Demon in Fodlan

by Mundatorem

Goetia, surviving his failure at the Temple of Time, finds himself in a new world. Despite the rather unusual nature of it, he finds himself disappointed that he see's much of the same human nature that he saw on Earth. Determined to discover what it was that made human life worth the struggle, he decides to use his second chance to find the meaning of his own life. (Azure Moon)

69. Chapter 68: A place in all things

Chapter 68: The place in all things.

Ashe grunted as he pulled aside another lump of rock, the stone was around the size of a chicken but weighed much, much more. He didn't complain about it openly though. This was a duty to aid the Monastery and he was going to see it through.

That was the sort of thing he wanted to do, to be the Knight that lent a helping hand to those in need regardless of what manner of task it was. Having grown up as a thief, it felt much better to be the one helping people instead of hurting them.

"You getting on, alright?" Ashe turned his head to the voice, finding Ingrid approaching him with another rock in her own hands, this one of a slightly larger size although at least the girl looked affected by the weight if the noticeable strain in her voice was any indication.

Ashe chuckled as he hefted the rock in his arms up to reposition it, using his chest to bear some of the excess weight as he walked towards the cart that held the next load of rubble. There wasn't actually too much left, much of it had already been cleared away by the knights prior to them even being here.

Then again, the pieces that had been left over were the much larger sections of the debris that needed to be broken down before they could be transported.

"I'm…it's a workout." Ashe breathed back as he waddled forwards, careful not to move too quickly and fall forwards. "And it feels good to help out like this."

Ingrid hummed from his side, the blonde nodding her head up and down with her lip twitching upwards "I can understand that much. Though clearing rubble might not be the most…suitable of jobs for ones of our standing, that does not make it any less vital."

"How have you been finding the last few days?" Ashe continued on, looking at her from the corner of his eye as they continued on. "It's been…it's been different to me, from what I am used to at least."

Ingrid nodded her head, grunting as she lifted the slab of stone up and tossed it into the cart with a hefty thud, the blonde dusted her hands off and stared at the slight redness in her palms for a moment, then turned her attention onto Ashe and stepped aside to allow him a clear line of sight at the inside of the cart.

"I would say it has been educational." Ingrid admitted with a half nod, watching as Ashe heaved the stone into the cart and then backed away from it, the pale haired boy winced and dusted his hands down on his trousers. "But the Prince has taken to it with more gusto than I had been expecting, so I shall follow in his example. If he believes it to be a task worthy of him, then the same goes doubly for all of us."

"I…hadn't thought about it like that." Ashe simply replied, reaching up and running a hand through his hair "I just thought about all the people I was helping about town and…" he trailed off, a distant look coming into his eyes as he lowered the hand. "...I just remembered where I was before…I got adopted and…" he let out a hollow huff of mirth. "It was just me realising that I'm no different from them, really. So I would want someone to help me out in that position as well."

Ingrid stared at him for a few moments, then walked a little closer and placed a hand on his shoulder "...The sins of Lord Lonato are not yours to bare."

Ashe froze, his eyes widening slightly "I-"

Her hand on his shoulder tightened his grip. "I am not so naive to notice, Ashe." she continued on "You shouldn't feel as though you're pressured to do this."

The boy closed his eyes "I'm…doing this because I want to." he spoke, opening his eyes up and looking at Ingrid, locking gazes with her. The two of them stared into the others eyes for several moments in silence.

Ingrid eventually wavered, her lips pursing as she unhanded him "I see. I'm sorry for doubting your intentions-"

"I'm not saying that-" Ashe cut himself off, looking down "I…I am motivated…I am doing this because I want to but what happened with Lonato is…" he reached up, placing his hand on his face "I can't say I'm not doing this because of him. I just…"

"You don't need to say anything further if you are troubled by it." Ingrid quickly cut him off, shaking her head from side to side and giving an understanding look "Given the importance he held to you…" her expression hardened slightly "But you must remember, towards the end Lonato was a traitor. The man you knew as your father died when he pointed his blade towards the church. It…would be better for you to think of it as such."

"You're probably right." Ashe nodded slowly, sighing once again "We still have more rubble to move."

"Of course. Do not overexert yourself though."

Ashe was silent, though he did give a hum of affirmation to ensure that his classmates' words were registered. Ingrid looked at him for a few more moments before she closed her eyes and exhaled slightly. Accepting his silence as an answer in itself and turning away, moving back the way she had come from.

The boy watched her leave before he let out a long and shuddering breath, he caught himself on the cart. His hands tightening their grip around the wood and leaning onto it, his eyes scrunched shut.

His father was a traitor? No one knew that more than Ashe.

But a traitor to whom? The Church most likely, but he never once…

Lonato loved them, he loved all of them as much as he loved Christophe and Ashe knew that. Even if he was filled with hatred towards the end, Ashe knew it came from the loss of his son to the Church's inquisition.

Even before that, Ashe personally never believed that Christophe would ever be capable of doing what he was accused of. He knew of no one more loyal to the Royal Family than his family, the actions before his death notwithstanding. So the idea that his brother would conspire with the people of Duscur to murder the King and nearly his entire family?

He'd known Lonato had raged about it, both internally and externally.

He'd screamed for hours about how it was false and whatever evidence was being presented was nothing more than a forgery.

Ashe grit his teeth, Catherine was Christophe's friend. He knew that much so it wouldn't make sense for her to believe without some strong evidence.

But he didn't know anything about it-

"Ashe." The boy froze at the voice, the lack of emotion and the commanding nature of it - if a little more subdued than how he recalled - had his thoughts banished almost instantly. The boy slowly turned to his right, almost wondering if he had imagined the voice while thinking of his late family.

He hadn't been.

Goetia was standing barely a foot from him, dull red eyes focused on him immediately. Ashe felt every muscle in his body lock under the gaze, not because it was particularly intense.

But because of who it was that was actually staring down at him.

Swallowing, Ashe stepped away from the cart and lowered his hands to his side, balling them into fists and putting on a polite face to hide away his own feelings. "Goetia." He nodded to the man once, noticing his expression unchanging "Sorry, I didn't hear you approach me."

"I know." Was the simple reply he had received, it obviously hadn't been too long otherwise Ingrid would have noticed him. Or he was there for longer than he had actually thought so and just hadn't registered anything else. Either was an option, he supposed. "You do not need to pretend."

