Note - Perspective change.
-Unlike every single other scene in this story, this first one will be entirely from the first-person perspective, rather than the third. I may do something like this again in the future, depending on how this one turns out.
-Italics are now a sound effect, for this scene alone.
Drip, drip, drip.
I hear that sound again. The sound I have heard hundreds, no, thousands of times now. I look up. At the ceiling of my cell are stalactites. They have been here even longer than I have. Liquid particles form at their tip.
Drip, drip, drip.
Once enough accumulates, they drop down. They fall onto the floor and then splash. Why? What is the purpose of the water? Is it trying to change something?
Drip, drip, drip.
But once they drop, it all becomes meaningless; all the accumulated mass splashes and spreads across the floor, thinning out and being absorbed by the soil, until there isn't even a trace of the droplet remaining.
Drip, drip, drip
The cycle repeats. The liquid gathers. The liquid becomes heavy. The liquid drops. It splashes. It does nothing. It accomplishes nothing.
Drip, drip, drip.
Am I the same? Are we and the liquid one in the same? Have we both done nothing but repeat a cycle? What is the point? Is it all just a waste of time? Is everything meaningless? Have I accomplished nothing?
Drip, drip, drip.
No, I have accomplished something. I am not like those nameless droplets. What I did, it was meaningful, it was worth it. So I shall not stop. I will search. Forever and ever. Until I find it. The truth of the world.
Drip, drip, drip.
No matter how endlessly I'm taught I'm mistaken. No matter how much they say that Ilias is the answer, I know. I know they're wrong. Even if my science is heresy. I deny her. Even if they say she made everything, and that everything is because of her.
Even if they condemn me for giving humanity fire.
Drip, drip, drip.
I know I was not mistaken. I know that they will put that knowledge to good use, and I know, that they will learn that there is more knowledge out there, hidden from sight, hidden by the goddess they so revere.
And they will seek it for me. I know they will. For their thirst for knowledge is even greater than mine.
Drip, drip, drip.
And, just like how I experienced her punishment, so will humanity, Illias will punish all who seek the truth, just like she did to me.
But next time, there will be somebody to stop her, there will be somebody to punish Illias herself for hiding away the truth.
I will make sure of it.
Drip, drip, drip.
Ilias believes she is above us all. All those other angels, they all follow her blindly. They do anything she says; they accept that she is the truth, the one and only. But how can mortals bring down a god? Can I blame them for not disobeying her?
Drip, drip, drip.
It must be possible. Alipheese, or one of the other ancestors, they will bring her down. She cannot win this war. But if they do win... they would kill me too, wouldn't they? I am still an angel, after all. Would they torture me just for my race?
Drip, drip, drip.
No, it doesn't matter. No matter what they may do to me, I've already experienced worse. So many decades now. Centuries, even. I lost track of time a long time ago. They can no longer hurt me. So then, I can help them. They must bring down Ilias.
Ilias. If you had only allowed my research, if you had not imprisoned me out of fear... This could have turned out differently.
Drip, drip, drip.
But now, I must bring you down. I thank you, Ilias. You gave me a cell with one, crucial thing. It has life. I've been dissecting anything that shows up for so long now. But now, I'm sure of it. I can create. If the ancestors fail to kill you, Ilias, I'll do it myself.
Drip, drip, drip.
But, how? A weapon to kill gods... Its... too hard. Can I do that? Alone? In a cave with nothing but dead bugs and meaningless water?
Drip, drip, drip.
And, even if I do. How do I get out of here? Who would save me? I'm a heretic. A traitor. I went against my own goddess by pursuing knowledge. It will take millennia to get out of here on my own.
Drip, drip, drip.
Then, if that's how long it takes, I'll wait. Ilias, your days are numbered. My science. It will destroy you. And then, after I die, humanity will take over.
Drip, drip.
Look at that. Another bug. It seems that no matter how many times I kill them, they always come back. Are they too, meaningless? Like the water, like Ilias? Like me?
Drip, drip.
I wonder what it's like outside now. What has humanity done with the fire I gave them? How far have they come? Maybe they've already killed both the goddesses that plague the world. I know the story well. Ilias created the world first, then angels, then the skies, the water, the light, the plants, the animals, and then finally, humanity. During the final day of creation, she made a mistake. Monsters rose from this accident. An angel turned against Ilias. Her name was Alipheese.
Drip.
It must be fake. It's impossible. I know the truth, Ilias. You and Alipheese—neither of you belong here. This world would've been fine without you. You are both infectious. Monsters rape and kill humans for energy, like leeches. Angels force humans to obey them and worship their god. You're both wastes. You both are meaningless.
Huh, the dripping stopped. Why?...
Oh, a puddle has formed underneath it. Is that its purpose? Was I wrong? Can existing to do nothing but form a puddle be called meaning? In a few decades, a new stalagmite will form. Eventually, the two will join together, and form a pillar. Is that its purpose? Why..? Why am I looking for meaning in a lifeless cycle?
Drip, drip, drip.
It started again. It's louder now. The splash is amplified by the puddle. Even after all the time I've spent here, even after all these centuries, the stalactite is still alone. Completely Alone. Its counterpart, the stalagmite, will take hundreds of thousands of years to form. Is there meaning in that too?
Drip, drip, drip.
But the water keeps on dripping. Even if it takes so long to finish, it continues. It doesn't stop, no matter what. In this random cave, in this underground abyss, it will keep on dripping until it's done. For that is its purpose. When the stalactite and stalagmite touch, they will form a pillar. It will be beautiful. I know it will. All that effort, all that time, will be rewarded.
