Chapter-59
Perseus
Island of the Graeae, the Black Sea, off the coast of Russia:
"Huh…" Perseus muttered as he sat up, blinking.
"I…recognize this place." He muttered as he sat up.
The grey mist, the dying grass…
"The Island of the Graeae." Perseus spoke, recognizing the first place he'd visited outside of Seriphos.
He could remember seeing Russian Water Spirits, Rusalka, he believed they were called, on the way as Hermes brought him to this island in the Hyrcanian Ocean. He could remember the desolate landscape when he landed. And of course, he could remember the three Phorcides who dwelled on the island, Pemphredo, Enyo and Deino.
Am I…dreaming? Perseus thought as he walked through the island, Harpe in his hand.
It had to be a dream. Perseus could remember himself sitting on the couch in one of Tezcatlipoca's hotel rooms, thinking of his assignment for the next day. He must have fallen asleep then and there.
But the Graeae…It's been some time since I saw this place again. Perseus thought.
Back then, he was still just a nervous little boy who had been regretting making that demand to Polydectes before Athena eased up his confidence and reignited his earlier ego, spurring him to travel with Hermes to the island up to the north in the land that would later be known as Russia.
A foreign land with its own gods and phantasmals, where only the Island of the Graeae was my safe haven. Anywhere else, I would have gotten into trouble. Perseus thought as he walked through the island.
The island itself looked just as he remembered. The colours were mostly a dull grey, there was a lack of organisms and a faint mist floated about in the area.
Even though it felt like a lifetime ago when he'd visited the Island, Perseus could still remember the path he'd taken to meet the Graeae.
As Perseus walked forward, he soon stumbled upon the same lake where he'd met the Graeae, and as expected, there they were.
They were just like he remembered. Old women with grey, wrinkled faces and white foam-like hair flowing down their head, while the rest of their bodies were like that of swans, with only humanoid arms jutting out from underneath their wings.
From what I remember, Lady Athena said they were one of the many spirits who were displaced by Lord Poseidon's assumption of authority over the seas. Perseus thought as he watched Enyo pass her eye and tooth to Deino.
Suddenly, Pemphredo's face turned towards him and gave a crooked smile.
"The thief is here…sisters." She spoke as the other two snapped to look at him.
Huh?! How did Pemphredo see me? She doesn't have her eye?! Perseus thought, before remembering this was a dream.
Perhaps I'm imagining them seeing me. He thought.
"How long it's been since you visited our island, thief." Deino spoke, giving an eerie laugh.
"I did not steal your eye and tooth. I gave it back."
"Only when we decided to give you the information you seek. After that, you tossed us away like we were garbage."
Perseus bristled.
"But ah, what do we expect? We are garbage after all. What you did to us is inconsequential considering how terrible our lives have been." Enyo spoke.
Perseus' eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Well, thief. We owe our existence to the Fuel storage Transportation-class ship: PONTUS. Once OURANOS sent down his terminals, the Titan ships, down to the planet, the other ships constructed by CHAOS, also tried sending their own terminals. PONTUS sent down PHORCYS and KETO, and from PHORCYS' body, we were cast out as sentient garbage."
"..."
"For thousands of years, we have remained stranded on this island, unable to venture out in fear of the foreign gods of the land nearby taking notice. Perhaps we shouldn't be so angry at what you did. After all, one brat stealing our eye and tooth is really nothing compared to being rejected and thrown away by our creators and exiled to an island in a foreign land."
"...Think what you will. My deeds are now in the distant past. What you think does not matter to me."
Pemphredo cackled. "Really? And you think your current situation isn't different from ours?"
Perseus glared. "Stop it. You should not be knowing that."
"But we do. We see what you are doing right now…and we see what is going to happen to you."
"Yes, yes," Deino spoke with a chuckle, "You are going to end up like us. Thrown away like garbage. Ooh hoo hoo, I can't wait to see it!"
Hm, phantoms of a dream. What am I even doing, spending my time trying to entertain some long gone ghosts when I could be working towards my next objective. Perseus thought, resolving to simply walk away and try to wake up.
Perseus closed his eyes, and turned to leave, only to see corpses suddenly lying on the ground.
"Are you happy with what you've done, Perseus?" A familiar voice spoke as Perseus took sharp intake, turning back to see a familiar armored woman standing before him.
"L-Lady Athena?"
Perseus' mouth nearly fell open, as Athena stood before him, clad in the same metallic steel armor he'd remembered, with Aegis held in her left hand, and her spear in her right, all with the same metallic steel colour and with glowing orange lights that reminded him of that Odysseus' armor.