Ashe blinked once at the words "Pretend-"

"I killed your father with my own hands-" Goetia paused, his lips turned into a thin line "My own hand." he corrected "If you are disgusted by my presence, then you should feel no shame in hating me." there was something about his voice that Ashe couldn't quite pick out on.

It was almost…encouraging to him?

That couldn't have been it.

"Lord Lonato was…" Ashe's voice turned strained "Lord Lonato was a traitor…he…" the boy swallowed the words, finding himself unable to continue on "He…he…" he bit down on his lower lip, his eyes misting over but he refused to cry "And he…paid the price for it."

"But the Church did not kill him." Goetia pointed out "I killed him. I am not the Church."

"I know that but even if you weren't there-" Ashe hurriedly spoke out before he clamped his jaw shut, the end of the sentence was fairly apparent either. Even if Goetia hadn't been there, Lonato still would have been executed for his actions or he would have done something much worse.

Saving his peers was something else to be praised.

"Your actions…saved many good people." Ashe instead said "And that is something to be…lauded."

That seemed to elicit an odd reaction from the man, his eyes narrowed and he frowned heavily "Lauded, you say? Do you believe the intentions behind my slaying of Lonato were in some way selfless? That I appeared before you in the hour of need to dispense justice and rescue those in distress? Is that how you perceived them?"

Ashe opened his mouth to respond, However Goetia cut him off once again.

"I refused repeatedly to help." Goetia stated after a moment, throwing Ashe for a loop "I didn't care. Lonato's grudge against the Church meant nothing to me, less than nothing. So when I was approached by even the Archbishop herself, I turned down her request for assistance." he shrugged "Because I did not care…Lonato could very well have killed you, butchered every single soldier and marched up and burned this monastery to the ground."

Ashe stood there, dumbfounded by the words.

"And I would not have lifted a finger to stop him." Goetia continued on, uncaring as to the emotional effects he was having on the boy. Or at least, so he appeared to be. Crimson eyes narrowed "Do you comprehend my words? I held the power to end Lonato's rebellion before it got to that point. All those citizens could have been freed from their madness enhancement when they were separated from the weapons…do you know what I did instead?"

Ashe had heard, he wasn't awake but he had heard.

"I slew every single one of them." Goetia continued on, taking a single step forwards and looming over Ashe "Can you understand my words? I did not care one way or the other. I could have killed Lonato quickly and painlessly, a simple spell to shut down his brain and render him dead on the spot…instead I beat him mercilessly."

His left hand was raised up, then laid itself on Ashe's shoulder with the back of the hand touching his clothes and fingers pointed up. The boy's eyes darted to the limb and became transfixed on it. "With this hand…I beat him until he had perished and then continued to do so…Because I enjoyed it."

He leaned closer, voice dropping into a whisper "I enjoyed killing your adopted father, watching his skull turn to pulp, feeling his grey matter slide from my fingers was cathartic to me."

"My actions should be lauded?" Goetia hissed "Is that what you claim? Lauded? I was there for one reason and one reason only…I killed your father for fun. I killed every single man and woman who showed up there for fun. I killed them because I wanted to and I enjoyed killing them."

Ashe wasn't speaking, his complexion was pale and his eyes still focused on the hand in question.

"So when you tell me that these actions are to be lauded? Do you ignore every single intention behind them?" He retracted the hand "Are my actions suddenly forgotten because I aided in killing a criminal? Lonato's status as a rebel was coincidental, I didn't kill him before he rose up against your established order…I killed him for the simple reason that he injured my student." a scoff "Even then, her wounds were nothing to me. There was so little effort involved on my part that Lonato might well have left her be. Was my response therefore proportional?"

The pale haired boy slowly rose his eyes to meet Goetia's staring at the crimson orbs with a flurry of emotion rushing through him at the barrage.

"If you want to praise my actions, then fine…but do not think for one moment that they left me no choice." He thinned his lips "That is why you need not pretend to tolerate me, you may hate me if you wish, you would have ample reason to. You would also have reason to hate Catherine for her role in your brothers death, just as Lonato di-"

"L-like Lonato did?" Ashe staggered away from him, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted "Like Lonato did? You mean the same anger that led him to-that led everyone to-" the eyes narrowed "You want me to organise some sort of mob and lynch you, is that what you're after? Do you think that's what justice is…"

"Do you think your brother was executed for the sake of justice?" Goetia spoke disdainfully "Do you think I killed those people for justice? Those commoners who would believe anything Lonato told them? Did they deserve to die? Are their deaths somehow good because the one who killed them was on the side of justice?"

Ashe leaned back as Goetia loomed over him.

"Don't insult them like that, and do not insult me like that. Justice is what those with power declare it to be. Is my brutalising of Lonato justified because I was powerful? Whom is it justified to? Does he deserve death for seeking recompense for the loss of his son? Was his mission to kill Rhea and Catherine somehow unjustified?"

"Wh-"

"There is no universal justice. There is no grand scale that measures you…There is only what the powerful declare. If I say that your father had to die and I personally enjoyed killing him, beating him like an animal and leaving his body there for the scavengers, am I now justified in that? Will you ignore my actions because 'Justice demands he would die anyway?' are travesties ignored because the one who deals them out is on the side of justice?"

Ashe was shaking now, though his eyes were on Goetia it did not look as though he was actually seeing the man.

Goetia's eyes flickered down to Ashe's hands, noticing his fingers starting to curl up into a fist.

Almost there, he idly thought to himself. One final push.

"I slaughtered your people, that is a fact. They died when they didn't have to, with the excuse of the weapons they could have pleaded for mental manipulation and been spared. They could have lived beyond that day…Are you going to so easily ignore their needless deaths at the hands of my enjoyment because I am on the 'side of justice'?"

"Just stop it!" Ashe stepped away from him, reaching up and placing a hand over his face as he shook his head "What do you want from me? Why are you telling me all of this in the first place?" the boy lowered his hand, pressing it into his chest "You think I don't know what Lonato did? You think I'm not also responsible for it."

That brought a frown to Goetia "What could you possibly be referring-"

"He was my father and I didn't see anything…" Ashe growled, breathing heavily "All those people…what do you want me to tell you? What do you want me to say? That I hate you, that I wish you were dead instead of them"?

