Megumin, Darkness, and I were jolted awake by the distant but loud sounds of Jack's American "heavy metal" music. It was bad enough having my beauty sleep interrupted, but the fact the girls and I were forced to share one ratty mattress did not help my mood any. Plus, that weird tingling feeling on the side of my neck was back, almost as if some demonic creep was leeching off of my holiness while I was asleep…but that was ridiculous! Probably just the work of another pesky mosquito.
"Mhm, Jack? Turn your music down!" I managed groggily, shaking my head lightly in annoyance. "Some of us actually want to get some sleep, thank you!"
I threw the spare blanket I was provided with over my head as I waited for my request to be fulfilled. The music didn't turn down any. Could he even hear me? Probably not, the boy's likely got his ears glued to the damn speakers.
And those lyrics…blegh! My English admittedly wasn't as great compared to my Japanese or Chinese, but I knew it well enough to understand the vulgar words blaring out of that audible trash. Why couldn't he have chosen an anime OP to listen to or something?
"Perhaps it would be best for us to make other arrangements?" Darkness suggested, her demeanor subdued much like my own, with Megumin still leaning on her groggily. "I don't suppose we're going to get much respite as long as Jack's off doing...whatever it is he's doing."
"Mhmmm…what's that sound?" Megumin slurred, her eyes not having woken up just yet. "I dunno what language that is but…whatever it is, I kinda like it for some reason~"
"That's Crimson Demons for you, I guess," I mused with a slight glare, less angry and more jealous that the younger girl could stand Jack's taste in music. At least she was definitely getting some shut-eye tonight. "C'mon, let's just go upstairs for a while. I'm sure Jack will wind down soon enough."
Nodding, my friends and I dragged ourselves out of bed and slogged through the lab. As we tried to find the stairs leading back up, we passed by some of Jack's robots milling about, doing whatever it is robots do I guess. I'll admit, it was still a little jarring seeing so much sci-fi crap in what was supposed to be a high-fantasy, JRPG type world. The bots were fine enough I guess, they certainly make my life down here that much easier, but still, talk about a clash of genres.
As we moved towards the main exit, we passed Jack, who was busy fiddling away with whatever was lying atop his workbench. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was one of the robots, probably one that got destroyed by the damn demon, Vanir. One of the functioning bots was hovering beside him, its chest converted into…a boombox? Of course…
The little guy swiveled his head at us and, I swear to Me, I thought it almost looked spooked for a second. It used one of its claw hands to finally dial back the music, making Jack stop what he was doing to face it.
"Dude, what the hell!? My favorite part's coming up!" he whined at the machine before it kindly pointed him in our direction. "Oh. Hiya guys! Is it morning already?"
"...No, Jack. It is definitively not morning," I replied in deadpan, rubbing my eyes as the exhaustion within me started to leave faster in favor of annoyance. "Your stupid music woke us all up...kinda. Megumin actually seems to like it quite a bit…"
That noticeably perked Jack up as he snapped a finger gun at the young girl's way. "Ah, I see you've got an ear for Slipknot. I had a feeling you Crimson Demons had a hidden taste for music like this."
"Yeah, yeah, that's great. I'm really glad you two had this wonderful bonding moment. Now can we PLEASE go to sleep?" I whined, willing to sacrifice my goddess pride just to get some proper rest at this point. "I may be godly, but I still need beauty sleep to look my best you know!"
"Huh? Oh, sorry," Jack mumbled dejectedly once he finally realized why we were all up so early and tired. "Music just helps me stay productive. I kinda forgot you have to sleep down here till further notice. Gimme a sec…"
Walking over to his computer desk, Jack retrieved a pair of headphones and an aux cord, plugging one end into the port on the headphones and the other into…the boombox robot. Just like that, he went right back to work, headbanging in his own little world as the bot looked at us for a brief moment before making a comment.
"It's a living."
"That's...certainly a word for it, I suppose," Darkness replied with a curious look, admittedly fascinated by another of Jack's creations. Guess I wasn't the only one who felt it was all still a little alien. "Well, with that settled, I don't suppose we still need to go upstairs?"
