So... remember when I whole-heartedly exclaimed 'I'M BACK!'
...
Yeah, don't really have much to say. Just got caught up with some stuff, nothing too major :P
But this chapter is quite a doozy, I must say! And after what went down last chapter, I suppose it's best to highlight the aftermath.
(Especially after Mothra did you-know-what to you-know-who)
I also fixed up some mistakes on the timeline. I think Mothra says something about living for an entire year. That's false- by this chapter, an entire year has past since Ghidorah died, and by last chapter, Mothra's been alive for around 5 months. Hope that clears everything up.
Hope you enjoy!
Ch 10: Preparations and Promises
With fiery wings that trembled slightly, and his beak clenched harshly in a frustrated manner, Rodan continued to fly through the air as quickly as possible. His eyes were sharp- still on edge- as if still trying to search for something, despite knowing he was wasting his time at this point. Subtle growls escaped his mouth as the Fire Demon became more restless- failure wasn't an option, especially if it meant he could prove himself to the King and his partner. But alas, he failed anyway.
One month. One whole month
That was how much time had past since Gigan's sudden, unprovoked attack on Mothra. So short was that time span compared to the long lives of the Titans, and yet news of the immediate attack against not only the Goddess, but the King himself, had spread both upon the surface world of the earth, and its inner counterpart. Even Monarch knew of the attack against Mothra, and became extremely anxious upon realisation that the one Titan that seemed to keep a certain benevolence to humanity, had seemingly made an enemy out of the hooked Titan that had constantly tried to destroy human cities after his awakening and the defeat of The Golden One.
One month. For the transgressions Gigan had done upon Mothra, he should have been found in one day. And yet, the coward had once again retreated back to the Birthplace, right off the face of the earth, never to be heard from until he decides to wreak havoc again.
Coward, Rodan thought to himself, as he continued on his path.
But the word suddenly struck a chord within Rodan's fiery heart. Just thinking about it made the Pterosaur Titan wince in discomfort. He couldn't believe that, at one point, he had fallen to Gigan's level and became a coward himself in the face of a greater power. In fact, it was this sole reason Rodan had continued through countless, sleepless nights to find Gigan, making it his duty to redeem himself from this cowardice. But with the growing talk of Gigan's infamy, and many thoughts and contradictions swelling in his mind, Rodan found the recent days to be quite overworking and hard to live through. In the end, he failed. And if it wasn't for his extreme frustration, he would have fainted from exhaustion many nights ago.
But Gigan wasn't the only talk spreading through the Kingdom.
Battra.
Somehow, the counter part of the Goddess Mothra, the apparent 'True God of Destruction and Balance'- Mothra's brother- had been rumoured to reawaken in this current day and age. And as per the countless experiences of the two sibling Gods appearing and existing at the same time, Rodan shuddered at the thought of the earth coming into chaos and disorder once again. But, Battra, rising up again? One misfortune shouldn't warrant such a belief. Absurd, Rodan thought to himself. A rumour like this would have been gradually built upon, with evidence supporting its claim, not just seemingly out of thin air.
But the memory of the long and difficult Titan War Rodan lived and fought through reminded him just how unexpected and cruel the world can be- especially if it meant that peace was seemingly prospering.
First the Jinshin-Mushi, then The Golden One, now Gigan's appearance and Battra's rumoured awakening. Truly, in just a flash, it was clear how much the world could change- how moments of peace can be instantly destroyed to moments of chaos. If this pattern continued, just what would happen to every living thing upon the earth? This wasn't just it- Rodan knew there was more to this. There was a greater danger, Gigan and Battra only being part of- no- omens to this great threat. Having spent so much time with Mothra, who had the ability to sense the fluctuations and changes the world would go through- as if predicting the future, somehow- it gave Rodan a sort of sixth sense to the world's ever changing ways.
And, by the heavens, did he hope this sixth sense was wrong.