Goetia remained silent, watching the boy shake his head from side to side.

"It's not about that…Lonato would have…I know he would have killed hundreds, he had killed hundreds and he wasn't doing it for Christophe anymore." The boy pointed at the one armed man "He was doing it for himself. Everyone who followed him…Lonato would never force them like that, even when he was grieving he wouldn't force them like that so they…they made their choice."

Even to Goetia, the words sounded hollow.

"So when you say these things…" He looked Goetia square in the eye "I don't believe you at all."

"...What?"

"I don't believe you. Everything you've done since then, you saved Lysithea, you went to the wounded camp and you healed people!" He pointed up to his own jaw, "You regrew my teeth and now you're going to say you don't care at all and paint yourself up as some vicious monster? Is that it?"

"You-"

"You fought and bled for the people living in Abyss!" Ashe declared, his voice growing more bolder the longer he spoke on, Goetia swiftly found himself on the backfoot having not expected the conversation to turn in that direction. Nor did he want it to turn in that direction, this was quickly backfiring from his original intentions.

"So don't you…" Ashe released a shaky breath "...Someone was going to kill Lonato. It doesn't matter if it was you or Catherine or-" he cut himself off, clamping his jaw shut and looking away "...I was going to kill him, I tried to kill him and he…he tried to kill me. So he wouldn't have stopped." his hand fell to his side, looking at the man once again.

"You don't need to try and paint yourself up as a monster to make me feel better about hating you." Ashe told him in a quiet voice "You don't need to do that for me…He hurt someone you cared about and you got angry, that's…that's pretty natural. You don't need to go through this-this act in order to try and dress it up as a great evil…it just happened."

"You…" Goetia worked his jaw, finding himself utterly unable to formulate a sentence in the wake of that rant. It was a complete rejection of everything he had said, the boy somehow believing that he was putting it all on to try and make him feel better?

This stupid child genuinely believed that he brutalised all those people for the sake of justice and that it was somehow now acceptable?

"Maybe I did…I didn't want to look at you at first." Ashe admitted, closing his eyes and shaking his head "Because all I could see was him but…Lonato died long before I exchanged blows with him on the battlefield. I think he really died after Christophe so…you don't need to worry about it…" Ashe spoke in what he thought was a reassuring tone to Goetia. It wasn't.

"You…you can go if you want." Ashe turned away from him "But…don't try to phrase your actions like that, please." the boy emphasised "You…you aren't a monster, so don't try to make people see you as one."

The boy left before Goetia could get another word out, leaving the man staring at the back of the boy, blinking several times as he tried and failed to comprehend what had just occurred. He ran through every single sentence from start to finish, repeating the conversation in his mind with perfect clarity.

Every sentence had been worded with the intention of provoking an emotional reaction from the boy, it was the single reason he had even approached him in the first place. He had done so with the belief that a few well placed sentences and statements would end with the boy striking him.

Except he hadn't and he turned the conversation around.

That was illogical, it was utterly stupid.

Humans reacted emotionally whenever he didn't want them to, and when they didn't act emotionally it was when he actually needed them to. His singular hand clenched into a fist as he felt vexation rise up and course through his body, the one reason he had approached the boy and he couldn't even offer that.

Whatever anger he felt melted away into baffled confusion, he turned around and marched from the area. Reaching out with his senses, he pinged the location of the individual in question, it loathed him to seek them out but he needed to do so.

At the very least, he refused to expose his current state to anyone else and she would have a perspective for him that he could utilise.

---

Flayn hummed to herself to try and alleviate some of her boredom, in truth this wasn't what she had actually been wanting to do today but there was little else for it. She'd been wanting to help out some more with the injured but between Seteth's statements and the calls from the other healing clerics for her to take a rest, she was stuck following her father around.

Then again, she supposed it could have been much, much worse considering she had technically spent the entire night outside with a man. Or at least, that is how she knew Seteth would probably see it, ignoring the fact that it was a clearly depressed man trying to find something - anything - to take his mind off his worries because he didn't have the first idea of how to approach them.

Although he'd probably never experienced something like this before and there were very, very few who could relate to being the last of their kind. None Flayn knew who actively contributed to lowering that number, whether through intention or otherwise.

"I can see you fidgeting there, Flayn." Seteth commented from her side, the man stood with his arms crossed overlooking the work of the students and knights as they continued to move their possessions from their rooms. The Black Eagles having been the first class to begin with their ground rooms already a good way through being cleared already.

"It is just that I find myself in need of something to do, Father." Flayn responded with a sigh, not even attempting to hide her boredom. "I wish-"

"To help, I am aware." Seteth remarked with a nod of the head, closing his eyes and reaching up to rub his brow. "I am all too aware of that, Flayn. However, that is only part of the reason why I have called you here." he lowered his hand, looking at Flayn from the corner of his eye and seeing the slightly puzzled expression on his daughter's face.

"Oh?" She inclined her head slightly "What else is there to speak with me about?"

"Goetia." Flayn made a face of discomfort, which further heightened his suspicions "You are not a careless girl, Flayn. Nor are you one to make such mistakes or oversights, so I would like to know why you stayed outside for the entire night, along with a student."

"I can't tell you that." Flayn stated almost immediately, surprising Seteth for a moment with the firmness in her voice before he dismissed the initial surprise and redoubled his efforts.

"Flayn-"

"I cannot and I will not speak of the reason, father." Flayn didn't give him a single inch "Not only is it not my place to discuss what was spoken about, but I will not idly gossip about Goetia's current state of being. I have too much respect for him to use his current state as mere conversation. So I would ask that you please respect the privacy on this matter, you may ask him yourself but I will not tell you."

Seteth stared at her for a few moments, then closed his eyes and nodded his head up and down "So I see." he muttered, not looking as though he was going to push the issue as he turned away from Flayn, returning his attention onto the work in front of him. "If that is what you say, then I will have to ask him myself."

"Father." Flayn opened and closed her mouth, struggling to find a way to actually begin the sentence "All I will say is that Goetia is troubled and he will not respond well to a direct confrontation on the matter. I would ask that you…leave it to myself and the others already involved."

That got Seteth's posture to tighten slightly, this time he turned his entire body to face her "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, father."