I groaned, glancing back at the direction of the bed before relenting (but not without a pout to show how tired and frustrated I still was). "Fine. I'm already up, might as well."
With that, Darkness, Megumin and I continued on our path, heading upstairs and making our way into the kitchen. At the very least, I could whip myself up a late night snack while chatting with my closest mortal friends. That wasn't so bad.
"You girls want something to eat? We've got- -" I stopped myself when I looked over and realized the magic fridge was gone, along with pretty much everything else that wasn't nailed down or locked away in Jack's cellar. "Oh…right. UGH! Why did they have to confiscate every little thing in the house!? How's something like a fridge or a couch supposed to be evidence for criminal activity, HUH!?"
"I haven't the slightest idea, truly," Darkness admitted with a quiet huff, shaking her head as leaned on the far wall. "I suppose our repossessed furniture could be in assistance to pay for the damages in the capital, but it certainly made things difficult for us, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, no kidding," Megumin grumbled ruefully as she rested her chin atop one of the countertops. A few seconds, however, and she lifted her head up slightly to eye Darkness in a careful manner. "Actually, hang on…you're nobility, aren't you? Think you could ask your parents into burrowing some money? At least enough to get us back on our feet? Keele's stuff looks valuable enough, but we should probably be extra prepared just in case."
Darkness shifted uncomfortably at the prospect, but eventually nodded slowly in confirmation. "I suppose that is a possibility, even if it does make me extremely embarrassed. We could probably at least get some decent furniture again, not to mention some food."
"I thought you liked embarrassment though?" I asked innocently.
"Not when it's linked to my family. That's a matter far too personal," Darkness replied firmly, her eyes downcast. "I know my habits may seem strange and perhaps unpredictable at times, but I don't control them. I simply have to learn to deal with them whenever they decide to flare up..."
Megumin and I shared a glance at one another, slightly caught off guard with such a confession. However, we both seemed to pull ourselves together and we nodded accordingly. When we turned back to our crusader friend, Megumin spoke first.
"Well, just so you know, we don't care if you're nobility or not," she affirmed with a bright smile on her face. "To us, you'll always just be Darkness the crusader! And as far as your 'habits' go, well...while I personally may not be a huge fan of 'em myself, they're what make you unique, y'know? Everyone's special like that; it's what makes us human."
"Yeah, it's just like what I told Jack back at Keele's: it doesn't matter who or what you are, we're in this together!" I added vibrantly. "So what if you're a devotee to my overrated, bra-stuffing junior? And who cares if you like getting hurt/humiliated while protecting others? Doesn't bother me one bit! That's the thing the Axis Order has over the Eris Order: we're more open-minded like that~"
Even though Darkness looked at me strangely for some reason, she ultimately ended up chuckling to herself, shaking her head in mirth before offering us a quiet extension of gratitude. Looks like friendship triumphs once again!
When I glanced back at Megumin, however, I noticed that the little girl actually looked somewhat troubled all of a sudden. Before I could ask her what was up, she put it into words.
"Speaking of Jack...is anyone else seriously worried about him?"
Our eyes widened a little at her question, but we understood all the same.
"You mean aside from his lack of a consistent sleep schedule?" I lightly joked in an attempt to not let the mood turn too sour.
"Y-yeah, more than that." Megumin replied, not really rising to meet my joke as the worried frown remained on her lips. "I mean, his whole evil shtick he has going on right now, is anyone else concerned about that?"
"I am," Darkness sighed wearily, her own face scrunching up into worry. "Though, truthfully, it didn't concern me nearly as much prior to the incident with the Destroyer. Like everyone else here, I had assumed it was nothing more than a sadistically charming but otherwise harmless game he was playing with himself. I'd go along with it, perhaps get reprimanded in an 'evil' manner every once in a while, and he'd eventually move on. But after what he told us back at the dungeon…"
"Yeah. Guess things feel a bit more real now, don't they?" I agreed, recalling Jack's emotional explosion back at the tomb. To be honest, while he was a royal tool sometimes, I did kinda like him, so it wasn't particularly fun to see him in such a miserable state. "I had a feeling it wasn't entirely an act, but knowing how deep it goes for him...I'd be lying if I said it wasn't troubling."