But Athena did not have the calm, serene smile when he'd met her on this island. There was simply an empty, emotionless scowl.
I've never seen her like this. Perseus thought.
"All those gifts that we gave you…all of them used for such a pointless cause."
Perseus flinched, surprised to hear such words coming from the goddess who'd been nothing but helpful to him throughout his life.
"Pointless? What I'm doing is trying to ensure this world doesn't fall into a future of soulless beasts and become a lifeless wasteland. Sure you can see how hopeless it is for the humanity of this world?" He spoke, internally chastising himself.
Why am I trying to convince her? I'm dreaming. Why am I trying to convince someone who may not be even actually here? Perseus thought.
Yet, for some reason, he found himself trying to justify working under Salem and The Will. The words came out of his mouth, as Perseus, despite knowing he was in a dream, felt a sense of guilt wash over him as he tried to justify his cause.
"Oh? And so you wish to take whatever they have left to give them hope?"
"That's…That's not what I'm doing!" Perseus protested, trying not to look at the bodies of the people around them.
"Is that what you think? Perhaps you shouldn't be looking at me, but at them." Athena spoke as she suddenly disappeared, and Perseus noticed the corpses staring at him.
"You killed us for our future."
"You took our lives to give a future to others."
"Why do we get to die for your stupid ideas?"
Perseus' eyes widened as suddenly the corpses started taking familiar shapes, before one of them rose up.
"A-Andromeda…?" He spoke as Andromeda smiled sweetly.
"Congratulations milord, you have squashed another enemy for your victory. Stamped over them to ensure we can enjoy the glory of our victory." She spoke as Perseus stepped back.
"I-I didn't win. Vale still stands!" Perseus replied frantically.
"It doesn't matter, my husband. It only delays the inevitable. You have never failed at destroying your enemies for the greater good, and I am sure you will triumph in this battle as well."
Andromeda spoke with the same smile that had greeted Perseus every morning after their marriage, yet Perseus could feel nothing but terror at that smile.
"You killed us for our future."
"You took our lives to give a future to others."
"Why do we get to die for your stupid ideas?"
"I-I am dreaming…" Perseus tried to assure himself as Andromeda pouted.
"My husband…"
"This isn't real…" He spoke, turning back, trying to ignore the chant of voices assaulting his head.
"...Please don't be so upset." Andromeda spoke.
"I didn't win!" Perseus snapped back as Andromeda disappeared…
"My son."
Perseus' heart nearly jumped out of his mouth.
No…don't tell me… He thought as he turned around, praying it wasn't who he thought it was…
Only to see the soft smiling face of Danaë, wearing her simple dress that Perseus had grown used to seeing in his childhood.
"No…"
"You've grown so much…become a great hero for my sake." Danaë spoke walking towards him, as Perseus stood stock still.
"M-Mother…"
Perseus remembered the promise he made to Polydectes. The promise of bringing him the valuable gift through his own hard work.
The promise he'd made because of his mother.
The promise he'd broken beyond repair without realizing it.
Danaë caressed her son's cheek.
"I am so proud of what you have become."
"NOOOO!" Perseus screamed, jolting awake, finding himself sitting on the sofa in his room, breathing heavily as.
"Sweet dreams?" A voice spoke.
"What the…?" Perseus spoke as he noticed someone in a black trench coat and a hat sitting with a cane, with their entire head distorted sitting in front of him on a chair.
Is something wrong with my eyes? Perseus thought squinting, but the figure's facial features did not clear up.
He must be using some magecraft to hide his face. Perseus thought. But who was this? How did they get past Avicebron's bounded fields?
"Who are you?" Perseus questioned. "How did you get in here?"
"Through the door." The figure replied with a drawl as he pointed to Perseus' open door.
"No, I mean…how did you even get inside this hotel?" Perseus asked as the figure shrugged.
"I walked in. What else?"
Huh? Perseus thought in confusion.
"That's not possible. You should have tripped up the alarms. How did you not…"
The figure's distortion partially lifted to reveal a dark smile on their mouth.
"..."
Grr…He's clearly not going to answer my question. Perseus thought.
"Well, if there is no answer, then…" He spoke, getting up and raising Harpe, but found himself stuck.
"Huh? What the…" Perseus muttered trying to get up, but to no effect.
"Tsk, Tsk. Really, Perseus. I am not stupid as to allow you to come over and stick that sword into my brain. Right now, you're taking even a single step towards me." The man spoke, chuckling.
