This chapter marks the first part of the two-part finale, which will also be the last true chapter of Book I. After the finale will be a single interlude chapter, likely also containing my thoughts on the entirety of Book I, and then it's on to Book II.
Begin!
Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks
Chapter XIII—Thanatos, Part I ~ Viewpoint of Demise
[July 8, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Garden Commander's Office | 8:04 PM]
"You…want me to come along?"
Ein Beoulve's face was the picture of innocence and confusion as he stood before Katanas' desk, watching the smiling Garden Commander as he sat calmly in his chair.
"I do. It's late, so I expect little to happen here that Albel could not handle in our place, and I believe that it's high time I showed you one of the places where I tend to disappear to on occasion," Katanas spoke calmly. "Think of it as a field trip. You've been doing a lot of work lately, and I thought I might find some way to show my appreciation."
Ein's eyes lit up as his face broke into a smile, and it became clear that he was suddenly having trouble containing his excitement. For all his skill at his duties, the young SeeD officer was still very much a kid at heart, despite the professional attitude he put forth in his day-to-day activities.
"When do we leave? Do I need to get ready? Should I take anything?"
Katanas chuckled lightly at Ein's sudden, rapid-fire line of questions, and held up a hand in a placating gesture. "Don't rush yourself. You're dressed just fine for a trip to the Ethereal Plane – just make sure you have your blade with you. The Ethereal Plane is peaceful, but danger could strike anywhere, as I'm sure you've been taught by your time here. I'm not saying that anything will happen, but just make sure to stay alert, and let me take the lead if anything does come up."
Ein nodded – he'd always taken that lesson to heart, as both his mentor and his sister placed the highest value in it. He patted the blade at his side, making sure that the scabbard was firmly attached to its place.
"Can we go now?" he chirped happily, his body language expectant and excited. Katanas smiled, and then stood from his desk, reaching for the rapier kept behind it as he armed himself as well. Next, he opened a drawer on the desk, reaching inside and retrieving a pair of inscribed gauntlets. Each bore a customized transmutation circle on the back of the white cloth, the source of his Flame Alchemy. He slipped them on carefully, and then stepped around the desk to meet Ein, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"All you have to do is take a step," Katanas replied, a knowing smile on his face.
"…Just one step?" Ein asked, quizzically. "You mean, like this?"
Ein made to step forward, and Katanas stepped with him, careful to keep his hand on Ein's shoulder so as to channel the energies of his Planeswalk through him as well. Two feet touched the floor of the office in sync for the briefest instant before Katanas' Planeswalk whisked them away from the mortal plane and onto the Crystal Path.
[Ethereal Plane, Upper Court]
"Just like that."
Ein was speechless for several long seconds, and Katanas' amused chuckle cut through the air as Ein finally voiced the only reaction to the sudden change in scenery – and dimensional plane – that he could manage.
"…Whoa."
"Welcome to the Ethereal Plane," Katanas said, sweeping his arms out wide. "Home of the cerebral and idealistic. One polar side of the universal coin, if you will – also the opposite of the Nether Plane, home to the instinctual and realistic."
Ein spun slowly in a circle, taking in all the sights of wonder while Katanas took a moment to rest. Planeswalking wasn't the most draining endeavor when doing it solely for the user, but bringing someone else along made the normally-simple task exponentially more difficult, even if the person in question was also a Planeswalker. The energies used for shifting between planes and realms were simply not meant to be channeled through beings other than the one commanding them.
"You've told me about the Nether Plane before, I think," Ein commented, still enamored by the sights around him. "Is that where the demons come from?"
"Daiesthai," Katanas corrected, "but yes, it is. This plane is somewhat of its direct opposite, the home of beings called Erudite."
Ein nodded; Katanas had given him some information on the Ethereal Plane and Nether Plane in the past, information which he was now trying to remember. "Erudite are more powerful, right?"
"Not necessarily. On average, yes, an Erudite is more powerful than a Daiesthai, but there are very powerful Nether Plane beings just as there are very powerful Ethereal Plane beings, or very powerful mortals."
Ein gave another nod to Katanas, finally starting to turn his attention back to his mentor, before he stopped, gaze locked on something in the distance that seemed to suddenly fascinate him. "Katanas…what is that?"
Katanas turned slightly, following Ein's outstretched finger towards the source of his amazement, and smiled as he realized what had caught the younger boy's eye.