"The responsibility for the mental well-being of the staff falls under my jurisdiction-"

"And I currently am more involved in this than you are." Flayn easily countered before Seteth could even begin to formulate an argument, the man thinned his lips in response but didn't reply as she continued on "And it is much easier to build upon an existing relationship of trust than to make an entirely new one. Goetia is likely confident that anything he speaks to me will remain in confidence and that is what I intend to do."

Seteth frowned "I knew you would be unable to leave well enough alone…" he lamented, rubbing his hands over his temples "From the moment you walked into my office and all but declared your intent, I should have realised the folly in trying to convince you otherwise."

"I would hardly consider it to be a dangerous task." Flayn creased her brows "And I consider it to be extremely important to me. Which is why I would ask you not to make any rash judgements or statements…I ask for only this much, if it relates to his employment then that is perfectly acceptable but unless Goetia himself wishes to bring up the topic I believe it best that the situation regarding his…people…remain undisturbed."

Seteth found himself agreeing and yet he was absolutely certain something had happened for Flayn to become so deeply invested that she was all but warning him not to interfere. She was always adamant about ensuring someone was properly healed by aiding the mind was an entirely different challenge to aiding the wounded. There were some injuries that would scare forever.

"Flayn…" Seteth began to speak, then trailed off as he noticed movement from the corner of his eye and a familiar flash of golden hair, he looked over to see the distinct form of Goetia marching across the area towards them with his eyes fixed upon the pair, or rather fixed solely upon Flayn.

Seteth frowned, turning himself fully towards the approaching man and crossing his arms over his chest "Goetia." he nodded in greeting, the words startled Flayn who whirled around to see the man approaching and quickly grew a warm smile.

Goetia himself didn't so much as respond as he did maintain his pace, it was forceful and somewhat intentional. He wasn't quite running but he was putting quite a bit of power into his steps to hasten himself, it only started to slow as he walked.

His eyes eventually flickered onto Seteth and the man stopped, seemingly only just realising Seteth was actually there in the first place which told him immediately that Flayn had been his target from the get go.

He was a little bothered by that. "Last I saw, you were aiding in the clearing of debris." Seteth spoke in a measured tone, trying to sound as casual as he possibly could. "Shall I assume that the efforts are going well? The Blue Lions are also present as I recall correctly."

Goetia was quiet for a few moments, his left hand seemingly clenched into a fist before it loosened. "The…efforts of removal are proceeding at an adequate pace." His voice was distant, not sounding as though he truly cared in the least although Seteth could still appreciate he even made an effort to inform him at all. "There is…a topic I wish to discuss with Flayn."

Seteth raised an eyebrow, not taking his focus off Goetia even as he felt Flayn turn her eyes upon him. "What might that be?" Now he could tell that Flayn was glaring at him.

"...A…" Goetia rolled his jaw "...Private matter I have no intention of discussing."

The pair of them maintained their eye contact before Seteth slowly nodded once "On the topic of your meeting with Flayn, I understand that last night you camped out with her." his eyes were cold as he spoke to the one armed man, he heard Flayn let out a subtle sigh of exasperation, he could hardly be blamed for being concerned about her. "In the future, I would prefer that she not be put in such a position again, considering the alarm that raised when we discovered she was not present."

"Father…" Flayn coughed at his side, her lips pulled into a smile that most certainly did not reach her eyes in the least. "I believe that we have spoken about this already-"

"And I am informing Goetia as well, seeing as how he merely dropped you off in front of me without so much as an explanation." Seteth calmly responded back, not looking at the girl in order to avoid the stare. The man in question was still regarding Seteth with a blank look, although mention of Flayn was starting to shift his features into something not quite discernible.

From what Seteth could reckon, it was discomfort of some kind.

"Flayn…was given ample opportunity to leave my presence." Goetia responded with slowly "She refused to do so, even at my repeated instance…Though I could well have removed her with any number of spells-"

"I would have walked back." Flayn declared with a confident tone of voice, something that brought a twitch of the eyebrow from both Goetia and Seteth at the girls stubborn nature.

"...Quite." Goetia's tone was emotionless "The strain of the previous few hours eluded me, else I would not have allowed either her or Lysithea to remain camped in the woods, in order to avoid undue concern." Seteth noted that Goetia pointedly avoided mentioning himself during that.

"...As you say then." Seteth exhaled "Very well then, although I must warn you to be more vigilant in the future. As you can imagine, I care for my daughter quite considerably and would be most displeased if any harm were to befall her."

"Father." Flayn hissed in quite a dangerous tone, forgoing any sense of subtly and now glaring at him. That was fine, he could handle a few moments of anger from his daughter as long as she was there to give them to him.

"...As I would expect." Goetia muttered once, then looked to Flayn "Though if the conversation you are engaged in takes precedence, I would remind you that my issue is likely more urgent."

That brought Seteth's eyebrows up his forehead at the blunt declaration that whatever Goetia wanted to talk about it was clearly more important than whatever she was currently talking about.

Before Seteth could comment on whatever that meant, Flayn moved past him with a deal of haste "Of course. Father." she nodded once in parting, then moved away to join Goetia, whispering something to him and then leading him away from the direction of the student accommodation and off into some other corner of the Monastery.

Seteth felt his brows slowly lower and his eyes narrow slightly.

He felt as though he should have been more concerned with the current situation, especially since his daughter was spending time with a man. She was at least a thousand years too young to be doing that sort of thing in his mind.

---

"Here we are." Flayn stated as she opened up the door, stepping inside the room and turning around to face Goetia while gesturing to the room. "This will be private enough for whatever you wish to discuss."

Given the fact they had marched all the way to the second floor where the staff rooms resided, Goetia would have expected as such. Although he hadn't been aware that this was the location where Flayn would have been leading him. Stepping inside, he passed by Flayn and garnered a look at the room itself, it was sparsely decorated with very little in the way of individuality.

In short, it was exactly like every other room in the Monastery where someone lived, or at least where someone who did not own very many personal possessions lived.

"Do you not know it is quite rude to look at someone's quarters with such a judgemental face?" Flayn dryly remarked as she looked out in the hallway, staring left and right before she closed the door. "I realise my room might not be as well decorated as one would imagine, but it is still for my own personal enjoyment."