"Who are you?!"
"An observer."
"That doesn't explain anything."
"Which is the point, of course." The man drawled with a smirk, as Perseus found himself bristling.
There's something about this man's voice that irritates me. Perseus thought. Maybe it was condecision…no, what he could hear was clear petty amusement, as if the man had no problem giving a straight answer but was not doing so because it was funny.
"I know what you're thinking…Oh, this insufferable mysterious man is getting on my nerves by being a prick. Well…hehehe…Being an insufferable prick is my job description. Can't help being one."
The man then got up from his chair and walked over to Perseus, inspecting him.
"But anyways, you are the slayer of Gorgon? Yes. you definitely have the wits for that. I can totally imagine someone like you tricking Gorgon into revealing her head and slicing it off with your blade.
"What are you doing here?" Perseus demanded as the man shrugged.
"Remember what I said before. I am an observer. I am here to observe, nothing beyond that."
Perseus furrowed his eyebrows. "Just to observe? Forgive me, but I do not see the logic behind that."
The man let out an explosive sigh. "You do not see the 'logic' behind it? Tell me, Perseus dear, do you see the logic behind nations trying to drag each other down in a world where their existence is constantly threatened by creatures that exist to kill humans?"
"..." Perseus pursed his lips.
Well, he does have a point. Perseus thought.
"Really, Perseus. Assuming every action has some logical motive behind it is mere short-sightedness of the chaotic mess that is our everyday lives. I am here to observe, that is all to it."
"As for what I am here to observe…well, I'll not spit it out. Instead, let's play a little game of three questions."
"Three questions? Really?" Perseus spoke.
"Don't think of screaming. No one will come."
He must have placed a bounded field in my room. Although, Prometheus' mystic code doesn't seem to detect anything in particular. Perseus thought.
He couldn't move. He couldn't scream. And he highly doubted he could mentally communicate with the others.
Just how did this man manage to get such control over the conversation? Perseus thought.
But he had no option but to play along. The man didn't seem to have any hostile intentions towards him, so he was safe.
"Fine."
"Good, but don't expect me to give a straight answer after that."
Perseus scoffed. "Why? Why can't you give a straight answer?"
"Why should I give a straight answer? It's not like I am having problems beating around the bush…"
"Now, let's take a situation. You are a busy man, breaking your back with work day and night until one day you see that you don't have work to do at the moment. Now you are bored out of your mind and wishing something exciting came your way. Now, say, you hear a drama is going to take place in your neighborhood, which would be showing a story, where you see a bunch of fools doing things under goals that seem so ridiculous you can't help but laugh, sit back and relax with some food and refreshments…"
"Would you come over to watch the actors play out the part of the poor pathetic fools operating under ridiculous logic? Or would you choose to sit it out, not do anything until your accursed work comes knocking at your door again?"
"..."
"Exactly. Again, I won't tell you what this 'comedy' I'm talking about. It's easy to figure out if you look at it logically and comically, but emotionally and seriously, very difficult."
Perseus gulped.
"Now for my next question. This one will be a bit more difficult to answer…"
"A poor man is walking by a pond. He spots an Otter lying there, on the verge of starving to death. The only way to feed that poor Otter is by catching the one lone fish swimming in the pond. Now tell me: Does the man catch the fish and feed it to the Otter, or does he let the Otter die and let the fish live?"
"..." Perseus grimaced.
"Take that one as rhetoric, since it obviously doesn't have an objective answer."
"And now, the final question, I'll spare you the analogies this time…"
"Who is responsible for your nightmares?"
"Huh?" Perseus looked at the man.
What kind of question is that? He thought before his eyes widened.
"No, no. Don't think it's me. While I do admit I did set up the stage, all the gruesome parts later are not my fault. They are someone else's."
Perseus frowned at him.
"For this question, you may tell me the answer later. Unlike the other ones, you can spend time thinking about it."
Who is responsible for my nightmares, huh? Perseus thought.
"Of course, you will spend that time throughout the day, because I must be on my way now." The man spoke, getting up.
"Of course, in compensation for my questions, I'll say one last thing…"
"...A person's true duty is their morals, their understanding of what is right and trying to uphold it. Anything else is simply someone else's duty imposed upon them. It is something many people often fail to realize today."
Perseus furrowed his eyebrows.
"Now, Bye, bye, Perseus. I look forward to more visits like this." He spoke with a grin as Perseus looked up.
"You won't stop me from telling Tezcatlipoca?"