Rodan quickly gave a loud squawk of surprise as he realised his body was dangerously close to the cold water, his flying gradually decreasing in altitude the more he became lost in thought. Quickly composing his flight pattern, raising himself high into the sky (and checking to see if anyone had caught a glimpse of his embarrassing mistake), Rodan collected his thoughts and focused on his task at hand. He calmed his unsteady heart and continued on his path, just realising he was already so close to his destination. Stopping just before the island that stood before him, Rodan took in a deep breathe and relaxed his tense eyes. As gracefully as he could, Rodan landed upon the beach of the island and bowed down his body in respect to the figure large and dark that stood in the cave before him. Coming out of the shadows, Godzilla lumbered forth, his chest rising and falling in a hurried manner, but his golden eyes still remaining composed and authoritative.
"My King." Rodan spoke exhaustedly, so much more at ease and relaxed than the last time he came here.
"Rodan, have you found him?" Godzilla commanded quite hurriedly, the uncharacteristic hints of anxiousness and a more characteristic sense of anger present within his voice.
"I-I'm sorry," Rodan barely spoke out, truly remorseful and irritated by his failure. It seemed, whenever he would come to Godzilla's home, all he could do was apologise, "It seems Gigan has disappeared back to the Birthplace. Not I nor anyone else has heard or even seen him."
The King's claws clenched tighter around themselves, piercing his scales and drawing small amounts of blood from their tightness. Barely hanging onto his composure, Godzilla looked away from Rodan and towards the sand, his whole body shaking as his snarls vibrated through the air.
"Coward." Godzilla growled under clenched teeth. He, too, had joined the search for the treacherous Kaiju, but had quickly ended up staying close to Mothra's side for the remainder of the month, on some nights, losing sleep just so he could watch her as closely as possible.
"Please don't go, Goji. I want you to stay with me." Mothra pleaded, her furred antennae furrowing in sadness as she held onto Godzilla's arm as he got up to leave the cave. And her wide eyes begging the king to fulfil her request.
"Mosura, I promise, I'll come back as soon as I can," Godzilla had quickly replied back, turning his body to look at her but not wanting to waste any time, "I'll find Gigan, and I'll make sure he-"
"No, Gojira, you don't understand…" Mothra cried out softly. Gently, she buried her soft head into his arm, pulling him closer to her body as she tightened her claws that hugged themselves against his limb.
"Please…" she whispered, resting her entire weight against him, making the King's scales feel every moment her body trembled, "I want you to stay with me."
Catching his breathe as he stayed still, staring at her with a surprised and concerned look, the King then instinctively placed his other claw against the back of the Goddess. After, Godzilla could only crane his head downwards to rest against Mothra's, his heart full of pity and sorrow for seeing her in such a saddened state.
"Okay," the King whispered after a while, lowering onto his knees and bringing Mothra, who still kept herself buried against his arm, closer to him, "I'll stay."
"And his allies you have spoken of," Rodan continued, snapping the King out of his thoughts and back to the present moment. In frustration, Rodan clawed at the sand beneath him fiercely, the look of disgust so clear upon his face, "Well, I wouldn't been surprised if I had already come across them and they lied straight to my face."
Godzilla took as much time as he could to settle his irritation, taking in a sharp breathe of air, and letting it gently exhale back out in a more tired-out manner, rather than one of anger. His tense body became more relaxed, but his eyes were still sharp and narrow, the gold shimmering within them piecing together what he would do next, as Rodan anxiously waited for his response- the fire in his wings sparking worryingly and uncertain.
"It's fine." Godzilla replied in a low and rough tone, already returning his sight to the cave, but his clear sense of worry so evident to Rodan through his elevated breathing, "You may leave."
Despite the King's command, however, Rodan only dug his talons deeper into the beach. Looking towards the sand beneath him, he too clenched his claws tightly together, a sense of frustration and uneasiness swelling even greater. Of course something like this had to happen the moment he had made peace with himself and with his friends. How could he just leave like that? There was so much more to this, and the Fire Demon knew for a fact he wouldn't just let the King and the Goddess bare this burden alone. Swallowing his nervousness, Rodan slowly stood upright, ready to ask the King a question that had been burning through his mind after the news spread of Gigan's sudden attack.