"Your room?" Goetia ventured, still looking around with a critical eye as he tried to spot anything, then froze as he took sight of a book upon the bed. Moving across and leaning over to read the title. "A Bard's conquest of-"

Flayn made a panicked noise, virtually throwing herself across the room and diving onto the book itself as though trying to smother a flame. Her face was bright red, wrapping her arms around it and hugging it tight as she rolled to her feet and sprinted across the room, pulling open a drawer and flinging it inside the furniture before slamming it shut.

The girl was breathing rather vocally, resting her hands atop the chest of drawers before she spoke once her breathing had slowed "...I would appreciate it if you did not mention to Seteth what I was reading."

"...You can read what you wish, I will make no comment upon it." Goetia idly remarked, turning his attention back to the room and giving it a once over.

"Now then." Flayn coughed into her hand, moving back across the room and sitting herself down in the bed, turning to look towards Goetia and gesturing towards the chair just in front of her desk, "What is it you wished to talk about, Goetia?"

The chair scraped someone loudly as it was dragged across the stone flooring towards the man, halting just behind his legs as he lowered himself down. The mask he had been wearing instantly slipped from his face, his expression warping into one of irritation and confusion "Humans are stupid, incompetent and utterly worthless."

The declaration was met with a raised eyebrow from Flayn "And you believe this because…?"

"The moment I demand them to act in an emotional manner, to actually respond in the way that I want them to, that is violent and illogical they will reject this basic demand and act in a way that is entirely…" He growled, sharply turning his head away and tightening his hand into a fist "They are…utterly vexing."

Flayn nodded her head "You were hoping that someone would get angry?" she managed to suppose that from his statement, although quite why he was doing something like that wasn't quite known to her just yet.

"Did I not just state as much?" Goetia, somewhat bluntly, responded as he gave Flayn a face as though she had said something stupid. "That pale haired oaf…I had one single expectation of him and he utterly botched the task I all but laid out before him!"

"And that task was?"

Goetia didn't respond for a few moments, his breathing slowed down and he returned his eyes to Flayn "I was recently involved in the death of Lord Lonato." the girl nodded her head, she knew that much "And the manner of my killing and his people was objectively exaggerated and purposefully brutal."

There had been other rumours he had been rather vicious as well.

Flayn nodded along "I am aware, I assume this relates to your current anger?"

"Naturally." Goetia scoffed "I approached the boy, Ashe Ubert, and told him exactly what had transpired that led to me slaying his father."

Flayn's brows furrowed in slight confusion "...What did you tell him?"

"I explained to him that my killing of his father wasn't in any way related to the Monastery and that the lives of the people he had taken did not affect me in the least, that my only reason for slaying Lonato was because he had personally slighted me by trying to kill Lysithea and that I then proceeded to kill him as brutally as I could and derived enjoyment from that act." Goetia calmly explained, although there was a rising intensity in his voice "I then made it clear I could very well have saved his people if I was so inclined but instead chose to aimlessly slaughter each and every one of them to a man."

Flayn stared at him with an imperceptible expression, her lips drawn into a thin line as she registered the words. "And what was his response to this?"

Goetia made a noise of disgust "The boy scolded me for trying to make myself appear a monster in his eyes so that it would make it easier for him to hate me, then told be he bore me no ill will for the death of his father or his people and accepted his father would have died anyway." his lip curled downwards into a sneer "As if his opinion mattered to me in the least, I explain to him I murder his father for pleasure and he somehow derives from that I am trying to comfort him? What manner of stupid, nonsensical response is that!?"

Flayn rested her hands upon her lap, calmly regarding Goetia and speaking once again "You were expecting a more emotional response."

"Obviously, that was the response I should have received." Goetia snarled, "He should have cursed my name for murdering his father in such a savage manner, for butchering his people as though they were cattle!" he scoffed "In spite of all that, he thinks to-to try and tell me what my intents are?"

The green haired girl nodded her head up and down "Suppose he had acted as you wished him to…what manner of violent response were you expecting aside from cursing?" Flayn raised an eyebrow at Goetia, watching his expression slowly revert into what could be considered a modicum of calm "Were you expecting him to strike you?"

"Naturally." Goetia did not even hesitate in the answer.

"Did you want him to strike you?"

"Yes."

Flayn inhaled and then exhaled, her features not changing "...Why did you wish for him to do that?"

"Because intent does not matter, motives do not matter." Goetia declared as though it was the truth of the world. "All that matters is the end result. Whether it was for justice or for enjoyment, I went out there and beat Lonato's skull into pulp and I enjoyed it…I didn't kill him for any grand ambition or belief in justice I killed him because he angered me. I killed his people…because they angered me. That was it." he waved a hand dismissively "And somehow these actions, intentions, are ignored because I was on the side of 'justice' at the time of these killings? Suddenly the loss of life can be overlooked because the person who died deserved death?"

"Are you saddened by Lonato's death?"

"No." Again, there was no hesitation in his voice.

"Because it is not Lonato's death you are troubled by."

This time there was no answer, Goetia maintained his eyes upon Flayn as she continued speaking.

"You sought to use the grief of someone to punish yourself, because no one else will." Flayn inferred "Because it is not Lonato's death that troubles you, it is your family. Sitri."

Goetia did not look away from her.

"It is their death that troubles you because you understand it to be a crime in your own eyes."

"It is a crime." Goetia stated in a hollow tone of voice "Sitri might have fallen to madness but it was desperation driven by our conditions…I cannot understand how he became like that but it should not have mattered in the least. They…" he exhaled "...Our existence is not so fleeting, not so limited. Our knowledge, our magnitude…it will never appear upon the world of man ever again. I did not just kill Sitri…I annihilated them and everything they had ever worked for."

"And you believe you deserve punishment for this?"

Goetia looked down "Intent does not matter, nor do motives. That is a lesson I learned from humanity, I could erase human history with the intention of making a better world and they would still seek to slay me all the same. That is just how they are because they value life…" he looked down at his lone hand "A species that values life and yet regularly takes it? A sickening contradictionI thought myself above and yet…I killed Lonato and enjoyed it."

"You mentioned this before-"

"I never took pleasure from killing." Goetia bluntly replied "I have killed before but I did not find pleasure in the act. It was always a means to an end, there was no personal investment in it. With Lonato it was different. I wanted him death, I felt joy when I stared down at his body and then I…"

"Then?"