The man laughed. "Oh, no! You can absolutely go tell him all about this. He'll certainly know who I am, and he'll just tell you not to pay heed to me."
"So you know him."
"I do. If you want to know further, you can go ask him. Now, I must go…"
"Wait!" Perseus spoke as the man looked at him.
"Yes?"
"My nightmares…are they…?"
The man hummed. "Well…keep that thought to yourself. It's not exactly what you're thinking. Toodles."
"..."
"And oh, Percy!"
Perseus looked at the man.
"One last thing. Stick your blade through my chest."
Perseus suddenly found his body moving again.
Stick Harpe through his chest? Now that's sketchy. Perseus thought, but seeing as the man had no intention of keeping him binded, he thrust harpe at the man's chest…
…Only for it to go straight through him.
Perseus' eyes widened.
"I know you were considering how to get out of this situation you'd found yourself in. Maybe try to call out to your comrades to come help while we were together. But the thing is…you've been making one massive mistake, which is understandable."
"What?"
The man leaned closer, his distortion covering his smile now. "You're still not awake."
"Wha…"
"Gah!" Perseus exclaimed as he woke up again on his couch.
Perseus touched the couch beside him.
"This is still real, right, I'm still awake, aren't I?" Perseus muttered.
Having a dream within a dream certainly was odd, and as Perseus could see, it also was making him question reality around him.
I wonder who that was. He did say he knew Tezcatlipoca. I'll ask him about it later. Perseus thought before his mind went to the three questions.
The first question was clearly the man declaring that he thought whatever was going on in Vacuo was a tragedy. Now, Perseus was not sure whether it was Vacuo's government running a failing state, or the Crown for trying to challenge it, although he was leaning more towards the former option. So he could definitely say the man was from the other three kingdoms.
The second question was a clear rhetoric on morality, so Perseus didn't really see any point to giving an objective answer to it.
As for the third…
That was a bit personal. Perseus thought.
How the man knew his nightmares probably wasn't much of a mystery. But their cause?
"..."
Perseus shook his head. If the answer was what he thought it was, then he will not think of such things again.
It'll only distract me from my cause. Perseus thought.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...But is that really a bad thing?" He muttered before hearing a knock on his door.
"Yes?" Perseus spoke as the door opened to reveal EMIYA standing there.
"Good morning, Perseus. Lord Tezcatlipoca wants to see you." EMIYA spoke as Perseus got up.
"Good morning to you as well." Perseus spoke, before walking out to accompany EMIYA through the hallways..
"You look like you're contemplating something." EMIYA noted as the two of them walked.
Perseus nodded.
The assassin beside him was a curious individual, who was transferred to Vacuo from the God of Atlas' circle. Apparently, he had himself requested the transfer, although his reasons for that were unknown.
Ever since then, he's been running recon missions for Tezcatlipoca, and after Perseus himself joined, the two of them have been working together for recon.
Although, EMIYA doesn't seem to like working with someone. Perseus thought. At first, EMIYA would just tell him to split up their tasks so that he could do his alone, before the two of them agreed towards minimum cooperation somewhere.
Although, EMIYA does seem keen to bicker with me all the time. Perseus thought. It was almost hilarious how they managed to work as a team after arguing with each other the entire way.
"Have the grimm been able to track the archer from yesterday? The one who Ozpin's servants helped escape Vacuo?"
"The Lesser Kamaks sighted him back with his usual patrolling movements with the desert tribes to the north."
"He managed to traverse such a distance undetected?"
"Tezcatlipoca is certain the archer has someone else helping them. I believe it may also be related to the recent disturbances in the north."
"The…Spirits of Kurush and Daryavaush?"
"Yes."
There had been rumors going on that a large congregation of tribes had gathered under two people who may be the incarnation of Vacuo's oldest heroes, Kurush and Daryavaush. Superstitions, of course, but I'm sure they are merely powerful servants. According to the rumors, these servants are currently locked in a rivalry with each other, with some desert tribes under their command. Of course, Tezcatlipoca would tackle them once Vacuo was under control.
"Well, I wanted to ask something."
EMIYA looked back, his head covered by a red hood and his face covered by grey bandages.
"What is it?"
"Do you know this archer?"
"I do."
"I see. Because you're really passionate about catching…"
"Putting in extra effort doesn't mean I'm passionate about this affair." EMIYA cut him off.
"...True. Apologies." Perseus spoke as he and EMIYA passed by the room The Hound was in.
"Grrr…" The servants could hear the low growl coming from that room.