"That is our destination – to be precise, that building is called the Palace of Creation. I believe I've mentioned a Lady Freya Vanadis to you in the past, as well?" Ein gave a quiet 'yes' in response, and Katanas nodded, gesturing for Ein to follow. "The Palace of Creation is her home of sorts, the place where she handles her daily affairs and meets with anyone who requires it. I plan on introducing you to her today, if I'm able."
Ein's eyes widened – he knew that as a Planeswalker, Katanas answered to Aizen Sosuke, the Overlord of the Nether Plane, but he had never met the Overlord personally. Now, Katanas was going to actually take him to see the leader of an entire plane of existence? It felt surreal in a way, like he was walking in a hazy dream, but the excitement that he was feeling all throughout his body assured him that he was very firmly planted in reality.
The pathway leading through the Upper Court that Katanas and Ein walked seemed mostly deserted, with only a few Erudite wandering the area, mostly too occupied by their tasks to offer more than a passing glance at the duo as they headed towards the palace in the distance.
"Most of the buildings around here are for governmental matters," Katanas explained, gesturing around the area. "Yes, even the outer planes have paperwork…though I imagine it being of a vastly different sort."
"I can't even imagine what governing an entire existence would be like…!"
"Well, maybe you can ask Lady Freya yourself when we get there, hm?"
Ein's eyes widened again, and he nodded emphatically to Katanas, resisting the urge to run ahead in his excitement as he let the Garden Commander lead him towards the distant building.
"It's perfect."
Arragious threw an odd look in the direction of the tiny girl beside him as they sat and watched the entrance to the Palace of Creation. She hadn't said a word ever since they had arrived, simply sitting and watching in silence with an eerie smile on her face as Erudite came and went through the courtyard. Arragious was an extremely calm being, with nerves of steel and the patience of a saint, but even he was becoming restless.
"Even if you failed to bring any harm to Odin…well, you still advanced my plans. The palace's defenses are the lowest in decades, and Freya's advisors are too busy running around to bother realizing that what they seek is right under their noses."
"You act as if they would give you any trouble at full strength. Certainly, you boast of your ability enough that it should be simple for you either way."
"So nice of you to remember," the child replied. "Still, the easier the better. Heroic-types always have a tendency to surprise you with unwanted tactics."
"What about the Pillars?" Arragious asked. "I take it you have plans for them, if they interfere?"
"They won't be able to do much," she remarked offhandedly, her smile turning predatory. "Fayt's power is trivial compared to mine, and Destine is too distraught to lift a finger right now. Only Will would stand in my way, and he's too pacifistic to do anything without a direct order from Freya…which she would never give. She's too soft-hearted – she'll want to deal with this herself, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
"As you wish," the former Captain-Commander replied, conceding to the little girl's whims. If she said that she had everything in control, he would simply sit back and watch.
If she was wrong, then he would get an excellent opportunity to finish what he had started, and if she was right, then she would finish it for him. Either way, the victory would be his – it was only a matter of whether it was shared or alone.
"Should we mo–"
"We're being watched."
The girl's voice was as casual as if she were discussing the weather as she interrupted Arragious, gesturing off towards the courtyard with an uninterested look across her face. Arragious' eyes turned towards the direction she was pointing, and found a most unwelcome sight as he focused in on the object of her attention – one of Freya's Planeswalkers, holding a glittering blue blade at his side. Idly, Arragious recognized him as the Vayash Moru that she had brought into her service, Liam Bayloh.
'No matter. He is of little consequence to us,' he thought to himself, watching as the girl smiled and stepped off from atop the building that they were on, her feet reacting as if she were on solid ground as she stepped onto thin air. With every step, she moved lower, as if she were walking down some invisible staircase, and Arragious quietly followed, letting himself fall to the ground easily as the girl slowly made her way towards Angel.
Angel tensed as he watched the pair approach. Freya had, ever since the first attack on Master Hirota, given instructions to Angel and her other Planeswalkers to watch for Arragious Nicholai, and to only engage him alone if retreat was not an option. The Creator wanted someone such as Odin or Xeios to assist if possible, but Angel knew that he was about to find himself in a situation where retreat was, in fact, impossible – not through any literal impossibility, but because of the fact that the Palace of Creation was directly behind him, and he did not know who was inside to guard Lady Freya. His duty as a Planeswalker was first to his patron, and he was not going to let anyone harm his patron without doing all he could to stop them. He made no move for his weapon, however; drawing first may only escalate things more quickly, and he wanted all the time he could get to prepare.