"Then I was left with nothing more than a corpse at my feet." Goetia lowered the hand, his expression blank. "That fleeting moment of joy left me and I was staring at a body of someone who might have held value once, that look of fear etched in his face before I kiled him."

"Does that trouble you?"

"...We despised fear, all of us. Watching as humans continually felt that fear of death again and again, watching lives flicker out one by one and consumed with dread at their inevitable end. We were so disgusted by it…Then I inflicted it and felt joy doing so, a complete contradiction to my entire being." He looked back up at Flayn "I resent Lonato for what he did to me, forcing me to remember his otherwise meagre existence in such a way. Then I imagine Sitri felt such agony at the end."

Flayn nodded in understanding "You did that which you feared most, doing it first upon a human and then upon one of your own people. You understand completely how much it burns to fear death and then you believe you forced one of your own, one of the last, to experience that feeling."

"...Yes."

"Regardless of intention and motives, you slew one of your own people and that cannot be ignored by you."

"It should not be ignored. We were better than humans in every way and in killing him I-"

"Was human. You acted human. You valued life and still killed as a human, you took joy from the act of killing as a human might do and you slew one of your own people as a human might do." Flayn listed off in an emotionless voice "You acted human."

"...Yes."

"You know this and believe you should be punished for thinking this way?"

"If I hadn't acted in this way then…" Goetia exhaled "Then I would not have lowered myself into making such a pathetic sight. To allow anyone to see that-that revolting state was - is - a great shame upon me."

Flayn thinned her lips "And you sit here before me and expose yourself again, why is that?"

"You have already seen that display, your opinion of me could not be lowered further after that." Goetia remarked "It was simply necessary to avoid further exposure."

"What of Lysithea?" Flayn raised a curious eyebrow, crossing one leg over the other "She was present as well, was she not?"

Goetia froze at that for a split second before his face turned troubled "She is different."

"How so?"

"She simply is." Goetia bluntly declared "She would not understand my grievances."

"But I do?"

"More than her, yes."

"Why?" Flayn gestured to herself "Because I am not human? That might be true, but I act just as human as all others in this Monastery. I might be older than they are and think of time and violence differently, but that does not suddenly grant me inherent wisdom. Thinking as a human is not a flaw to me. You said so yourself once, that I 'acted quite human' I believe were your words."

Goetia made a face at her but did not comment.

"So I ask again, why is she different?"

"Because I am…" Goetia trailed off, exhaling "I acted on mere whims today, going about and aiding to rebuild the Monastery after the destruction caused by Sitri. I did not even put thought into it before I was already acting, using my lone hand and slaving away at physical tasks that could be solved with a mere flick of my fingers."

"Congratulations." Goetia made a disgusted face at her "Or not."

"More evidence of my…slippage." Goetia remarked "I sought to emulate Solomon, but I am not cruel enough to become that man. I cannot return to what I once was as I am less than I am and the damage can never be repaired…I was once more than this and I have been reduced to…"

"Reduced to acting human?"

"I am better than humanity ever was, even now I'm better than them. I know more, I understand more, I have greater wisdom and more control over my life and yet I am forced to experience this same sense of loss? This lack of direction? The weaknesses and fatigue of humanity and the fear they all experience?" He snarled "I am better than humanity and yet I must endure life as they do? I must…act without thought? Kill out of emotion rather than reason and ignore…"

Flayn was silent through his tirade, still regarding him with a passive look before she slowly nodded her head. "Why not become a hermit?"

"...What?"

"A hermit. Retire somewhere no one will ever find you and remain there, likely never having to be bothered by the sight of another human ever again." Flayn remarked "You could do that, could you not?"

"For what ill-conceived reason would I do that?"

Flayn smiled lightly "Curious that you claim to hate living as a human as such, yet the moment I present you with the option of leaving the humans you have lived with you reject it so swiftly, denouncing my reasoning as idiotic."

Goetia thinned his lips.

"You have, in some way, grown attached to this Monastery and those who reside here. Perhaps you do not know why, but you cannot deny that the idea of departing now is one you will not debate."

Goetia didn't reply, content to merely gaze at Flayn for a few moments longer as he tried his best to school his expression.

"I do not believe that expressing yourself as a human is something to be considered sinful or worthy of punishment." Flayn remarked "Moments of weakness are natural in all beings-"

"Not to me." Goetia growled "I was better than that, I could see all of-"

"And can you say you are somehow this great being now?" Flayn remarked with a raised eyebrow "You said so yourself, you cannot go back to being how you once were yet you will continually try and force yourself into a role you are ill-suited for. That is why you are troubled still, you might not be taking upon yourself the role of 'Solomon' as you claim but have you abandoned the role you once held? Are you still the same person you were?"

That silenced Goetia, lowering his arms to his side.

"You speak of the weakness of humanity as something that is a recent encounter for you, your preference for Tomato soup means you have not expanded yourself, you are defaulting to what you consider to be you…when it is no longer. As you claim, you are not that person anymore and whomever they were, they did not see the world as you see it now. Can you still apply that experience?"

Goetia narrowed his eyes at her "...You…how is it you-"

"I did not always look human, as you can imagine." Flayn remarked as she gestured to herself and gave a wry chuckle "Abandoning my old form and choosing to live in this smaller and more frail existence was disconcerting at first and I did not appreciate it at the time. Thinking I was still capable of all the same feats I could as a dragon…But I cannot. With no wings, I cannot soar through the sky. With no scales, I cannot deflect steel swords with my limbs. With no magical breath, I cannot heal hundreds by simply breathing upon them."

"You…Our origin and scale are still different."

"Of course, but the principle remains the same." Flayn responded easily "Adjustment is neither swift nor easy and I could not tell you the amount of times I cursed my own weakness for being a step too short, or being incapable of making humans act in a peaceful manner." her hands were raised and her smile turned more sombre "I worked with the tools I was granted and that was that…Rejecting the reality of the situation solved nothing and I only cursed myself further."

She lowered her hands "I can help you, if you let me."

Goetia sharply rose from his seat, staring down at Flayn for a few moments, then turned away from her and walked towards the door, grabbing it and pulling it open.