"I once saw this world as not much of an issue for us servants with regards to enemies, that the grimm wouldn't be as problematic as the demonic beasts of our world."
"But this creature has clearly demonstrated that even at our full power we should be cautious around the grimm."
Perseus shuddered. "I didn't think I'd see the day I'd watch one of these creatures killing a servant."
"The Hound is smart. Us servants may be faster than it, but we are still human. And it's clear from Salem that The Hound has been fed years of experience in hunting humans. Not to mention its magical output surpasses that of Fairies, and it is nigh immune to modern magecraft while its own energy pulses can obliterate a servant's spirit origin if they get caught in them."
"Hm, I believe The Hound is the reason Prometheus tried to study Ruby Rose, because he says her own silver energy pulse has a striking resemblance to that of The Hound's." Perseus spoke.
EMIYA looked back. "Salem only said The Hound is extremely adept at hunting Silver-eyed warriors. In all honesty, I am content with letting The Hound kill Ruby. It specializes in killing her kind, so there should be less hassle having the two confront each other."
Although I wish it wouldn't come to that. Perseus thought.
The two soon reached Tezcatlipoca's 'office' of sorts.
"Well, let's see what Tezcatlipoca has to say today." EMIYA spoke.
They opened the door to see Tezcatlipcoa with Avicebron.
"The convoy's been compromised." Avicebron spoke as Tezcatlipoca hummed.
"Compromised? Some morons hijacked my goods?" Tezcatlipoca asked.
"Well, it was actually a band of huntsmen who might have been sent by Shade Academy. I suspect someone tipped off Theodore about one of our convoys."
"Really? Well, that means someone's been ratting out on us? The golems are secure, I hope?"
"I cut off the energy supply. Right now they are a bunch of dust crystals, but it will not completely mitigate the issue."
Tezcatlipoca sighed. "Damn it. I hate corporate moles." He spoke before noticing Perseus and EMIYA.
"Ah, Percy and Emiya! Just the men I had in mind!"
Avicebron regarded them silently as the two entered.
"Avicebron, they'll sort out this issue!" Tezcatlipoca spoke as Perseus frowned.
"I assume it relates to the convoy case?" He spoke as Tezcatlipoca nodded.
"Exactly. It's a simple thing, really. Avicebron's golems were almost hijacked by huntsmen because of a mole in our network. And I want you to tie up loose ends."
"So, extermination?" EMIYA asked as Tezcatlipoca nodded.
"Yep. Find out, and eliminate the mole."
"Just the two of them?" Avicebron asked with a skeptical tone as Tezcatlipoca shook his head.
"Lay off the pessimism, Avicebron. This is really easy even for the weakest link in our chain. You should have a better outlook of life. Anyways, do you have any idea who it might be?"
Avicebron looked back at Tezcatlipoca silently before nodding.
"One of the huntsmen who were supposed to protect the convoy at the warehouses disappeared mysteriously."
"Ah, that bastard. Hm, I was hoping he would stay with us a bit longer." Tezcatlipoca spoke before quickly writing down an address on a piece of paper.
"Go…and make it quick." Tezcatlipoca spoke as EMIYA took the note and nodded.
"Understood." EMIYA spoke, showing the note to Perseus.
"Huh, simple enough." Perseus spoke.
"We'll get it done." EMIYA spoke.
"Good, off you go, then." Tezcatlipoca spoke with a smile as Perseus and EMIYA left the room.
"Oh, one more thing!" Tezcatlipoca spoke. "Today we're shipping out some of our shipments to my Jungle! Make sure there's no problems while the convoy's leaving Vacuo! Tell our Roman friend to keep watch."
"Yes, sir." Perseus replied.
After that, they spent the entire day checking on the convoys that left for the Jungle from Vacuo. They kept an eye out for any hostiles, while Perseus talked with some of his allied servants.
During that time, Perseus pondered upon the man's last question.
Why was he having nightmares?
Of course, Perseus could tell it was all his guilt taking over, conjuring up those images in his mind to torment him. He felt the reason had to be
As the evening approached, they had only one job remaining.
"The mole." Perseus muttered as he and EMIYA headed towards the house where the target lived in the darkness of the night. Perseus was walking with his helmet on.
"As of now, we'll be…!" EMIYA immediately dived into an alleyway as Perseus nearly spluttered when Sigurd of all people turned up.
The servant was all alone, walking on the street beside them, but he held daggers in both of his hands. His mask continued scanning the streets as passer-bys moved out of the way in fear of Sigurd's towering self walking past them.