"Liam Bayloh," the girl said, taking small, quiet steps towards Angel's position with all the care of someone on a nature walk. "It's so good to finally see you. I'd heard that Freya had brought a Vayash Moru into the fold, but I didn't believe it. Yet, you're standing here in front of me right this very moment. How…quaint."
Angel said nothing, keeping his expression calm as he watched Arragious join the girl, falling into step behind her. The way she spoke was unnerving, and he realized that she was almost certainly not another Planeswalker – the others in Freya's employ knew well of him, and she seemed to know only what she had most likely heard from Arragious, from his guess. That meant that she was likely a powerful outer planar being, though he couldn't guess from which plane. Arragious' body language seemed to suggest that he was working for the girl, not with her, judging by the way he stayed subtly behind her position, and knowing how powerful Arragious was from the information Freya had given…
How powerful did she have to be?
"Should I deal with him for you?" Arragious rumbled, casting a quick glance in the girl's direction. She giggled in response, holding up a hand to her companion.
"I think not," she remarked, taking a step forward. "It's been years since I had the chance to see a Planeswalker in action, you know. I'd like to see if Freya's choices have improved any since the early years."
The girl was within twenty feet of Angel now, and he knew he could close that distance and strike in a heartbeat…but still, he stayed his blade. He was caught in a bad situation, and he knew it – striking first, with no idea of what his opponent could do, had the potential to be disastrous, but so did sitting idle. He made a snap decision; his hand reached for his blade, and it cleared its sheath as he took a step forward.
A moment later, Angel found his motion suddenly and violently reversed, his head snapping forward as a powerful wave of telekinetic force sent him flying into the wall of the palace hard enough to send cracks spider webbing throughout the stone.
"Shame I don't believe in fair fights, though."
Angel groaned quietly; that push had contained more than enough power to kill a normal person, and it wasn't too pleasing to a Vayash Moru, either. He shook off the dizziness, stepping forward in order to get away from the wall, and immediately found himself battered again by an orb of compressed air that doubled him over even as it forced him back into the wall, leaving blinding pain shooting through his midsection – he wasn't too sure that it hadn't cracked a rib or two, either.
"You're in the way, and I need you out of the way. It's simple."
Angel dimly became aware of the girl standing nearly beside him as he staggered off the wall again – when had she moved, he wondered – before he was sent flying again as the young girl backhanded him across his face absently while she walked past, sending him sailing across the courtyard to bounce and skid to a stop against the outer wall that ringed the square.
This time, he did not rise.
"It's no fun to play with mortals," she commented, gesturing for Arragious to follow. "They're just like bugs…and bugs are easily squashed."
Some small part of Ein had thought that Katanas was joking in some of the things he had said earlier – they couldn't possibly be going to meet the leader of an entire plane, Planeswalker status or not. It just wasn't possible. One couldn't walk in and meet the president of Galbadia or Esthar, so why would the leader of one of the outer planes allow such a thing?
Now, Ein realized, it seemed like he needed to reevaluate his initial interpretations of how things worked among the outer planes. As he sat at a table within the lavish, expansive throne room of the Ethereal Plane's Creator, his mind kept studying all the myriad décor within the room, the two beings within the room itself besides himself and Katanas, and the idea that he was only one of a few mortals to even know that higher planes existed, let alone have something similar to dinner with the two highest officials of the plane.
"It is good to see you visit again, Sir DeValle," Lady Freya intoned, looking across the table towards the Nether Planeswalker. "I trust your time since your last visit has been productive?"
"Productive indeed, milady," Katanas replied with a smile. "Affairs on the mortal plane proceed smoothly, though I fear that unrest is brewing again in Galbadia. Nothing that can't be handled, but it makes the job more difficult."
"Understandable," she replied. "That you brought a companion along for this visit did not escape my notice, as well," she continued, gesturing towards Ein. Ein shifted nervously in his chair as Katanas chuckled, turning towards the younger Beoulve sibling.
"Indeed I did," Katanas stated. "Lady Freya, this is Ein Beoulve – he serves as my aide for my duties as Garden Commander back on Gaia. I thought it may be prudent to introduce him to the existence of the higher planes, if only to give him some idea as to where I tend to disappear to at important times," he continued mirthfully.
Freya smiled, nodding politely towards Ein – it wasn't hard to see the younger boy's nervousness, and it was important to her to show that Ein was in no danger here. "My name is Freya Vanadis, the Creator of the Ethereal Plane. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Beoulve."