"My King, before I go, I need to know if the rumours are true." Rodan called out, bracing his body as he noticed Godzilla's form suddenly stop in his tracks, yet remained still and unmoving. With narrowed eyes, desperately hoping for a specific answer to not fan the flames of worry that burned brightly in his heart, Rodan called out to the King.
"Will Battra truly arise once more?"
With what seemed like a heavy sigh, Godzilla still remained unmoving and cold, despite the split-second flinch of his entire body uncharacteristically tightening up at Rodan's question. With his great head hung low, and his gruff voice even lower, the King answered the Pterosaur Titan's question with full certainty and truth.
"I have no doubt about it."
"O-Oh." was all Rodan can manage to stumble forth from his mouth, his worry replaced with great sadness at seeing the King so accepting of such a fate that would no doubt bring great suffering. To tell the truth, despite all the talk amongst the Kingdom, Rodan still hoped that the rising of Battra- especially with Mothra already here- would have been nothing but some sick rumour. He'd hoped the King would have at least granted him some form of optimism, and so was greatly surprised to hear him speak so gravely. Surprised, and frightened by his surety of the subject.
"Where's Mosura?" Rodan quickly asked, desperate to try and move from the subject, looking around to both find out where the Goddess could be, and to add some form of energy to the still and tense atmosphere they had inadvertently created.
Turning back around to face Rodan again, without missing a beat, Godzilla simply waded to the side, exposing the opening of the cave. There, Rodan could see Mothra's sleeping figure wrapped tightly within her own wings, her blue glow flickering with as much uncertainty and stress as he was feeling within the darkness of the cave. Rodan's wings slumped as he took a closer look at the Goddess, exhaling gently as he noticed her body rise and fall at such a great speed. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought the Goddess had flown around the earth a hundred times over in a single night.
"I-I see." Rodan whispered, turning back to face Godzilla, who wore the same expression of pity and sympathy that Rodan had upon his face.
"She's exhausted." Godzilla whispered back, his eyes now dead set on Mothra, glistening slightly the longer he continued to stare at her, "She's been thinking about the future, trying her best to prepare and work out what all of this means- to both us, and the world."
"How…" Rodan began, hesitating at first and choosing his next words carefully, both to respect Mothra and not irritate Godzilla more than how he currently was, "How is she taking all of this?"
"None of your concern." Godzilla snapped, swiftly turning his head towards Rodan as he narrowed and bore his eyes into the Fire Demon, causing him to quickly reel back in surprise and fear. But as Rodan quickly snapped his beak shut- and swallowed his shock, just for measure- the King quickly realised his unnecessary and uncalled for outburst, and straitened and relaxed his form, bowing his head slightly, almost like an apology, causing Rodan to gather up some courage and walk closer to him- confused at the King's sudden change in demeanour.
"She's conflicted… and deeply troubled." Godzilla finally spoke out, removing his gaze away from Rodan shamefully, digging his nails yet again into the palm of his claws tightly as he growled softly through gritted teeth, "She puts on a smile whenever we are together; she constantly stays strong and reassures me about how everything will be fine."
"But I can tell." the King whispered, not realising how Rodan was so close to him- and could perfectly see his sorrow and weakness. Uncaring, would be the better term actually, as all the King could focus on, was not to tremble through his words.
"Deep in her heart, I know she wants to cry." Godzilla continued, struggling to not tear up himself as his foot reflexively twisted itself harshly into the beach, "She's desperate now- desperate to try and maintain the world's peace."
"She's heartbroken…" the King admitted to Rodan, who still remained quiet and still. But his anger boiled at the realisation of his words, and began to manifest physically the longer the King thought of the pain and suffering his partner was going through, "And I can't do anything!"
Without meaning to, Godzilla sternly struck the wall of dirt and rock next to the cave entrance, growling in ferocity and he clenched the earth between his claws. The blow echoed roughly across the island, startling the silent Rodan as the King's rough breathe cut through the sounds of the dirt and rock falling infinitely towards the ground.