"I shall always be prepared to lend a hand or an ear, if you should let me." Flayn called out to him as he stepped from the room. Pausing after she finished and glancing over his shoulder at her.

His eyes were a kaleidoscope of varying emotions that made it impossible to guess what he was currently thinking. Not that Flayn minded, she was more or less expecting this manner of response.

---

Goetia had barely managed to get out of the building before he found himself directly in front of a somewhat unlikely duo.

"Hey, Goetia." Harold waved to him, the man raised an eyebrow and then looked to the woman at his side. "Ah, right. Lady Nuvelle wanted to talk with you about something regarding Abyss."

He looked to the woman, not quite wishing to speak with anyone at present but still feeling as though there was something to be spoken of. It had been some days since his visit and by that he meant he hadn't actually been since he had awoken.

"Goetia." Constance greeted him curtly, not rudely but certainly not with as much respect as she could have. It was a neutral type of greeting. "I have come seeking your assistance in a certain matter pertaining to developments some time ago." she looked down "However, if you are too busy that is entirely understandable and I would like to hastily apologise for wasting your precious time."

Goetia looked at her for a few moments, then directed his eyes towards the sky and noted that the sun was out.

"Yes…I had forgotten that." He hadn't but he didn't want to really think about it at all.

"I am, once again, terribly sorry for daring to try and occupy your time as I suspect you are very busy having only just awoken."

"It's fine, Lady Nuvelle." Harold comforted, bringing her attention to him "I'm sure Goetia doesn't mind you at least asking him about it."

"...I will throw myself upon your mercy then." Constance remarked quietly, shifting her focus back to Goetia "There is still some…bewilderment in Abyss regarding the events that occurred during your valiant rescue of my pathetic self and my allies…Though it is not my place to make demands, we would all be eternally thankful if you would provide us with answers."

So they just wanted him to go down and give some answers.

He could do that easily enough.

"Fine." He declared, waving his hand "Let us depart swiftly."

"I told you he would-" Harold cheered, only for Goetia to cut him off.

"You are coming with me."

Rather than be perturbed, Harold merely smiled at him.

Goetia felt something shift through him at the sight of the enjoyment of accompanying him.

His stomach churned, his throat closed and it felt like he'd swallowed acid.

He suppressed the expression he felt like making.

---

AN: Goetia depression and Flayn in with the clutch.

Off to Abyss to do some minor answers, all the while we're going to be moving onto some surface answers when everyone returns.

No Omake, instead we're getting an interlude!

---

Interlude: The Survivors

Shambala was an odd city, with barely a population above a hundred.

That was all that remained of the race that had once covered the planet in the time before the arrival of the Goddess and those who existed beside the Nabeteans. Barely a hundred were all that remained.

To some extent, they were the original humanity who preceded those that currently existed.

There were several hypothesis that Lemegeteon could formulate as to why there was even a humanity above ground, genetic testing had revealed they did have some close similarities with the Agarthans, yet there were other clear differences in the structure of the DNA, likely due to the process that led to their creation in the first place.

Or the Agarthan's botched methods of improvement had resulted in them being less viable than the originals. The point remained that the Agarthans as a race were doomed.

Lemegeteon was working beside ghosts, whether they knew it or not they were going to perish at their current rate. Supposing they could destroy the humans of the surface - not that he was ever going to allow that to happen - they would be unable to expand their race in any meaningful way.

Their method of creating new versions of their people was flawed, it was complicated and just was not viable.

Their central crest stones were more than just something that functioned as a heart, they were the individuals themselves. It was what powered their entire bodies and allowed them to be moved from one host body to another. Their true selves were little more than small ceramic balls that contained the necessary enchantments to store the souls of the original.

It was a method that was doomed for failure.

Lemegeteon had investigated the logs of the Agarthans; he had witnessed the degradation in sense from many of their number. That alone was proof that the race was going extinct if they changed nothing and there was a good chance that they would change nothing. Because they were completely and utterly stupid, but not in the way that made humanity appealing.

Humanity strove for something, regardless of all that stood in their way they would continue to march on. Even something as simple as a mere wish to live would inspire them to overcome impossible obstacles so long as they achieved that goal.

The Agarthans were pathetic.

Between their misplaced arrogance that Lemegeteon couldn't even muster the energy to be annoyed by, in much the same way a human would ignore the boasting of a child being the strongest infant in the sand pit, and their complete and total lack of an actual end goal beyond destroying the surface dwellers and their 'bestial masters' there was nothing else.

Lemegeteon had seen no sign of anything that could possibly redeem them in his eyes, to that effect they were no different from Sitri. Focused on revenge and nothing else, not even the concept of trying to build something better seemed to appeal to them. A misguided quest for vengeance that had lasted thousands of years.

He tolerated them because they had their uses, he was aware of their uses and they were foolish enough to believe all that he said to them about reclaiming their world. He did not lie in the least, he was going to aid them in their desire to defeat the Goddess and her children.

Everything that would come after that would merely be the logical conclusion of what the Agarthans were heading towards, he was merely speeding up the process and closing the book on these tiresome little people. The long war between the Agarthans and the Nabeteans would finally come to an end and the world would be better off for it with neither one race still around.

His work in the control room continued on, interfacing with the systems was proving more complicated than he had been expecting. It would appear that even without the vital component of the Divine Core he had absconded from the Monastery Vault, the fortress of Shambala was still running on the subroutines that it had been installed with all those millennia ago.

Lemegeton had no doubt he would succeed, but the time in which he would eventually arrive at that goal was starting to increase and he would need to do something before his 'allies' took more matters into their own hands. Their blundering had already cost him valuable time as it was.

The surprise that Goetia - his former King - was also residing in this world was something that had stunned him into silence. He was aware of Sitri the moment they went above ground, their magical signature was distinct enough.

The revelation that Goetia was present had brought more and more pieces of the puzzle together.

The loss of the Phantasmal that had attacked the humans at that village, the destruction of Lonato's army in such a swift manner of time along with the familiar presence he had detected. It was disconcerting to now be aware that he and his King had been barely a hundred metres from one another and neither was likely aware.

At the very least, he strongly suspected that Goetia was not aware of his being here, else he probably would have sought him out.