"Say, Aqua, you used to preside over his world, right?" Megumin raised her head to ask me. "How much of that stuff he screamed back there was true? Y'know, the neglect, the falling in with the wrong crowd...the b-beatings...? Didn't you mention gods having files on the lives of all humans once or twice?"
I paused for a moment, considering the question. Unfortunately, this was one of those moments where I wished I hadn't skimmed over Jack's life story like it was a movie synopsis. Truthfully, I didn't think he'd lie to us about it, but that didn't mean I could prove it was all true either.
"We do, but…when his file mentioned he was the loner-type, I kinda glossed the rest from there," I admitted with no pride. "My motto back then was, 'you've seen one hikikomori, you've seen 'em all'. Now I'm starting to regret doing that. Plus…I have this sinking feeling I got sent somebody else's death report by mistake, what with the conflicting information Jack's given me about his life so far."
Darkness and Megumin looked just as forlorn as I felt, like we'd all finally stopped and taken a second to dwell on everything that's happened in the last few days. It was kinda sobering, in a terrifying way, but I did recognize one good thing to come out of this talk: we all recognized that there was a serious problem here.
"Our leader has suffered a great deal in his past, that much is obvious. If I could take all that suffering on his behalf, I'd do it in a heartbeat," Darkness stated firmly, a determined twinkle in her eyes despite the small blush that was forming from her M side. "I believe it is imperative that we give him the love and support he was deprived of back home, to show him that he does, in fact, have a place within our group."
Megumin and I nodded without missing a beat, already having agreed upon that by ourselves. Darkness then held out a finger to signal us to wait.
"That being said, however, if he truly is hell-bent on taking over the world, we cannot, in good conscience, allow that. Jack may be our friend but his delusions could turn into something dangerous if left unchecked."
"I gotta agree with Darkness here. If Jack's serious about his whole villain thing, we need to convince him otherwise, because even I recognize that's not healthy," Megumin chimed in, casting a short glance back down the hall to where Jack was still off tinkering. "I'm a little ashamed I didn't notice it sooner, really. As a Crimson Demon, I should recognize when theatrics go too far."
"Hey, that reminds me," I started, staring intently into Megumin's crimson eyes. "Remember when Vanir claimed he would go on to kill adventurers, or when we asked him if he was really okay with letting innocents die back in the Destroyer's gift shop? Didn't he seem really unsettled to you when those topics were brought up? That must mean there's still hope for him yet!"
"Yeah...yeah, you're right! He's obviously not comfortable with the thought of killing people! That's already a huge step in the right direction!" Megumin agreed, some of her usual enthusiasm returning in a flash. "We just gotta focus on the positives, right? Sooner or later, we'll be able to steer him on the right course!"
"Megumin, you wonderful genius!" Darkness praised, making the little girl look away while smiling bashfully. So cute! "That's it! If we're subtle about it, we could attempt to guide Jack away from the road he's trying to walk down and show him the light. Again, though, we'll have to be subtle about it; clearly a direct approach won't yield us any fruit if his previous meltdown was anything to go by."
It was reassuring to see the wave of optimism pass over all of us, knowing that we'd all do whatever we could to help out Jack in his time of need. We may have missed the early warning signs, sure, but from this point on we were gonna work together in his best interest! Slowly but surely, we were going to steer him off the path of evil!
I stuck my hand out in between Darkness and Megumin to encourage them to join in. "Right! From this point forward, let's all work together to help our friend! He's been patient with us, it's only fair that we return the favor. Who's with me?"
"Without a doubt!" Darkness replied, placing her hand over my own and offering a firm look of support. "I am more than happy to join you in helping our dear friend!"
