control of herself."
Deciding to give Abigail the benefit of the doubt - not to mention that the draconic woman herself seemed to shrink back behind the girl in shame - the homunculus settled for a tired sigh, Manaka warily asking, "Then how is it that the goddess has manifested in this land? Her prison should be in a separate space entirely, not a tangible one like the Reverse."
Abigail merely smiled, happily explaining, "At the time of the 'Chaldea Tiamat' suffering defeat and extinction at the hands of our allies she wasn't constrained by her previous prison, able to reach out and affect the world to the fullest extent of her powers."
The blonde gently gathered up Tiamat's hands in her own.
"The Tiamat that was defeated reached out to other incarnations of herself, spreading the wishes and hopes of our master Ritsuka...as well as her memories."
A sad trill escaped Tiamat, gaze averting as her tail protectively curled around her body in a bizarrely vulnerable gesture.
"This Tiamat received those recollections and attempted to use the unnatural method of sharing to attempt breaking free of her prison, a bid to speak and interact with her long lost children in a way that might result in a union rather than extermination."
Abigail shrugged, sheepishly ending her tale with, "The actual mechanics of using a reality-spanning message to break free from an imaginary space are beyond me, in all honesty-"
"Oh? I actually find such a happening quite easy to grasp."
"-but Tiamat managed to manifest her 'cell' within the Reverse, even if she herself was unable to escape or interact to any measurable extent."
Manaka's smug comment was left to hang as the magus pouted, Nanashi rubbing his eyes as he grumbled, "So basically she tried to surf a wave and reach the shore but only made it halfway and is still stuck out at sea, but at least within sight of said shore?"
Manaka rolled her eyes, drolly stating, "A massively simplified explanation, Nanashi...but yes. In essence that is what happened."
"I remember when the biggest thing I had to worry about was homework and school bullies. Not gonna lie, I almost miss them."
The homunculus thought about it for a second.
"On second thought? Fuck those guys. This is way more interesting."
A moment of awkward silence descended upon them all, Tiamat's oddly shaped eyes flicking to-and-fro as if she was trying to watch them but not be too obvious about it while they tried to figure out a way to advance the conversation they were currently having.
"So...what now?"
Manaka huffed, stating, "We have accomplished our objective and are now simply wasting time, what else is there to do?"
Abigail pouted as Tiamat flinched, admonishing her fellow blonde with, "That's not a very polite thing to say, Manaka. Would you like it if someone were to ignore you simply because they had fulfilled the bare minimum required social interaction?"
Surprised at the outwardly confrontational words from the typically polite and docile girl the homunculus was treated to the rare sight of Manaka seeming as if she'd swallowed something bitter, features pinched as she no doubt thought of how she would react if her weak and beaten down friend suddenly began blowing her off...sort of like how they did to each other after Wynstar's death.
Smiling in a fashion that was both amicable and slightly predatory Abigail concluded with, "See? It's not very pleasant, now is it?"
"Hmph. Your point is well made, no need to wallow in victory like some ugly swine."
Merely giggling at Manaka's grumpy response Abigail turned her head towards a suddenly animated Tiamat, the goddess hesitantly pointing towards both youths standing a distance away from her while softly trilling.
Neither of aforementioned youths were very much reassured as Abigail suddenly gained a megawatt smile, excitedly stating, "But of course! Manaka, Nanashi?"
The duo turned their attention to a beaming blonde, three eyes alight with mischief and eagerness as she continued with, "Come closer, please?"
They shared a wary glance, unsure if there was some kind of practical joke at play or some other manner of hijinx...but eventually did as requested, not finding any particular reason to deny her the request.
They did come to an abrupt halt as Tiamat raised her chained arms slightly, as if to welcome them into an embrace with a painfully hopeful expression.
"Abigail, is she…"
Settling for a simple nod from their Outer God possessed companion the duo warily came closer, crouching next to the waiting goddess...and paused, for depressingly familiar reasons.