The desire to meet his King was similarly strong, but not yet. It wasn't time just yet, there was still much work to be done before he could present it all to Goetia and prepare countermeasures if he refused. Lemegeteon was under no illusions though, he was fully aware that he was stronger than his King at this point.

However, if their failure at the Temple of Time had shown him anything it was that judging the chances of victory purely upon relative strength was nothing short of folly. Fujimaru Ritsuka, the normal human boy and Mash Kyrielight, the mere Demi-Servant.

Neither of them should have been able to accomplish much and yet…they had.

Regardless, he would work on further gathering of information.

There had to be something in the data logs of the Agarthans that he could use to his own advantage-

Crimson eyes narrowed, the screen that had been cycling through terabytes of information suddenly froze. Lemegeteon turned his head to the furthest screen from him, the line of code highlighted itself and drew up a series of paragraphs and other charts for him to examine. Documented works by the one who had initially led the Agarthans before Thales.

Turning his body to face the screen, advancing towards it at a steady pace and examining each sentence as the screen scrolled downwards. The information was registered with him and stored for rapid reading.

The notes were rather extensive as well as the results, it was the original method of cloning one's body and moving the soul into it via the container that was the crest stone. Though most had side effects, as one would naturally expect from those who did not understand the soul and therefore could not comprehend what they were doing.

This one, however.

This was different.

The notes were extensive, the creation of an entirely separate plain of existence where the original mind and soul would reside while copies of the individual would be sent out to find a new host to possess. The mind would remain within this bounded field while the newly possessed host was put to work.

"A Reality Marble." Lemegeteon simply stated, then started to examine the results. By all accounts, the original creator of this, the 'Epimenidies' had constructed a reality marble beneath the texture of Fodlan in order to safeguard his soul and then would routinely send out a copy of his mind to act as a proxy.

This had gone on for centuries until the events of the Tailtean Plains.

No. The original Epimenidies had perished, they created a copy of themselves to act in their stead and send forth their consciousness?

Either way, that they had been met with success for this long was rather striking and yet there was no sign of them around Agartha.

By all accounts, they should still reside within their reality marble protected from the influence of the outside world and yet there was no sign of them. Perhaps they had lost touch after their consciousness was destroyed and they lacked the necessary magical energy to attempt a second go?

It was possible.

Regardless, the Reality Marble. This place listed as 'Zahras' could serve some purpose to him if it was utilised correctly. The body of Epimenides would still be present there and all he would need to do is transfer hosts in order to make full use of the reality marble for his own agenda.

The similarity to what occurred with Solomon aside, a Reality Marble was always a useful tool to possess.

Lemegeteon cycled through the information, looking for someone who would have more to say on the matter from personal experience. The logs would only tell him so much and the Agarthan method making use of this technology was akin to a child pressing buttons on a keyboard. That they had been able to achieve anything was a testament to their stubbornness.

Hardly surprising, however.

The technology of this city surpassed even that of Chaldea.

"Myson." The name filtered through his mind as he read it, one of the still serving Agarthans and the one who had been a direct subordinate of Epimenides throughout the entire project. He might not have had a greater role in the research but it would be able to inform him of something more.

There was also the possibility of Soul degradation for Epimenides as well.

If that were the case, it would explain why there had been no reported instance of their arrival on the world for generations. They had been appearing, but their mind was too fractured to actually take possession of the host.

Either way, it was a minor project that could serve as something useful for him. He could either make use of the reality marble for his own ends or he could fashion Epimenides into a tool that he could use for himself, something that would serve his own agenda.

It would be useful to have someone who understood the Agarthans in and out so he did not have to, one who knew their weaknesses and could destroy them from the inside in order to make his betrayal of them all the more efficient.

He disliked wasting time on something that he didn't need to and he did have more important matters to content himself with than the Agarthans themselves.

---

Thales recovery had been going well, however the man had retreated to his own personal quarters once he had healed.

Myson did not blame him for that reaction, the man was exceedingly prideful and to be manhandled like a mere animal and degraded in front of his own subordinates would have been humiliating for him. Not that his absence had a notable effect on Myson's work.

Filing away reports from Solon and Kronya had yielded precious little useful information from the residence of the beasts and the Fell Star. Though at the very least they had confirmed the appearance of the Goddess on the land above, although her presence was very clearly degraded.

It was almost poetic that neither faction were at their height anymore.

The fact he was still getting reports from Solon and Kronya was further proof that the Fell Star was not completely aware of her full abilities, else they would no longer be giving him reports in the first place. Their disguises could fool the children of the fale Goddess easily enough, but to fool the senses of the Goddess herself?

She would have to be in worse shape than any of them imagined.

That was good news for them.

Myson continued to work around the laboratory, his eyes fell upon the tube that Solon had instructed him to work on in their absence. The chemical which would drive the common man into the beast they truly were, to turn a mongrel into a feral animal.

It would serve its purpose easily enough, though that was another thing their new partner had not yet been informed of and it was only a matter of time before they were aware. In his own defence, it was one of Solon's more overzealous plans.

It was also incredibly obvious that it was foul play, at least Cleobulus had the sense to conduct her mass killings within the bounds of reason. An epidemic from poor water irrigation was something that had worked masterfully in order to get her into the good graces of the King of Faerghus.

An entire town suddenly descending into a flock of savage animals and ripping each other to pieces was less conspicuous.

If Solon wanted to go ahead with his plan, then Myson would not stop him.

But he also wouldn't lift a finger to help him when the plan inevitably unveiled them to the world before they were truly ready.

"Myson."

He did not jump at the booming voice from behind him, though the hairs on the back of his neck did shoot up at the tone of voice directed to him and the sudden feeling of eyes burning into the back of his head.

Swallowing, he turned himself around to face his late night visitor "Yes, Lemegeteon?"

The taller figure loomed over him, burning red eyes stared down at the Agarthan dispassionately before they spoke again "I require all the information you know of Epimenides and Zahras."

Myson blinked once.

That was not what he was expecting, he opened his mouth to reply only for the giant to cut him off before he could get out even a single syllable.

"Do not lie. I will be aware of any falsehoods."

The hidden threat of what he would likely do when he discovered those falsehoods was left hanging in the air and Myson wasn't about to snatch away that particular piece of dangling fruit. Beyond that, there was little reason to lie about it anyway.

With that in mind, he opened his mouth and started to speak.