He must be on a patrol. Perseus thought. Sigurd did pretty much the same thing in Vale with Tristan and Cú Chulainn, and he was clearly doing the same thing.
They could try and ambush him, but…that wasn't really their mission. And trying to take on Sigurd, who was much stronger than the both of them, without any proper planning would end with their deaths.
"I hope you're not thinking of ambushing him?" EMIYA asked as Perseus nodded.
"What do you think I am, an idiot? Of course not."
"..."
"There's no harm in some friendly talk, you know?" Perseus spoke disapprovingly.
"And there's no harm in not doing that. Besides, don't behave like you're my grandmother or something." EMIYA shot back as Perseus grunted.
Gods, does this guy not like being a little bit light-hearted. He thought.
"Are you complaining about me being serious, after the reports of the way YOU operated in Vale?"
"Tch. Touché, Assassin." Perseus spoke, as he watched Sigurd walk off.
We'll deal with him later on in Bāhram, right now, we have a weaker target to kill. Perseus thought as he and EMIYA emerged out of the alleyway, keeping an eye out in case Sigurd decided to come back.
"Come on. Onward." He spoke as he and EMIYA continued towards the house. Soon, they arrived upon a regular two-storeyed house typical of Vacuo, with its lights on inside.
"That should indicate our target is inside." Perseus noted.
"Or it could mean he is out and his family is inside."
"Well, we'll find out once we check the house." Perseus spoke as he and EMIYA walked up to the door.
"You know the drill." He spoke. "I'll come in first, you take up behind me." Perseus spoke before the two of them entered in their spirit forms.
Inside the house, Perseus and EMIYA noticed the ground floor was empty. EMIYA quickly crouched down and put down a bounded field to ensure no one could hear a struggle inside the house.
"Hm, then they must be upstairs, in that case…" Perseus spoke before they heard a baby crying, and a woman's voice and a man's as well.
Perseus and EMIYA both recognized the voice as that of their target.
"Quick." EMIYA spoke as he and Perseus moved up the staircase and into the first floor, where they noticed their target standing outside the door of a room with the woman comforting the baby.
Perseus retreated back to the staircase and came out of spirit form.
1…2…3! Perseus thought dashing up and towards the huntsman.
The huntsman, instead of a panicked expression, scowled.
"There you are!" He exclaimed, raising a rifle that shot bullets at Perseus.
! He must have sensed our spirit cores through his aura. Perseus thought, crouching low to dodge the bullets before EMIYA came out as well, raised his Calico and shot at the huntsman, whose eyes widened as his rifle shifted into a spear to deflect the bullets…
…Leaving him open to Perseus who drove Harpe into his chest, Harpe's blade cutting through his aura and impaling him in the heart.
"Guh!" The huntsman spat out blood as his wife screamed from inside the room.
The huntsman slid down, dead, as his wife stared at her husband with horror while the baby continued crying.
The wife tried to shut the door, but Perseus kicked the door open and sent the woman stumbling back.
"N-No, please! Please don't kill me!" The woman pleaded as Perseus sighed.
Their target was only the huntsman. Killing anyone else shouldn't be necessary, but they couldn't take any chances in case the huntsman passed any sensitive information to the wife.
So, there was only one option.
"Perseus." EMIYA's cold voice came up from behind him as Perseus sighed.
"I'm sorry…" He muttered before stepping aside. The woman only had fear in her expression before a bullet sunk into her forehead, and she fell to the ground, dead.
EMIYA lowered his Calico and stepped into the room.
Perseus then noticed the newborn infant in the cot, having gone silent.
And we made a child an orphan. Perseus thought bitterly.
EMIYA walked in and stared at the child as Perseus scowled.
"Don't even think about it." He growled.
EMIYA looked back. "Sentiments?"
"Primarily, yes. But I know you're not a man of emotion or sentiment. So, I'll explain it in your language. What is the point of murdering a newborn infant who has absolutely no clue of the world around them? What possible way could they even learn information from their father, let alone pass them on?"
"..."
"Surely you're not going to stoop to the level of Tyrian Callows or Neopolitan and mindlessly slaughter without logic or reason?"
That should make him stop. Perseus thought. EMIYA may not be much of an emotional person, but he held himself to standards as a professional assassin. He treated killing as a professional job that should be devoid of emotion, which is why he despises those who take pleasure from the act like Tyrian.
"You're right. Let's go." EMIYA spoke.
Perseus looked back at the infant.
"..."
"Perseus?"
"...My true duty is my morals." Perseus muttered, remembering the man's words to him in his dream.