"L-Likewise, ma'am – I mean, Lady Freya," Ein said, stuttering slightly as he fought down a wave of nervousness and excitement. "I can't believe that I'm actually in a place like this…it's a bit overwhelming."
"I understand," Freya replied. "You may relax – simply showing me the respect you would someone such as Katanas will be more than enough. I do not expect you to know the customs and address that a Planeswalker such as your mentor is aware of, so please do not worry about accidental offense."
Ein took a moment to compose himself again, then nodded silently – he was still terrified of showing disrespect to someone such as the Creator, but he'd do his best to act normal in her presence, if only because he would hate to see either her or Katanas feeling bad on his account.
"I can imagine that you have questions, Ein," Katanas spoke, returning to the conversation. "I'm sure that Lady Freya will answer as many as she is able before she must return to her duties."
Ein was only partially listening to Katanas by that time – he had wanted to inquire about one thing in particular almost since he had entered the room. He looked between Freya and the armored figure sitting in one of the seats closest to her, and took a brief moment to make sure he wasn't going to stumble over his words before speaking.
"I have a small question first, if that's okay…" he started hesitantly, looking back at the Creator. "Is that…Odin?"
Freya smiled, and her companion let out a rumbling chuckle at the younger boy's words. "Yes – he is Lord Odin, the leader of the Ethereal Knights, who help maintain the peace of my plane. You have heard of him, it seems."
"On Gaia, Odin is legendary," Ein started, momentarily forgetting his fear as he started to explain his knowledge to Freya. "We consider him a Guardian Force, mostly because we really don't know of a better term, but…he's far more powerful than any Guardian Force we know of, even Bahamut, and I've never heard of him junctioning to anyone before."
Freya gave a small laugh of amusement, looking over at Odin briefly. "It would seem your reputation is much the same in the lower plane as it is in our own, Lord Odin."
"We have stories about Odin dating back to around the 4th century," Ein continued, looking towards Odin with a mix of awe and intrigue. "Obviously, we don't know how many are actually true, but most of what I've read is almost beyond belief."
"Lord Odin is the second-oldest being in the Ethereal Plane, so I have no doubt that the stories are at least plausible. His service in this plane spans over two millennia, and he has descended to the mortal plane on occasion to spread wisdom and lend aid when he deemed it necessary."
Ein's eyes widened – had he just had ancient history confirmed by the Creator? Imagine what people would say if they had heard what he had just heard…it could change the face of historical records forever to have even a passing confirmation of any of the myths and legends that he knew of. He was positively shaking with excitement and eagerness now to ask more questions about things that Odin may have participated in, but managed to keep himself in check for the moment – he was equally interested in the workings of the Ethereal Plane as a whole, and knew that Katanas would likely want him to ask more about that knowledge than their own Gaian history. His nervousness was fading more and more into the background now, replaced by a strong urge to know more about anything the Creator was willing to explain, and he found himself lost in that feeling as he started asking questions about the Ethereal Plane's organization and structure, all under the smiles of a watching Katanas.
Kisara looked up from her studies within the now-empty chamber in the palace that she had been occupying for the past few hours, a chill running through her spine as she looked around the deserted room. There was a tingle on the outer edges of her awareness, like the feet of a fly upon one's skin that could barely be felt, but for some reason it chilled her to the bone. She put down the scroll she was examining and stood from her chair, carefully making her way over to the door and opening it just a crack, before peering outside. Almost immediately after, she flung the door open wide and stepped out into the hallway beyond, looking from side to side as she took in the surroundings.
On either side of her, bodies lay slumped against the walls or in the middle of the hall, with various levels of injury. Some, she could see no outright injuries on, while others bore ripped robes and bloodstains on the walls or floor where they rested. Kisara's mind raced – how could someone have left a trail of bodies such as she was seeing, yet still be quiet enough to not disturb her or anyone who may have been in nearby rooms? The feeling in the pit of her stomach grew just subtly stronger as she started to move, looking in the general direction of Freya's throne room – the Creator needed to be informed, immediately, as she knew not if anyone else was aware of this, or even conscious enough to relay the information. She knelt to the nearest body for an instant before she prepared to move, checking for vital signs, and was relieved to find that they were still alive; apparently, whatever or whoever was inside the palace was not concerned with inflicting fatalities. As she stood again, she realized that she could feel the spiritual energy of others present in the hall, meaning that they were still alive as well…but along with that, she observed a second problem. Sir Bayloh's spiritual energy was weak, not terribly so, but significantly weaker than normal, and she wondered if he had been one of those in the path of the being responsible.