"The Crimson Demons never forsake their comrades!" Megumin declared triumphantly, slapping her hand down hard on top of Dark's, inadvertently making the crusader bite her lip from the pain/pleasure (at least she was trying). "And Jack's been the only outsider who truly gets our culture. Plus, he appreciates my Explosions! Ain't no way I'm gonna let him go anytime soon; he's a keeper for sure!"
I couldn't help but snort at the sentiment, even if I agreed with it. As strange as Jack was, he was also someone you could depend on, that I knew for sure. There wasn't anyone else I'd want by my side...okay, well, maybe one of my fellow gods. But that wasn't exactly an option for me at the moment. So Jack will have to make do!
Speaking of which, we were pulled out of a group huddle by the sound of thundering footsteps fast approaching. We turned around in time to find Jack barging in through the doorway, tears threatening to spill from his eyes as he clutched his…absurdly red and swollen thumb.
"Uh, someone may or may not have broken into my lab and tried to attack me by slamming my thumb with one of my tools," He explained shyly before putting on a faux persona of confidence. "But don't worry! I handled the intruder. Gave him the old one-two, had him crying to his mama! But, uh…I could still go for a medic?"
"Ugh...one healing spell, coming right up," I replied with an eyeroll, though a small smile did still linger on my face. It was nice to be needed, even over silly things like this.
I marched through the castle halls with Serena by my side, having neither the time nor patience to acknowledge the nervous salutes of our subordinates as we hurried along to the war room. If what that freelancer told and showed us had any correlation with those "omens" Vanir's been receiving recently, then the world as we know it could very well be at stake, and we'd need all hands on deck. While the thought of being forced to save that damnable kingdom, Belzerg, in the process makes my stomach curl, I'd rather not have our own kingdom lay in ruin otherwise.
"The others will take this seriously, yes?" Serena asked me as we walked, shooting the slightest glance of uncertainty my way. "I know we've bickered in the past, but if this is real...I fear what might happen to us if we don't come together."
I allowed my stone-cold expression to melt away ever so slightly as I addressed the concerns of one of the very few people in my life I could truly consider my friend. "If they know better than to disregard me or my father, they'll treat this situation with the utmost reverence. I don't like making assumptions on these sorts of things either, especially when Vanir's 'predictions' are involved, but these are hard times. We're at war, we cannot afford to take more risks than is necessary."
Serena nodded to herself silently, not managing another word as we continued onwards. Internally, I grew even more concerned with this development. Serena always had something to say, be it helpful, snarky, or just something to fill the silence. She didn't have anything now.
"…You didn't forget to bring the evidence like a dolt, now did you?" I asked in a cold tone whilst allowing only the faintest of smirks to grace my lips.
"Wha-yes, I remembered the evidence! I'm not an idiot, Akarui!" Serena shot back, her tone missing any real exasperation or anger. In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say maybe even tinged with the slightest hint of relief. "Honestly, sometimes I think you take me for a fool!"
"In all fairness, you do make it easy for one to make that judgement," I replied evenly. To any soldier within earshot, our exchange would have them believe I was close to tearing my subordinate a new one. If that fear helps to keep them all in line, then I was perfectly fine with it. Let them believe what they will; no sense in ruining the illusion.
Soon enough, we arrived at the Demon General's meeting room. It hadn't been filled to capacity in months, and I was struck with the startling realization at that moment that it likely never would be again…
No, Akarui. Now is not the time to get sentimental. You can mourn for the fallen later, stay focus on the task at hand.
When we opened the doors, two of our fellow generals sat waiting for us: Hans the Deadly Poison Slime and Sylvia the Growth Chimera. The pair paused their conversation with each other to glance at us upon our arrival, small smiles adorning their features.
"Ah! Good to see ya again, 'Daughter'," Hans greeted casually in his human form. "It would seem your father is running fashionably late as always. Not that I'm complaining of course; the longer I don't have to be stationed at that crazy town of Axis cultists, the better."
"I have to concur on that front. The Crimson Demon village has been a far more formidable target than we were expecting as well," Sylvia chimed in with an infinitely less amused tone. "That said, I do hope that you called us here for a good reason?"