Perseus closed his eyes before he silently walked up to the infant and gently picked up the baby.
"Perseus, you cannot be serious…"
"Let's go." he said, as EMIYA shook his head.
"We can't possibly move out into the street like this."
"We'll take the roofs, in that case." Perseus spoke as the two of them went to the roofs and began traversing them.
"Perseus…"
"Away from this area, first." Perseus spoke as the two of them continued on.
As soon as they were far enough, Perseus stopped.
"Perseus, what are you doing?" EMIYA spoke.
"..."
"You stopped me from harming the infant under a logical argument, although you agreed your reasons were sentimental. But you're being a lot more emotional about this infant than usual."
"..."
"Is there any reason for this odd action?"
Perseus pursed his lips.
"EMIYA, do you know what happened to me after my birth?"
They stared at each other in silence before EMIYA responded.
"According to your legend, your grandfather Acrisius threw you and your mother into the sea in trunk and left you to die, because there was a prophecy you would kill him."
"Yes, and what age was I at that time?"
"A newborn infant…I see. I assume you have a soft spot for infants because of this incident, and that you would not be able to mentally handle watching an infant getting murdered in front of your eyes?"
"...Yes."
"That does not explain taking them along with you. The police would have arrived sooner or later, and the child would have been sent to an orphanage or a foster home. You didn't need to take them along with you."
Perseus looked down.
"..."
"..."
"So, why is this?"
Perseus looked down at the infant sleeping in his arms.
The infant whose parents he'd murdered for the sake of their cause.
"...I-I had a simple childhood, living a fisherman's lifestyle in a backwater island isolated from the rest of Greece. My foster father and I struggled to maintain a decent standard of living because we were mere fishermen at a time where fish wasn't a very valuable product. Perhaps if we reared horses, we would have made more money…"
"...But I did not mind it." Perseus spoke looking up at EMIYA.
"I did not mind it because I had a loving mother and father who did everything to ensure I was happy, even at the cost of their own well-being. And in return, when I became King of Argos, I did what I could to ensure my mother and Dictys would never have to struggle to make ends meet."
"..."
"W-We made this child an orphan, Emiya. Call it selfishness, but I don't think I'll be satisfied until I can hand this child over to a family that will care for them." Perseus spoke.
Flashes of his nightmare came back to his mind, and Perseus tried to not think about it.
"Please…I request you not to stop me."
EMIYA crossed his arms.
"As I've said before, I'm not one for sentimentality. If I had once been someone like that, I would have most likely forgotten that person by now. Right now, I am nothing but a killer devoted to ensuring a perfect mission, unhindered by the distractions of emotions."
"..."
"But I cannot expect others to be like me. It's precisely why I prefer working alone. If you wish to do it, then stopping you would only make matters more risky for me."
Perseus gave a soft smile.
"You can go. I'm not coming with you, so remember this: If you get caught, the full responsibility is on your shoulders."
"I understand, thank you." Perseus spoke.
"And for the sake of convenience, please tell me you at least have an idea where you could drop this child off?"
Perseus smiled. "Of course."
"Haah…" Ruby sighed, stretching her arms as she leaned back on her chair.
"That was a good meal, alright. Totally worth it after getting suplexed by Quetzalcoatl the entire day." Yang spoke as Brun smiled.
"I-I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"This is some good red meat. Did you buy it?" Weiss asked.
"Mr. Beech decided to take some money out of his savings and buy you all a good meal for the night."
"Aw…that's so nice. We need to make it up to him." Ruby spoke as Blake put a finger to her finger.
"Maybe Weiss can compensate him?" Blake spoke.
"I don't think Mr. Beech would want to take money for that."
"Perhaps a super nice gift on Bāhram. Again, Weiss is paying!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Why is it always me who has to pay?!"
"Because you're rich, bestie." Ruby spoke with a grin as the table laughed.
Suddenly, the bell rang.
"Huh, at this time of the hour?" Brun spoke as Ruby stiffened.
"I-it's not him, is it?" Ruby spoke, her mind coming to Tezcatlipoca as Brun frowned.
"Don't worry, Ms. Ruby. Mr. Tez told me a few days back he won't cause any trouble in my house after that little incident."
"O-Okay, I guess I can go see who's there then."
Ruby got up from her seat and opened the door.
"Yes?" She spoke, but saw no one there.
Did someone prank me? She thought with a frown before hearing something near her feet.
"Hm?" Ruby looked down to see a small child wrapped in a bundle, sleeping at her feet.
"Huh?!" Ruby spoke as she kneeled down and picked up the baby.