She was well aware that she had no idea how much time she may have to warn Freya, however, and her feet moved swiftly as she broke into a run, using her own energy to augment her speed as she made the quickest course to Freya's chamber that she could plot.
'Has Arragious attacked again?' she mused to herself, ignoring most of her faintly-blurry surroundings as she rushed through the maze-like hallways of the palace. Every turn she made, more bodies lay nearby, some of whom she noticed were not completely unconscious, but groaning softly in pain or attempting to regain their wits. If it was Arragious, he was certainly in a hurry, which was unlike him – Arragious had been known to be patient with any endeavor, including and especially attacks.
Every step she took, however, seemed tougher to make. She felt as if she was wading through molasses, constantly pushing herself harder and harder in order to put one foot in front of the other, and it wasn't entirely the feeling of the pressure she now sensed coming from a powerful spiritual entity, but something more…sinister. Her skin crawled as if hundreds of insects were roving up and down her body. Every shadow seemed darker, every spot of blood more vivid and striking. Every heartbeat pounded in her ears and skull like the reverberations of a war drum. It wasn't just taking more effort to move physically, but psychologically as well, and only her dedication to the Ethereal Plane and her duties as a member of the Ethereal Magi kept her pushing onward despite the steadily-intensifying trepidation that was building in her mind.
She didn't know how long she ran – her legs moved, her feet ached, her body burned with the constant, ever-increasing exertion, and for a minute, all that existed for Kisara was the repeated motion of her footsteps and the sound of her beating heart in her ears. The pressure on her body was still there as well, weighing her steps down like she was slogging through thick mud, but she ignored it and drove on, rounding another corner in her pursuit of the offender.
The pressure intensified as the hallway beyond came into view, and Kisara stopped dead in her tracks at the sight that awaited her.
Several bodies littered the hallway, but these were much more gruesome than the ones she had previously encountered. Entire sections of the wall were covered in splattered blood, accented by Erudite who had been pinned to the wall by their own weapons, impaled through their bodies and into the stone. Others only barely resembled their former selves, their bodies crushed by what looked like massive blunt trauma…and Kisara fought the urge to shiver as she realized that those bodies were the cause of the blood smears she saw.
"We've more company."
Arragious Nicholai, standing with the small girl in the middle of the pile of corpses – and there was no doubt they were all corpses, Kisara knew – looked back at Kisara, piercing her with a stare that froze her in place even more than her fear and the pressure of the energy was already doing.
"Really, now. No one in this place has manners enough to announce their presence, it seems."
The girl turned around, and Kisara realized who she was facing in an instant …as well as where all of the oppressing energy was coming from. She sized the Ethereal Magus up briefly, examining her with a disinterested gaze, and then turned back around as if dismissing Kisara as insignificant.
"Run along, little girl. Business awaits, and I don't have any time to play with kids."
Kisara started to step forward, to stop her, to do anything…and realized that she couldn't. At first, she thought that the suffocating energy had finally bested her attempts to ward it off, but she realized a moment later that she felt too weak even considering the effects of the invisible energy field. Her body shook for a moment and then stumbled, sending her falling to the floor even as Arragious' mesmeric blades removed themselves from her back and floated back towards the pair, covered in her blood.
'…How…?'
"…You used my blades," Arragious said, his voice carrying the undercurrents of annoyance with it even as he reclaimed the blades and swiped some of the blood off, then wiped them on his robes, staining them with streaks of red.
"I don't recall asking for permission."
All Kisara could do as the pair walked away was watch weakly, realizing that she had failed to warn Lady Freya of what was to come.
"So, this war lasted for three hundred and thirty years? That's…remarkable…" Ein breathed, looking at Freya and Odin with shock. For the past fifteen minutes, he had been asking questions about the Ethereal Plane's history, trying to get an idea of just what had made the two-millennium old outer plane the way it was today. It had started with the history of Freya, Odin, and Xeios, and from there had gone into brief explanations of how the Gilead Order and Order of Grim Angels had come about, the subsequent war that eventually broke out, and the fall of both orders soon after the war's end. Ein had been both horrified and intrigued at a simplified description of the war's politicking and the events which brought it about, especially the length of time for which it lasted – enough so for four generations of mortals to be born and die in, never knowing of the nationwide war going on just outside of their plane of reality.
"It was saddening to see so many of my children perish in the Harrowing…an entire race died off for foolish reasons and pride," Freya said softly, shaking her head. "I realize now that I should have acted sooner, but I believed my actions to be best then. I do not blame myself for the events of the past, but I yet wish they could be changed."