"I hate this!" Godzilla exclaimed, shutting his eyes as he did his best to control his wrath, "This feeling of uselessness in a time when she needs me most! I'm a failure of a partner and a failure of a King!"
Why? Godzilla thought to himself, picturing Mothra's perfect and beautiful smile that she always wore, happily, during their times together, Why can I never seem to bring you comfort and happiness like you do, to me, Mosura?
Finished with his outburst, Godzilla removed his claw from the wall and slumped his arms, just now realising he had demonstrated such mental weakness and uncollected upsurge to Rodan, who still remained in front of him. Opening his mouth, the King was about to remind Rodan to take his leave, but found no more energy within his body to speak. In an awkward silence, the King and the Fire Demon remained upon the beach, neither showing any signs of movement. But after a deep breathe was taken in, the silence was abruptly broken.
"You are plenty of things, my King." Rodan, to the surprise of the King, spoke up. Finally looking directly at the Pterosaur Titan, Godzilla allowed Rodan to come closer to him, widening his eyes as the Fire Demon surely grasped his claw against the shoulder of the King, looking at him with certainty and an uncharacteristic amount of bravery, "For a lot of the time I have known you, a fool may have been one of them."
"Rodan…" Godzilla softly growled, straitening his eyes in irritation. He definitely wasn't in the mood for such jokes.
"But a failure of a partner, a King… a friend?" the Fire Demon continued, ignoring Godzilla's intimating stare, now fuelled by a mysterious force that demanded him to say anything- anything at all- that could comfort the King's heart, "There is no way in hell you could be any of these things."
Slowly, Rodan removed his claw from the King's shoulder and backed up slightly, tensing at the sudden realisation of what he was doing- especially after everything that had gone down and his personal relationship with the King. "I could be wasting my breathe. I have no idea how much my words mean to you." Rodan admitted weakly, and yet still continued with just as much fervour, "But I know whole-heartedly that all Mosura needs from you, is for you to remain with her, forever."
"You can sense the despair in her heart. But I can sense the relief and content she feels whenever you are with her." Rodan exclaimed, giving the King's confused and disbelieved stare a small but genuine smile, "You are what helps her through her sadness. I know that. Anguirus knew that."
"And I know Mosura knows that, the most."
…
"Rodan, I need you to promise me something." Godzilla hastily remarked quickly after Rodan's speech, much to the sudden shock of the Pterosaur Titan.
"My King?" Rodan questioned, sparked to complete attention by the seriousness and authority of the King's voice, soon getting over his initial confusion and giving all his focus towards his request.
"No… I want you to promise me something." Godzilla corrected, looking at the Fire Demon dead in the eye- his face as unreadable and stoic as it usually was- but a sense of familiarity and trust ever growing within the King's face, so apparent to Rodan.
"Promise me…" Godzilla began, but already doubting whether the time was right to be asking this question to Rodan- especially after all they had been through in recent times, "...Promise me, should this peace not last, should Battra's awakening and Gigan's actions cause another-" the King hesitated on his words, definitely not wanting the situation within his mind to become a reality, but was sure to be prepared for it, nonetheless, "Another war to come, that you would fight with me no matter what."
His golden eyes shone brightly. Soft, commanding and yet desperate, "Like we have done so before."
Rodan took a moment to recollect himself and immerse himself within the King's words. Thinking he should have known better to demand Rodan of such a task so soon within their reconciliation with each other, with a disgruntled breathe, Godzilla turned away. But his head perked up after hearing a slightly mischievous- borderline irritating- chuckle coming from the Kaiju right in front of him. In disbelief of Rodan's either brave or stupid act of seemingly mocking the King, Godzilla soon took notice of the Fire Demon's confident and cordial smirk that grew proudly across his sharp beak.
"I feel insulted, my King." Rodan called out brightly, shaking his head and still stifling some chuckles as he spoke through his words, "Didn't I make a promise that I will fight by your side, forever more? I told myself I will never make the same mistake again. You don't- no- never have to tell me to fight by your side."