Nanashi could barely even remember whatever parents or sponsors he'd ever had and who's only positive physical interactions had recently been with Manaka and Abigail...and the magus was just as skewed, having only recently started to once again experience anything remotely like emotional and physical attraction to others.
What did they know about being held by another?
Thankfully Abigail noticed their unease and took pity on the stunted duo, pulling Nanashi into the center of Tiamat's lap while Manaka and herself flanked the homunculus, both of her friends stiffening briefly at the intimate contact before slowly relaxing as the goddess cooed, chained hands gently rubbing their scalps in slow and comforting motions while her draconic tail laid itself across their waists, hugging them tight to her body.
"This is...more relaxing than I thought it would be, to be totally honest."
"Quite, what I know of gods suggests they would be less than amicable to humans."
Abigail merely smiled at their observations, Nanashi letting his tired form lean more fully against the draconic female, skin delightfully soft and warm like some manner of blanket, feminine chest embracing his head on either side as Manaka and Abigail also leant against his flanks with calming motions...and he blinked as something wet suddenly impacted his skull, glancing upwards only to find crystal-clear tears leaking from Tiamat's eyes in an unbroken stream, radiant smile upon her exotic features.
"Is she…"
"It has been a long time since she has been able to embrace her children thusly and be welcomed in return."
Abigail's sleepy explanation caused Nanashi to settle for a simple nod, understanding that it was very much the little things that made a person's day...or however long it had been for Tiamat.
Although it was a little weird for him, having a literal goddess be so overjoyed at such a modest gesture. He would have assumed she would only be satiated after a live sacrifice of a virgin's beating heart or something like that.
"Goes to show what I actually know about the world around me."
Unleashing a light sigh as he let his eyes drift closed - oddly at peace with things despite the bizarre landscape around them and utterly alien goddess at his back - Nanashi turned to face Manaka as she abruptly stated, "I...don't think I've ever been held like this."
Unsure of what to say to that sudden statement Tiamat seemed to have that under lock and key, hands gently stroking the magus' hair as she lightly hummed a lyrical and soothing melody that set the girl at ease.
"Did you not have a mother? Your father certainly seems involved with your life and he strikes me as a good man."
Abigail's pointed question simply caused Manaka to shrug, idly commenting, "I remember almost nothing of her, only that she was quiet and withdrawn, barely interacting with anyone and anything...like a doll."
An already dull and expressionless statement continued with, "With the benefit of hindsight I do believe it was my birth that crippled my mother, slowly turned her into an invalid before she finally perished...father always tried to deflect away from the topic but I know better now. The birth of an individual connected to the Root must bear a heavy toll on the soul gestating such a creature, slowly stripped away at it until nothing was left but an empty shell, affording her only a few precious years before she was...gone."
Nanashi stared, completely at a loss of what to do at Manaka's sudden confession, the girl idly staring at her hands as she murmured, "Only now do I entirely comprehend what a mother's warmth is like...and understand what I denied to my darling sister and caring father."
The homunculus felt very real unease and heartbreak as tears - legitimate, shining tears - gathered in the blonde's eyes as a shaking hand travelled upwards, collecting the precious gems as a note of confusion entered her cadence.
"Hmm? Is this...what am I feeling?"
A broken, fragile smile tilted her flawless lips upwards.
"Perhaps I am realizing what a strange monster I am? Devouring her own mother while still in the womb? Quite horrific, isn't it?"
Doing the only thing he could think to do at the moment Nanashi reached out, firmly grabbing his friend's hand and squeezing it tight, muttering, "Well, for what it's worth...I'm glad you're in this world with me, Manaka. So don't, you know...regret it too much or anything."
Abigail sighed at his less than impressive selection of words, Nanashi privately agreeing with the sentiment. That had been awful.
"I agree with our verbally challenged friend, Manaka. You - and all that you are - may be a monster, may be a soul brought in through the consuming and destruction of another…"
She sadly gestured to the little quartet they formed, tone quiet as she continued with, "But we are all monsters of one variety or another. You are among good company and we would miss you should you one day be gone."