"That remains to be determined, unfortunately," I stated plainly, moving to the front of the table and scanning its current occupants. "Oh goddamnit – where is Wolbach!? It's unlike her to be behind schedule!"
"Well, uh, maybe she got held up training the troops again? Those newbies can be a handful to whip into shape sometimes," Hans suggested, his smile slipping away as he quirked an eyebrow expectantly, sitting up a little straighter. "What's got you so tense, Akarui?"
I sighed wearily once I realized I lost my cool and snaked a hand through my hair. "Everything. However, Serena and I received some disturbing intel from a freelancer we hired to infiltrate Axel shortly before Father dispatched Beldia to investigate a recent anomaly there. If what we found means what we think it means, then this war against Belzerg will be the least of everyone's worries…"
Both Hans and Sylvia sat up straighter over my declaration, my tone and expression clueing them in on just how serious this was. I nodded to Sena, who reached into her bag and retrieved the item of my concerns. The bizarre entity's head that had been hand-delivered to us by the freelancer: the metal golem.
With a smack courtesy of Serena, the head partially sprang to life again, the strings dangling beneath its "neck" sparking and its blood-red "eyes" flickering as it attempted to speak in a distorted, monotone voice.
"E-E-E-Error: emotion chip still not found. P-P-P-Please turn this mindless drone into a real booooyyyy…"
"...okay, what the fresh fuck?" Hans more or less stated, staring at the head with wide eyes and even leaning back ever so slightly in his seat. "How on...why does it...seriously, what the hell even is that thing?!"
"From what our sources tell us, the creator calls it a 'bot'," I explained calmly while Serena practically dropped the accursed head onto the table, clearly upset with just holding it. Trying to keep things relatively calm, I didn't scold her for it. "The closest thing they could compare it to was a metallic golem construct. However, whatever makes this thing tick, it's clearly not magical in nature, at least not a type of magic I'm familiar with anyway."
"Perhaps I could attempt to assist in that department?" A new voice chimed in from nearby, prompting me to turn and face the Fallen Goddess, Wolbach, as she entered alongside my father, neither of them entirely aware of what we were discussing. "I am more magically inclined than yourself, after all."
Under less stressful circumstances, I would've ordered the dark goddess to belay that kind of talk and scold my father for his own tardiness. But these were pressing matters at hand.
"By all means, come," I said, gesturing Wolbach over in a composed yet rapid manner. "I want you to assess this item on the table for any traces in magic. Serena and I will give you a full report afterwards now that most of us are finally gathered."
Wolbach nodded diligently, approaching the table and holding out her hand to the top of the bot's head, a light red glow accompanying the motion. After a few seconds, her neutral smile faded into a confused scowl as her eyebrows furrowed and she tilted her head in annoyance.
"This can't be right…" she muttered to herself in confusion.
"Nothing about this thing is right," Serena huffed impatiently. "Now what's the real verdict?"
"Well...while I can only detect faint traces of magical origination on the materials making up this...thing, I haven't the slightest idea on how it's all been assembled," Wolbach admitted, retracting her hand and leaning back with a disturbed frown. "What is this exactly? I've never seen or felt anything like it before."
"Its inventor refers to it and others like it as a bot," I answered pointedly, addressing everyone present within the room. "As for the young man behind its creation, he goes by the name of Jack Spicer: a self-proclaimed genius who hails from the city of Axel. The freelancer Serena and I hired to infiltrate the town reported that he had a hand in defending his home from the Mobile Fortress Destroyer itself. He used flying bots, of which the head was a part of, to disable its defenses while he operated a, and I quote, '50 foot tall metal statue of himself'."
"What kind of sorcery...?" Sylvia muttered, shaking her head in bewilderment as she tried to fathom the account I delivered. "W-what of Beldia? Has he said anything since being dispatched? Better yet, what about Vanir? Surely that demon has to have some answers!"
