Chapter. 21

A few hours after the Gods Eaters returned to the den Lance gave his report to Paylor, soon after it Leo returned to the den to speak with the director while Raven and Nifa when to the lobby where the other Gods Eaters waited.

The lift doors opened and Lance stepped out to rejoin the other. "Lan hi. I'm glad you're here."

"Hey Aly." Lance took a seat next to Alisa. "Leo and Paylor are going over a plan right now, hope it works."

Silence hung over the Gods Eaters, each with their own thought to sift through. Kota looked around the other and spoke up. "Poor Shio. I keep hearing her voice, that memory. She just wanted to stay with us a little longer. I'd imagine there are a lot of things she wanted to do. She was only able to be human for so long... It's not fair."

Lance glanced to Alisa and reached over to hold her hand. "What's on your mind love?"

"So many little fragments of her memories. Her life and her choices and her hopes... She was so small... So fragile... and still had to make such a choice. She balanced the weight of the world."

Torri looked down at her hands with a grim face. "Will the same happen to me?" Lance patted the singularity's hand, she lifted her head to see her father smiling as he shook his head. "Thank you father."

"That small fragile girl saved us. She saved the world." Kota let out a long sigh. "The moon was the only place she could go."

"They fight..." Soma's words drew the groups attention. "Shio fought for us. And my parents... they fought for a better world. Always hoping we could have a brighter future. And I." Soma shook his head. "I won't let those fights end in vain."

"Soma..." Raven placed her hand on Soma's back.

Soma lifted his head and looked to Lance. "The nova wants to destroy us, wants to end our future. I can't face this fight alone. I need your help." Soma hung his head to bow. "Please."

"Soma." Lance smiled warmly. "You never needed to ask."

Kota throw his arm over Soma's shoulders and pulled him close. "Come on dude, of course we'll help!"

Alisa huffed with frustration. "I can't believe you! You really thought you were alone in this huh? Like you're the only one who feels that way."

Vale held a thumbs up. "Of course you need help, why else would we be here?"

"Vale!"

"Well it is true sis!" Torri just sighed.

"Thank you." Soma felt at eased to know he wasn't alone.

Kota let go of Soma to give him space. "All right! Now that's decided."

Alisa nods with a smile. "Now we just need a viable strategy. We've already seen the nova won't go down without a fight."

"And either are we!" Said Lance.

"Hey, hey! I'm liking all those teamwork sounds I'm hearin." Everyone spun around to see Lindow come up the stairs with Sakuya, Leo and Licca.

"We tracked down the nova. And got some new intel that just might end is fight. Hope everyone's ready for a briefing." Said Sakuya as she takes a seat with Lindow and Licca.

Lindow starts to speak. "The nova 's holed up in the mountains. Dormant for the moment. It's in what the scientists call the pupa stage. which means it's gonna transform into something big and nasty." Lindow stopped to gauge the shock on everyone's face's. "Now, I know you all like big, nasty, near-invincible monsters."

"I don't!" Lance raised his hand. "I almost died the last time I fought one, and died fighting the one before that."

Lindow grinned at Lance. "Well then that means you're getting better. Still, don't worry. Licca stumbled upon some good news."

"I didn't exactly stumble on it." Licca answered in a huff. "Point is, our god arcs can't counter the nova's massive hodgepodge of bias factors. But I think, note on think, we've found a way to fear down its defenses. Temporarily, a little bit."

Leo then interjects. "It was when I saw Kota show the nova and damage its body. Then when I shot at it the nova evaded it. Kota you have my thanks."

"I did what?" Kota was a bit confused.

Leo glanced to Licca to continue her explanation. "In the moments after an aragami absorbs a new core, its bias factors converge." Licca notices that Kota and Vale don't understand what she was saying." Um, trends, towards a certain pattern. In the case of the nova, its tons and tons of factors will be reduced to a few basic ones that we can analyze. And break!"

"And the more powerful the core. The longer the nova's defenses will be down. Then." Leo took a pencil off the table and snapped it in half. "We'll kill that abomination."

"So all we have to do is get some prime bait, the best cores we can dig up. When the nova devours, it'll crash its defenses. Hard! Licca happily pumps her fist.

"See, no trouble at all." Lindow waves his hand. "After it emerges, the nova will still be weak for a brief time. We blast the core into it, then before it reacts." Lindow's expression grew serious. "Once it starts absorbing, its defense will crash and realign. All we gotta do is focus on cutting that beast down."

The lift doors opened again and Paylor came out. "You should have... almost an hour to slay the beast, before it fully takes in the new factors."

"What'cha you got doc?" Asked Lance.

"Allow me to stress the point. You are granting the nova a strong core. If it survives, the sword of damocles comes crashing down."

"What now?" Asked vale.

"It's an old story about the allusion to the imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power." Answered Lance.

It is a sounds strategy, but this will be our one and only opportunity." Paylor continued. "If the nova is allowed to pupate and emerge, full-grown and stronger than ever, we never defeat it. Alea iacta est."

Leo nods. "The die is cast indeed."

"I'll combine the dreadnought cores we've collected to form the bait. It should be impressive. Very impressive indeed." Paylor smiles to all the Gods Eaters. "Well, please feel free to discuss the operation specifics amongst yourselves." Paylor walks to the lift then stops. "Oh, just one more thing. We've estimated when the nova will reemerge. Strange, it should appear just when the moon reaches its perigee... The closest its been in eighteen years." Paylor turns back to the Gods Eaters. "Now... Isn't that intriguing."

Lance leans forward and holds his hands together. "It'll reappear when the moon is at its closest. The nova will be at the peak of its power when the moon, no, its main body is close." Lance stands up and went to the lift. "Right, we still have time. Let's get everyone in the den on finding dreadnought cores. The more we have the more time we'll get to kill it."

"And what will you do?" Asked Lindow.

Lance glanced to his girlfriend and future kids. "I've, we're got some family matters to handle."

! #$%^&*()_+}"?:?{

Please review, it keeps us writers going. till next time CG out. PEACE!