The girl's fingers gathered themselves within Nanashi and Manaka's own, appendages wrapped together in an intertwined bond of warmth and comfort.
The magus had long ago averted her gaze so that they couldn't see her face, only the occasional sniffle leaving her as a jerky nod was sent their way in response. Tiamat continued to hum in that dangerously comforting cadence that spoke of peace and closeness as they simply stayed that way for an indeterminate amount of time, the homunculus letting his eyes drift closed as, for the first time in his life that he could remember, it felt like he was finally home.
"We'll visit as often as we can, okay? Will you be fine on your own?"
A sad trill left Tiamat's lips, even as her head dipped in acceptance of Abigail's words.
"Alright...if you say so."
Abigail glomped the kneeling goddess in a tight hug, Nanashi doing his level best to not stare at how her revealing attire fluttered and flared at the action.
Not an easy task, something a puffy-eyed and pouting Manaka took note of as she pinched his arm.
"Well, we've stuck around about as long as we can afford to, I think it's time we-"
The homunculus blinked, Tiamat rising to her feet and sedately gliding towards him, luminous eyes locked onto his chest as she gently reached out and brushed her fingertips against it, turning to Abigail and singing an inquiry that sounded like it contained a fair bit of worry.
The blonde offered up a regretful smile, stating, "We are currently trying to create a new body for him...but time is not on Nanashi's side."
A motherly frown appeared on the goddess's features before being replaced by a nod of confidence, hands drifting low to place themselves upon the symbol etched into her navel.
"Umm, Abigail? What's she doing?"
Before the girl could reply the goddess physically removed one of the symbols, the marking glowing like a red hot shard of prismatic energy as she brought it close to his chest, layering it atop his heart as the homunculus blinked dumbly at her actions-
-and wheezed out in pain as a sudden, caustic fire raced through his body, Manaka and Abigail worriedly calling after him...and just like that the pain faded as if it had never been there to begin with, the boy regaining his feet with eyes wide and full of wonder.
Upon his chest was now the marking Tiamat had imparted, glowing softly with the pulse of his heart as he felt...good, actually. Like the symbol actually provided some measure of strength to his weak and helpless form.
"She...gave you a part of her Divine Graph?!"
Manaka's incredulous words snapped him out of his little train of thought, the youth realizing that must have been a pretty serious deal if Manaka was shocked by it.
"Alright, what's so strange about that?"
Manaka groaned in familiar exasperation at his cluelessness, Abigail giggling at their interaction as the magus explained, "A divine being gifted you with a fragment of her very soul, or at least the godly equivalent. Your soul is that of a puny mortal's and somehow, despite all of my knowledge stating that your ethereal form should have been crushed to dust, here you stand with nothing to show for it aside from a few brief seconds of discomfort!"
She groaned, lips quirking as if she couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry.
"You are just one mystery after another, Nanashi."
Abigail chimed in, stating, "She noticed your body was weak and failing, Nanashi. With a bit of her essence now intertwined with your own she can supply you with a fraction of her strength, to help keep you going."
The blue-eyed girl tapped her chin, musing, "It's not much, but anything is better than nothing, right?"
"Huh...so that's why I feel better."
Tiamat suddenly knelt before him, smiling as she began to sing once more-
[Children...should not die before their mothers...live, and return to me…]
-and he gaped as he actually understood her, quickly snapping out of his funk as the homunculus bowed low, unsure of how else to show his gratitude besides saying, "I'll do my best. I promise."
With a final nod of farewell they departed, Nanashi feeling reinvigorated to begin their hunt anew...after all, even a goddess was rooting for him. Couldn't go and disappoint her as well as his two closest friends, now could he?
Such wow, very fluffiness.
...
You can tell I'm old by whipping out a meme that I'm fairly certain is a year or more ancient.
And yes, meme timescale can be considered ancient history if more than 12 months pass. Anyone remember the dinosaur staring hamster one?