"I've lost contact with Beldia months ago," Father spoke solemnly as he moved to the seat at the head of the table. "I had sensed a great disturbance originating from that very city a while back and sent him to occupy a nearby castle to gather intel. The last update I received from him consisted mainly of an angry rant involving 'crazy little wizard girls' blowing up his home. I thought it best to give him some space to clear his head and report back to me with a more rational mindset. When weeks dragged on to months, I sent Vanir to check up on him, against my better judgement. Either he got sidetracked by his own affairs…or whatever happened to Beldia happened to him too."
The silence that followed my father's musings hung heavily for a few moments. Normally, such a prospect wouldn't even be considered, but given the oddity surrounding this situation...suddenly it didn't sound utterly improbable.
Father turned to look at me with tired eyes, a near undetectable hint of worry in them as he asked, "What else have you learned about this Jack Spicer character? If he really is the one responsible for the creation of these so-called 'bots', then we should know what we're going up against. What did the third party have to say about him?"
"Truthfully, the intel wasn't as all-encompassing as I was hoping." I replied, cupping my chin and humming in consideration. "He's not terribly popular with the townspeople of Axel, as he was said to be a smart-mouth eccentric. We also have his appearance down: red hair, eyes like a Crimson Demon, unhealthy pale skin, likely an albino based upon the description. Outside of that, we don't have much else to work off of sadly."
Father sighed heavily through his nose, running a hand through his aging gray hair. He glanced at all the remaining generals in the room first before looking around to make sure there were no nosy minions getting too curious for their own good. Once he felt the area was secured, he addressed the others.
"I didn't want to bring this up with you all seeing as how it came from Vanir and that it sounded irrelevant at the time he proposed it to me and my daughter. However, given this series of concerning developments along the recent disappearance of both him and Beldia…I believe it's prudent I let you all in on the prophecy."
And just like that, everything fell quiet. Any murmurs or quiet musing about just what all of this meant disappeared, and five heads turned in unison to face my father in undivided attention. This was a moment decades in the making.
"From a land of wingless dragons, a child walks.
Knows not his legacy for all that he talks.
Tried to rule his world but halted time and time again.
Seeks to control ours with an army of metal men.
Passion was his downfall yet also his strength.
His influence capable of spreading to many a great length.
No matter the generation, no matter the cycle…
Beware of the dormant Dragon of Metal…"
The silence held as my father finished reciting the prophecy, and I was genuinely surprised with seeing how worried my fellow generals looked. Usually there would be arrogance, disbelief, a demand to tackle the issue head-on and as soon as possible.
But in that very moment, there was only silence. Along with the unanimous understanding that we may have just stepped into an entirely new war altogether.
"So…what are we to do then?" Sylvia hesitantly asked first. "Should the prophecy really be referring to this Spicer child, how are we to stop him? I mean, assuming alone this is the same force that took out Beldia and possibly even Vanir- -!"
"Perhaps there is another avenue, one that I assume our comrades neglected to consider…" I remarked, mentally mulling over my words after I already put them to use. What I was going to suggest admittedly wasn't one of my better propositions, but we needed options to consider instead of fears to speculate. "Recruitment."
Somehow, the silence that followed was even more deafening than the previous. The generals plus my own father all looked at me as though I had gone insane, which I very well could have gone for all I know. I'm honestly not sure what compelled me to even suggest that in the first place. But, as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures.
"You cannot be serious. After everything you just heard, you really think it's a good idea to approach this guy!?" Hans sputtered in disbelief, lurching out of his seat and sparing me a bewildered look. "No – no way in hell! That is a terrible idea!"
"STILL YOUR TOUNGE, SLIME!" I snapped, the fire barely contained in my eyes as I stared down my subordinate. "Wait until I am finished to voice your opinion. Then, if you have a better idea in mind, feel free to share it with us. Otherwise, sit down, shut up, and allow me to propose a possible solution to our problem. Am. I. Understood?"
Hans fell silent after that. Reluctantly, he shrank back into his seat and acted in compliance, though he did quietly shake his head to himself. It was apparent that my words had quelled any further rebuttals because the room once again fell silent as the generals looked at me expectantly.