Unable to help himself, Godzilla ended up cracking a grin of his own, scoffing at Rodan's care-free demeanour, yet the proud look in his eyes shining in relief as he, too, shook his head. It seemed he would never be rid of Rodan's antics, "Then I was wrong to believe you would cower again."
With his laughing coming to a screeching halt, Rodan gave the King a truly offended and shocked look, lowering his head and puffing out his cheeks in dismay. You could have at least given me some credit, Gojira. Rodan thought silently, huffing to himself quite comically.
Scoffing, and with his heart somewhat more at rest now, Godzilla turned back towards the cave, ready to join Mothra in her rest. Without knowing, however, Rodan looked on with sympathy and reassurance, knowing Godzilla still didn't know- or rather- didn't realise the full truth to his words prior to his promise.
"You really are the most important thing to her, you know." Rodan called out to the King, instantly getting Godzilla's attention, the calmness and certainty in his voice clearly speaking the truth within his heart, "Let those who call it 'selfishness' be damned, it's you who her heart truly feels the strongest about."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Godzilla questioned, genuinely unable to comprehend the Fire Demon's words as he turned his head around in confusion.
Idiot. Rodan, again, thought to himself. Guess he was right to believe Godzilla a fool in the first place.
"It doesn't matter." the Pterosaur Titan replied, also turning away and spreading his wings in preparation, "I'll take my leave then. Say hi to Mosura for me when she wakes up. And…" Rodan caught on his breathe, the realisation and severity of the situation just now catching up to his calm mood, "Stay safe, please."
"You too." Godzilla unexpectedly replied back, making Rodan's eyes widen as he craned his head back to the King, "And get some rest. You look awful."
Rodan, again, cracked a smile. He may have failed in his task, but at least he succeeded at something more important. "Thank you, Gojira." he said softly, before flapping his great wings and taking up towards the air.
Not wanting to keep her waiting any longer, Godzilla entered the cave before Rodan disappeared into the horizon. Slowly and carefully, the King lowered his body close to Mothra's resting form, soon bringing her softly to the side of his body, taking immense care not to disturb her peaceful state. Luckily, he was successful in his task, and gave a gentle purr of content when Mothra soon thereafter turned around in her sleep, and sank her small head into the warmth of the King's side.
But Godzilla's smile soon dropped, replaced by seriousness and intense thinking as he began to rummage his claw across her body, caressing the fur from the tip of Mothra's face, to the bottom of her steadily breathing body- grimacing when his claw came over her wing, and the visible scar strewn across it. Reminded by it, Godzilla brought his claw up to his neck, gently rubbing the scarred wound on its side and sighing to himself, wistfully. Yes, Mothra was exhausted. A great deal of it from her mental struggles of meticulously trying to figure out just what the future would entail for the world- not to mention the added stress from Gigan's attack and Battra's imminent rising. But the King knew there was more to that- quite obvious and simplistic, in fact. She had expended so much of her power this past month. First trying to heal herself after her fight with the hooked Titan, and then healing Godzilla's wounds around a week after, despite the King's insistent attempts to stop her. In the past, she wouldn't have nearly had as much trouble healing as she did now. Whenever she would use her abilities, it would be easy for her and would take mere seconds for wounds under her care to disappear as if they never existed in the first place. But despite her recent efforts, the scars on both of them still remained, and took a lot out of her.
Maybe hatching so soon wasn't for the best, after all.
But there was no point of dwelling on the past, at least she wasn't in too much pain. Clutching her tightly against him, Godzilla took note of Mothra's comforted expression, as if all the worry and trouble in the world was nothing but a dream. Seeing her warm expression so clear, the King couldn't help but harken back to Rodan's words that were all so confusing to him.
It's you who her heart truly feels the strongest about.