"What happened, Rubes?" Yang asked as Ruby turned around with the baby in her hand.
"T-There was a baby on the porch." She spoke in confusion.
Perseus watched silently as Ruby took the child in her arms and inside.
Tezcatlipoca said Team RWBY was being hosted by a woman named Brun, who according to him, was a very nice woman.
Under her and Team RWBY's care, the child would be fine.
But as Perseus went to leave, he suddenly stopped.
I did all of this because I murdered that child's parents. Perseus thought.
He'd ensured the child would be placed under the care of a caring family…
"So why do I feel so…sad?" Perseus spoke.
He couldn't bear to leave the child behind, so he'd taken them to a different household, hoping it would help clear some of the sadness upon making them an orphan.
But…now, he just felt even worse than before.
"Why…?"
"Why did I kill their parents?" He asked himself.
He did it because it was his duty…
…Right?
"So, why am I not satisfied? Why do I feel so…tired? So exhausted?" He questioned, looking up at the sky, just like he did when he'd ran away from Polydectes' palace after realizing what challenge he'd expected.
But the sky had no answer.
Perseus hung his head.
"Of course there's no answer. This isn't Greece. This isn't even earth. You won't be here to clear my dilemmas…"
"...Father?"
With a heavy heart, Perseus flew up and headed back to the hotel.
A/N: Writer's block is annoying. But the blame is on my eagerness to play FGO and watch walkthroughs of Ace Attorney on YouTube. Not to mention June was a little bit of a stressful month for me. It'll still take some days before I can get back to the writing grind.
But anyways, I'm back after one month. Since I'll be leaving for college soon, I'll probably be reverting back to my old weekend schedule now that I'm going to have less time on my hands.
But anyways, we got a Perseus-focussed chapter. And...I feel like I was a bit more serious when writing it, because I could feel none of my usual excitement while writing this chapter. Things were...a little bit serious and toned down. Perhaps that's because my taste has mostly shifted to grounded and serious storylines that aren't too wacky (Something that I feel LB6 has overdone. I'll post my thoughts once I finish it.). But in conclusion, I just have that feeling that all the excitement I once showed in the earlier a/n's is a bit cringey now.
Not that I've lost passion for writing. I've still got a lot of things planned that I will see through to their end. But, I just feel maybe I should not try to be hyper while writing these A/Ns. It feels cringey now. I guess I can blame that on me getting a bit too excited about my A/N on my thoughts on Ordeal call and my absurd gacha luck on FGO at the moment (Speaking of which, my streak still continues as I managed to get Koyanskaya on the first roll as well). If i get Oberon like this, I'll have to really start considering publishing an LB6 fanfic.)
But anyways, since it's clear Perseus is currenlty my golden boy among the villains, I'm just going all in on fleshing out his story and his motivations. I don't want to talk much about the other stuff, other than the mysterious figure, which you guys can probably guess.
Hope you guys enjoyed and constructive criticism is appreciated!
Foot Notes:
Island of the Graeae: Now, I took the reference point here to be Edith Hamilton's adaptation of the Perseus myth. In that, and I quote 'The journey to the twilight land was long, over the stream of Ocean and on to the very border of the black country where the Cimmerians dwell.' Here, I assume 'Ocean' refers to the Black Sea, so Perseus must have crossed the Bosphorus Strait, flew over the Black sea onto the other side. The Cimmerians here refer to a group of nomads who used to live in the Caucasus mountains in what is now Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan before they were driven south towards Anatolia (Turkey) by the Scythians in the 8th century BC. Since Perseus' legend should take place around the 14th century BC, that means the Cimmerians were still living in Russia at the time of Perseus. That means Perseus must have went to the island near the Russian coast of the Black Sea
Of course, it's more likely that the Island of the Graeae is actually near the western coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea (Since Turkey was the later home of the Cimmerians and the 'ocean' here could thus change to the Aegean Sea instead of the Black Sea), I admit I just liked the idea of Perseus going to Russia during the Bronze Age.
As for the Graeae themselves, they are said to be the daughters of Phorcys and Keto. There is variation in their names as well as their appearances, so I'm going with only one variation.
Response to Reviews:
Jebest4781: Thank you.
Suzululu4moe: Hey, buddy. After dropping a bajillion reviews in the review section of Rowan's Shade, you've done the same here in Soulless Plains. Nice, maybe this could be like Zoukuyujinchou's little habit of dropping a 'Holy gospel' review after every chapter I posted. I wonder what's become of him, though.