"Thank you," I sighed in composure. "And I apologize for that little outburst of mine. Now, as I was about to say, I am aware of how absurd a proposition like this sounds given what we've learned. Believe me when I say I have equal amounts of worry and uncertainty as everyone else present. That being said, however, this otherworldly interloper is still young, malleable…impressionable. Provided, if we gather more intelligence on him and his party, we could exploit his insecurities and recruit him to our cause. With his kind of power on our side, not only can we finally put an end to this miserable war, but we can also learn to harness it, or at least keep it contained."
"I don't know, Akarui. This still sounds like a painfully big if," Wolbach commented, obviously not keen over the idea of working with a potential agent of Armageddon. "The number of ways it could all go wrong…it's a risky venture at best. However, I concur that more intelligence should be gathered on this young man and his associates. We need to know more before we do anything too rash."
"On that, we wholeheartedly agree," I nodded, content for now on finding some common ground. I turned to my father, "However, Father has the final say in matters such as this. What are your orders?"
"For now, I believe the best course of action is passive observation. We gather what information we can on Spicer before we make any rash decisions. We need to know as much as we can before we make a proper assessment," The king replied, his expression never losing its determined, unflappable air. "Consider this a top priority from this point on, all of you. We need to make our decision, and hastily."
Hans sighed, "Great, as if going to war with the largest kingdom in the country wasn't bad enough, now we got ourselves a possible doomsday child to deal with. I assume we still have our usual duties to attend to as well?"
"Until such a move is made that I feel it is necessary to disengage, yes, your duties are still the same," Kage confirmed with a short nod, glancing around at us with a resolute expression. "We will continue the fight as long as we must. As for you, Wolbach, I'd like you to take the head of this 'bot' to your study for further testing. See if you can learn more about the trace amounts of magic you detected from the materials used in its construction. Perhaps that will be a clue to better understanding our foe. Dismissed."
With that, Hans and Sylvia stood up to walk out, Wolbach lagging behind after carefully (and perhaps apprehensively) cradling the bot's head in her cloak. Serena and I began to file out as well.
"Akarui, a word?" Kage asked before we crossed the threshold of the room. "I'd like to speak in private for a minute. It shouldn't take long."
I tensed slightly, despite myself. I nodded to Serena, who left without a world of protest. As soon as she shut the door behind her, I sagged somewhat, already feeling the weight of the task at hand. "Yes, Father?"
"How are you feeling?" he asked simply, hands clasped in front of him as he looked on in worry. "I know we've all been busy lately but I just wanted to take some time to make sure you're alright; call it an attitude check if you will. So…how are you feeling?"
"I'm...less than happy, obviously. I don't think the potential end of the world would put anyone in a good mood," I replied with a mirthless chuckle, slumping into one of the open seats and hanging my head with a long sigh. "Dad, what are we going to do? Even if Spicer doesn't have any aspirations of violence now, it's entirely likely he's claimed two of our generals thus far."
"I wish I knew, honey, I really wish I knew," Father admitted solemnly, reaching out to pull me into a side hug. Suddenly, all the stress that had been accumulating on my shoulders these past few months weighed heavily on me, and I took solace in the touch of my only living parent. "These are dark and confusing times, even without ancient prophecies mucking things up. I regret going to war with that kingdom, even after what they tried to do to us…"
"We just have to make the best out of what we have. That's the only sound plan I have, anyway," I admitted quietly into my father's shoulder, my words muffled before I pulled back. "We'll find a way through this, Dad, I swear. It's only a matter of time and patience."
"I know but…I worry about you sometimes, kiddo," Father confessed slightly, turning his head to look into my eyes. "Sure, you can handle yourself in battle, and you're just as sharp as your mother – there's no denying that. But even so…I'm worried what this war is doing to you, Akarui. What it's doing to your head…"
"I'm fine," I reply, wincing at my own tone. Too quick, too sharp. I knew my father was right, but I wasn't exactly in a position to just stop fighting in a war that I was a part of starting, intentionally or not. "I...I just need a little time. I'll be better, Father, I promise...but war does not wait for us to catch our breath, does it?"