Her heart? It wasn't just for him- it never could be just for him. She loved everything within this world equally and greatly, even for those who she had grown distant from. It was natural to her- love and compassion just radiated off her goodness and purity. So why? Despite the King's attempts to forget it, why couldn't he move on from that memory and warm feeling he experienced with her.
When she joined with him, by placing her beak against his mouth.
It was too much. That, coupled with Rodan's words, gave Godzilla too much hope; had let his imagination and own perception of things run rampant. It was exactly why, after some time had past during Mothra's act of love towards him, he hadn't brought up the subject once she had recovered. This was enough, the King had constantly reminded himself that. She had done that unknowingly to herself- proven by her own forgetfulness of her own actions- and had only done it as to comfort him, along with her song. All they needed- all Godzilla needed- was for her to remain as content and happy as she was right now, sleeping beside him. Despite all of this, however, the King's heart tightened at the harsh reality of today- as well as what must be done for the benefit of the future. Knowing this, try as he might, Godzilla just couldn't feel the same way, and hugged her closer to him, starting to tremble slightly.
It seemed he'd have to say his goodbye's sooner than he would have liked.
"Dr Chen, Dr Ling. Are you absolutely sure about this?"
Night had just befallen onto the world. And once again, Dr Ilene Chen found herself standing within the darkened room of a Monarch base, the lights from the monitors around her and the subtle beeps of technology accompanying her. However, she wasn't as alone as before, for standing right beside her was another woman- apparently named Dr Ling- who curiously looked like a spitting image of the mythologist, and stayed quietly and respectful towards her side. Not to mention, there was also the visibly concerned as well as slightly frustrated man that began to stir up with worry and confusion that stood in front of her, the wrinkles atop his forehead making it all too clear to the women in front of him how this apparent idea they had was distasteful to him.
"Well, it has been some time since I've been out in the field," Ilene replied quite casually, ignoring the seriousness within the man's eyes and softening her own in an attempt to reassure him, "But I'm sure we all can manage."
"Yes I agree," Dr Ling finally spoke up. Much like the mythologist, her voice was smooth and had somewhat of a strong Chinese accent when she spoke. But her voice was inexplicable just noticeable and different from Ilene's for others to just tell who is speaking, "Once on the island, we'll stay a far amount of distance from Godzilla and Mothra's resting place."
"Okay, yes, and I get that." the man began once again, starting to get more worked up as his voice began to get stronger with each passing word, "But I don't see why you aren't telling us why you have to go to their island. You haven't told anyone why you're going. You haven't told most people you're going off, anyway. You're taking no one else with you. And you're not allowing us to monitor you while you're off doing God knows what!"
"Please Mark, I know how suspicious this all seems," Ilene pleaded with the man apparently-named Mark, desperate to not waste a second longer within doubts and suspicion, "But you need to trust us."
"It's not like we don't want to tell you…" Ling continued for her, taking a moment to word her response as carefully and thoughtfully as possible, then finally continuing to hearten him, "… It's just that we can't."
"Look, after everything that's happened, I do trust you." Mark admitted, taking a moment to calm himself down and iron out the worried wrinkles on his face, "But I see absolutely no reason why you must bring children along with you."
Almost accusingly, he gestured to the children that stood modestly behind both Ilene and Ling- one child clutching the legs of one adult, as they curiously but timidly peaked their heads from behind the adult's legs to see the man. Much like the two older women whom they used as shields, the children were a pair of young girls and a spitting pair of the other, but remained silent and, quite frighteningly, watchful of the situation.
Turning her head towards the child behind her, Ilene quickly rubbed the head of the young girl behind her, ensuring her she wasn't in trouble. And, in a mirror image of the act, Ling did the same for her respected child. Once finished, Ilene's face became serious once again- a change that somewhat scared Mark for how fast it had occurred- and began to think of the best way to string together the various different ways she could explain just what all this meant to them.
"Mark, I have told you about our family's connection with Titanus Mosura, haven't I?" Ilene asked after a while of silence, making sure every word was clearly heard by the man, despite her accent and soft voice.