"You mentioned that the Gilead Order was disbanded, right?" Ein asked, receiving an affirmative nod from the Creator. "Why?"
"It was partially to appease the rebellious attitudes remaining in the plane as a result of the actions of the Captain-Commander," Freya explained. "Even after I stepped in, tensions were still high between the group who wished me replaced and those still loyal to me, and this was an attempt at compromise. Odin was given command of the Ethereal Knights after their creation, replacing the Gilead Order, and he served as a leader that the denizens of the plane rallied behind, seeing him in a better light than even myself. Indeed, most wished Odin to be my replacement soon after the Harrowing."
"I don't understand. What did the Captain-Commander do wrong?"
Freya sighed, remaining silent for several long seconds. "You ask a question I have asked myself for three centuries, young one. Even now, I do not have an answer."
Ein mentally winced – he realized he'd hit a rather sore point for the Creator, and immediately stopped. Apparently, even those powerful enough to be gods weren't infallible…it seemed to him like they acted just like mortals in most regards.
"Maybe you just aren't asking the right question."
(Play: Sign – ACC Long Version – Kazuhiko Toyama, Kenichiro Fukui; Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete)
Ein stiffened as a voice he didn't recognize echoed through the chamber, and Katanas turned in his seat to face the doors to the chamber. Odin's hand immediately went to his sword – he recognized the voice, without question. It would be hard for him not to, after centuries of hearing it. Freya watched the doors wordlessly as their surfaces seemed to ripple like water, allowing Arragious Nicholai to step through as if they were but a light curtain being pushed aside, followed closely by his escort.
The small girl's red hair waved lightly as she walked behind Arragious, seemingly dwarfed by the taller Erudite but looking every bit as imposing as any warrior could. Her dress was a strange mix of black and gray, the left side black and right gray save for one streak of black that circled it at waist-level, and her small black shoes clicked on the tile floor as she moved, walking calmly past him to stand and face Freya and her visitors.
"You always seemed so self-convinced that what you were doing was right, I scarcely believed you capable of questioning yourself, to be quite honest," she commented. Quietly, Freya pushed her chair back and stood from the table, stepping around it to face two beings she had not seen in centuries. Her face was stern as she looked upon the Gilead Order's former leader, surprised that he would be bold enough to enter her throne room a second time…but she found that she was not as surprised as she expected, given the one who accompanied him. Yet, she still held a vain hope that they were both here for forgiveness in their own ways, despite every fact she knew which said they had no such intentions.
"I should have expected that no prison could hold you," Freya said quietly. "It would seem you have not changed in your time away, as well."
"Prison means little to me, you know. I never did take well to punishment…I much rather prefer to be giving rather than taking," the girl giggled. "And I see you haven't changed either…still entertaining the mortals in some vain hope that they become more than they were when you created them."
"You have never seen the value in my creations, or the wisdom in my actions, nor do I expect you ever will," the Creator replied. "Why have you come here?"
The girl giggled again – even now, it was simple for her to get under the skin of the Ethereal Plane's leader. "Well, now…I'd say it was a secret, but it should be pretty obvious to you…Mother."
Freya's face fell into a stern frown, and she folded her arms, looking down at the smaller girl. "Do not play games with me. Why have you come here…Hyne?"
Hyne smiled cheekily, adopting her best impression of an innocent little girl.
"Why do all children visit their parents? I want something, obviously," she said, pausing for a moment and feigning a look of deep thought. "But, you know, what I want isn't something that can be measured materially, unlike all those whiny mortal kids that bother their parents. It's kind of like what Fayt and Destine wanted, but different. Fayt wanted attention – she's the youngest, and she's always been a bit of a brat. Destine wanted revenge – you kicked her boyfriend out, and she wanted to get back at you for it."
Odin was watching carefully for any undue movement by the tiny girl – Hyne had a tendency to be rather theatric, especially in her more whimsical moods – and had one hand firmly clenched on the handle of Zantetsuken as he watched her rant. She started pacing the floor in front of Arragious as the occupants of the room watched, speaking all the while, her shoes quietly tapping on the polished floor.
"When it really comes right down to it, though…for me, it's not about attention. It's not about revenge. What I want is something much…simpler."
Hyne stopped suddenly, looking back up at Freya with an expression on her face as casual as if she had been discussing the weather.
"I want to reap the lives of your creations. After all, that's why you created me in the first place, Mother."
Until next chapter...