"No, I suppose it doesn't," he relented. I nodded awkwardly in agreement, getting ready to stand up and leave before I was suddenly pulled into a full embrace by my father. What he whispered next nearly made me crack right then and there.
"No matter what happens, be it the war or the prophecy, I promise to do everything in my power to protect you. I already lost one loved one to that damnable Kyouichi, I refuse to lose another. Don't you ever forget that…"
"I-I won't. I'll never forget, I promise…" I murmured quietly, worried just how much I actually meant those words considering all that was before us. Only time would tell where this conflict went, but I knew one thing for certain: I would always remain by my father's side, for better or for worse.
After a moment of the two of us embracing each other (an act we don't do nearly as often now that I think about it), Father released me with a light pat on the back, gifting me with a small, rare, but genuine smile. "Right, well, you go ahead and rest up now, ya hear? Who am I to keep your girlfriend waiting up on you, hmm?"
"Yes, I suppose I...wait," I interrupted myself, turning to my father with a horrified expression. "Dad, Serena is not my – ! I-I would never even consider...ugh, I'm feeling nauseous just thinking about it!"
My asshole of a father let out a hearty laugh, tilting his head up the ceiling and wiping his eyes from the tears that were spilling. Well, if there was one good thing to come out of today, it was making him laugh, even if it was unintentional.
"Oh, c'mon now, pumpkin, don't kid yourself!" he said after coming down from his momentary laughing fit. "You two bicker like an old married couple, and you're always spending together. At this point, I'd be surprised if you two didn't have feelings for one another! Can you really blame your old man for wanting to see his only daughter settle down someday?"
"If it's with Serena, yes. Yes I can blame you!" I replied empathetically, embarrassed beyond belief that he would make such an assumption, even if he just wants me to be happy. "Unbelievable, no more speculating about my love life! Ever! Especially not Serena!"
"Alright, alright! I'll drop it," Father relented while putting his hands up in mock surrender. "But seriously, you should really go and get some rest. You've been out on an extended reconnaissance mission and you need your strength. Family meeting adjourned."
With a quiet huff, I exited the meeting room. Unfortunately, Serena was waiting outside the far end of the hall for me, raising her eyebrows dramatically once she noticed my expression.
"Is everything alright…?" she asked in a quiet tone of voice she rarely ever used with me.
"Yes, I'm fine. My father is just…being himself again," I replied simply, averting my gaze for a moment with another short sigh. "I could use some food before I get some proper rest. I assume you could say the same?"
"Yeah, I could eat," Serena murmured in agreement, walking diligently beside me as we made our way to the mess hall. "Let's just hope Hans hasn't raided the fridge yet. I swear to Regina, if that slime so much as touched that piece of cake I was saving, I will make that fool suffer like no other…!"
I rolled my eyes at the tirade, but smiled all the same. Despite my father's misconceptions, I did value Serena a lot. As much as we fought, I had a great deal of respect for her. I was very glad to have her by my side, and as a friend.
"Oh yes, because we all know you've tortured people for less," I mocked lightly before pausing in consideration. "Although, if he has eaten all our food again, I will have to see to it that he is punished. Slimes having an insatiable appetite is no excuse for that kind of behavior."
And just like that, we slipped into an easy, idle conversation with one another, for a brief moment forgetting about all the stress and horrors that the world had in store for us. Learn to appreciate the little things in life. You may never know how long they'll last.
Wow, first chapter to not have a Jack POV that isn't an interlude. I must be going mad after all.
So, yeah, looks like the supposed "baddies" are a little spooked by old Jackie Boy. And that prophecy, huh? Pretty weird. Wonder what's going on with that. Mayhap a future interlude will shed some further context onto this mystery...
But not for a while, anyway. I still gotta work out the kinks myself. Also, in case it wasn't obvious by now, I'm borrowing Megapanda's interpretations of the Devil King and his daughter, with a similar backstory involving the canon Devil King, Yasaka Kyouichi, thrusting his position onto current Devil King Kage. More as it develops. Shameless plug-in for my friend's Konosuba story over, Swood out!