"Yes, your family have been studying Mothra specifically for generations now." Mark answered, his riled-up face strewning into one of confusion. What good would come from physically studying Mothra, especially at this time.
Especially-especially if it meant coming so close to the King of the Monsters.
"So you must understand why it involves not just me, but Ling and the twins as well." Ilene exclaimed, her own voice become stronger and more intense, "This is… important to us. And all I want from you, is to just trust that we'll be fine."
After she finished, Ling, as well as the young twins, looked out towards the window of the Monarch base, where just on the horizon, the island where Godzilla and Mothra spent most of their days, laid still and sleeping. And the action didn't go unnoticed, as Mark, too, looked out with them, contemplating just what else he should say- or maybe- he shouldn't say. Ultimately, all he could give was a heavy sigh as he pressed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger, now accepting the two doctors weren't going to change their minds.
"You said an hour right?" Mark questioned, still squeezing his eyes shut as he pressed his nose tighter, "Just… make sure you stick to it."
"Thank you." Ilene smiled, already turning to leave, along with Ling and the twins, "Really."
But Mark's sudden hand gripped tightly against her arm, pulling her back with a sense of foreboding and importance. "Ilene. I really mean stick to it." Mark repeated seriously, whispering as if he was giving out a secret that no one else should no about, "I want you and Ling to be here when we discuss Apex's rising. I'm sure you know this, but all of Monarch suspects their rise to power and development of biological and mechanical engineering has something to do with the Kaiju Black Market."
"And if those legends you talk about really are true." Mark continued, slightly gritting his teeth at the severity of it all, as well as his disbelief of what he was about to say, "If that Mothra, who's been getting all cozy with Godzilla, is somehow in hell the very same Mothra that died a year ago, then we have a serious problem if Apex somehow finds out about this."
"There's no way in hell this doesn't spell out bad news. For all of us."
"Of course." Ilene whispered back, nodding her head in agreement, making Mark release his hold on the doctor and her to begin walking away, "I'll make sure not to be late."
Satisfied, Mark's arms eventually relaxed and slumped back down to his sides as he watched the family of sisters make their way down the dimly lit corridor. Unbeknownst to her father, however, at the end of the corridor waited the young girl with curled-up, brown hair and hands shoved into her coat-pockets, all with a nervous expression but standing absent-mindedly as she looked out the window towards the island. Noticing the girl the moment they entered the next room, Ilene focused all her attention on her.
"Ling, take the twins to the transport area, I'll meet you in a moment." Ilene remarked, gesturing to the other doctor to go where she needed to be, yet still remained focused on the young girl.
"Of course sister, but do hurry. We don't have much time." Ling warned, taking the small hands of both of the children and hurriedly walking towards the transport vehicle that would automatically take them to the island, "Lora, Moll. Come with me."
"Yes, big sister." the twins answered, scarily in-sync with a frightening amount of softness as they tried their best to keep up with their big sister.
After they disappeared further into the room, Ilene slowly walked up to the girl, confused as to why she was here, but more concerned about that unnerving expression she wore on her face. "Madison?" the mythologist called out the young girls name softly, as to not startle her, "Are you alright. Did you come to say goodbye?"
"D-Dr Chen!" Madison blurted out, startled anyway despite the doctor's intent. In an instant, Madison brushed the hair out of her eyes and straightened her body, clear to the mythologist that the young girl had come specifically prepared to talk with her, "Well, I-I did. But, not just that."
"Madison, you look worried." Ilene remarked, squatting down to be at eye level with the girl, offering up a small smile to ease her mind, "I know there's something on your mind. Please, tell me."
Taking in a shaky breathe, and flexing her fingers in a rhythmic manner, Madison's face became as serious and demanding as it could ever be to the doctor, making Ilene a great deal of surprised as well as alarmed. With the look the young girl was giving her, it seemed Madison wanted from her the full truth- something Ilene wasn't ready to give the girl just yet.
"Something bad's gonna happen soon, isn't it?"
Ilene's eyes widened at the young girls statement as her heart skipped a beat. Soon collecting herself, this momentary shock became fleeting as she, again, offered up a smile that would usually melt away the doubts or fears a child would have. Like a mother dismaying the notion of monsters and ghosts to her child.
"What makes you say that?" Ilene asked, seeing how relieved Madison was that she was able to talk to someone about this.
"Well, Monarch's been buzzin' about for a while now. And you're going off on a secret mission. And…" Madison answered, with just as much seriousness. But stopped herself quite abruptly, much to the confusion and concern of the doctor.
"Promise you won't think me crazy?" Madison pleaded, going back to her usual self as she gingerly rubbed the back of her head.
"I promise." the doctor nodded truthfully. After all, with the world they lived in; with what she truly was, nothing really seemed 'crazy' to her, anymore.
"It's not just about that rival company making trouble for Monarch and all Titan life." Madison breathed out, biting the inside of her cheek as her eyes darted around the room, trying to explain what she wanted to as best as she could- but finding no decent solution, "I-I can't really explain it, it's like a sort of feeling. Like something in my mind isn't telling me something bad's gonna happen, more like it's making me know and feel something bad's gonna happen."
"Suddenly, it's like I have a sixth sense now." Madison stated, looking at the mythologist dead in the eye, her own eyes clearly displaying truthfulness and no over-exaggeration to the woman listening intently in front of her, "A sense that the world is changing; a sense that makes me know something- someone- is gonna cause some trouble."
"Like this peace isn't gonna last; like we're in for another round of chaos, or somethin'."
Ilene's whole body- down to her breathing and beating heart- began to shake and tremble at Madison's words. It couldn't be, could it? There was no way on earth she was talking about… it just wasn't possible. It seems, not just for the mighty Titans, but the humans as well were now realising the changing world and what was becoming of it. Now all that was left, was to answer what this change means.
"You…You're absolutely sure you sense this?" Ilene spoke slowly, getting Madison's instant attention and surprise the doctor hadn't walked away thinking she had lost her mind. But with that expression Ilene wore, a part of Madison wished the doctor had ended up walking away anyway, "Like someone isn't telling you this, but rather, the emotion courses through you entire body?"
"Like you're feeling the way someone else is feeling, at this very instance?" the doctor continued on, desperately trying to confirm her suspicions through any and every type of possible explanation she could think of.
"Y-Yes." Madison stuttered in shock, in awe at how Ilene had somehow managed to hit the nail right on the head, despite Madison herself having doubts of her own mind. But the realisation hit her, and she looked up towards Ilene, who had already stood right back up, now more in a hurry and more serious than before, "…How-"
"We'll talk later when I come back, I promise you." Ilene interrupted, giving Madison a last, warm look of comfort before she had to leave, "For now, don't worry about such a thing."
Hastily turning around, Ilene began to follow where the rest of her sisters had gone off to, now adding Madison to the list of things she had to solve before she had a chance to rest. "Please, Ilene. Stay safe." Madison worryingly called out as she watched the mythologist slowly wade deeper into the room, clutching her chest in anxiousness.
Ilene turned back around, waving her hand high as she smiled back at Madison. "I promise." she said, before returning on her path and disappearing into the room's darkness, leaving Madison alone with the ominous lights of the dimly-lit Monarch base.
Hope you caught that shobijin reference! And what's up with Madison?
Who doesn't love some foreshadowing and build up?
This was supposed to be the last chapter of the book (obviously with more content in the chapter), but I was able to split apart the chapter to its own separate things. So next chapter will be the last chapter, then an epilogue chapter, then possibly a spin-off, one-shot book to add more context to the Kaiju character's we all love, THEN (hopefully) the main series!
Hope you enjoyed. I had a massive smile on my face when writing this, because all I could think about was 'Oh yeah, it's all coming together.'
(Side note: I was listening to the Demon Slayer OST, and the track 'Nezuko's theme', I think, works better for Mothra's song. I think I said 'Home' because I was listening to the Undertale 5th anniversary concert when I was writing that chapter).
Anyway, hope you enjoyed!