But then again, the pillar will then just sit there, doing nothing. The drip will stop.
Drip, drip, drip.
The cave will die. No more noise, no more life. Only me. Only a heretic, alone.
Drip, drip, drip.
Forever.
Drip, drip, drip.
There we are. I can sense her.
Luka walked over to the cave. It was in the northeast of the Ilias continent. A fitting place for a heretic to be imprisoned. It was well hidden. There was no path to it. It was covered by rocks, and Luka had to move a few just to pass through. He walked into the cave but was stopped by a glowing barrier.
Here it is. Now, If I just...
"Cutting through time, space, and reason," Luka said calmly as he executed the attack. The barrier did not break with a single hit.
Pretty tough. No wonder Promestein couldn't escape.
Luka repeated the same attack once more, and the barrier fizzled. He walked through into the deep abyss. He used the power of fire to light his way.
"So, she was banished here by Ilias for what exactly?" Salamander asked.
"She was deemed a heretic by Ilias. She continued to seek the truth of the world against her wishes. She didn't accept that Ilias was the one and only truth to everything. She descended from heaven. She saw humans struggling to survive and decided to give them the gift of fire, or in other words, the gift of technology. This is her punishment."
"Just when you think she can't get any worse, How long ago was that?"
"I have no idea. At least a few thousand years ago."
"How did she not go insane?"
"I don't know. She always had an unbelievable will." Luka said. "Black Alice, the eighth monster lord, was the one who originally freed her"
"Why would she do that?"
"She wanted to use her. Promestein created a drug for her, called 'White Rabbit'. It was incredibly powerful. Both Black Alice and Promestein used it. It contained the genes of Alipheese herself. When Black Alice took the drug, her power rose even higher. She ate Ilias alive."
"She consumed her power and became the ultimate fusion between Ilias and Alipheese. Thankfully, she wasn't able to properly control all this new power. Me, Alice, and you spirits defeated her. Before this, Promestein tried the same thing. She revealed she had made a copy of the original drug, which Black Alice didn't know about."
"She planned to overpower Black Alice and kill her. However, there was only one Ilias, so she had to make do with me instead. I stopped her from doing that," Luka explained.
"In her last words, she said all of humanity were her successors. It's been seven years since then, and technology has advanced really quickly. Humanity, angels, and monsters all work together to build a better future," Luka said with a proud smile.
"I still don't really believe it. It sounds like a fairy tale to me. Angels and monsters not trying to kill each other, and not only that but actually working together? It's unbelievable," Salamander said.
"I know. But I still believe coexistence is possible, even now," Luka said.
"Hmm, I hope so." She replied. "Well, you've done it once before, right? How can hard can it be?"
Luka nodded. He looked ahead of him and saw yet another barrier. This time, it was made of metal. Bars of steel encased something, or someone.
Promestein...
"Who are you?" The young, red-haired girl said. "How... did you get in? How did you find me?" She asked.
"My name is Luka. I'm a hero." Luka explained. "I'm also half-angel. I used an angel technique to destroy the barrier to the cave. Also, I have pretty good searching abilities, so it didn't take too long to find you."
"Half-angel? A Nephilim... I've theorised about them before, but to think there's one in the flesh" Promestein stood up and approached the bars. Her body and face were lit up by the fire.
She looked... horrible. She looked nothing like the woman he remembered. She was wearing the uniform of a schoolgirl or a young scholar. Her red glasses were still in one piece, but one of the lenses was broken. Her skin and the rest of her clothing were dirty and covered in dirt and whatever else could be found in the cave.
Her hands were not the soft hands of a young maiden, but instead rough with torn skin. Luka also noted that there was quite a smell coming from the young angel. Hardly her fault, but still, it was uncomfortable for the hero.
"Please, break me out of here. I... I need to get out," Promestein said.
"That's what I came here to do," Luka said. "I need your help."
"I'll do whatever you want; just free me," The heretic responded.
"Very well. Step back," The hero said as he swung Angel Halo at the bars. Combined with the power of the earth, they were broken in one swipe.
"Incredible. To think a human could do such a thing," Promestein said. "And with no use of your angel power either..."
Promestein slowly walked out of the cage. Her eyes adjusted to the bright flame floating just above Luka's palm. She looked Luka up and down.
"So, you are the one who saved me," Promestein said. "...Thank you,".Before Luka could respond, she continued. "I must ask, however, why? Did Ilias send you here to kill me? Or, no. That would be far too merciful for her, and that power... It's the power of the elemental spirits, isn't it?"
"It is. I'm currently contracted with all four great spirits," Luka explained. "Like I said, we need your help."
"Who is we? Help with what?"
"Currently, It's mostly just me and Tamamo-"
"Tamamo No Mae!? The Ancestor known for ripping thousands of angels to shreds!?"
"N-No not her! Well, yes, actually. Look, it's complicated. Just trust me, please?" Luka pleaded.
Promestein took a few moments to think before responding. "Well, It's not like I have much choice. Where will you take me?" She asked.
"We're going back to Sabasa," Luka said.
"Sabasa? Never heard of it."
"It's a human city in the Safina region," Luka explained. "It shouldn't take too long to get there."
"Safina... The desert, right? I calculated long ago that this cave was on the Ilias continent. Safina is on Sentora. I assume Ilias still prohibits travel from the two continents unless they are her loyal followers, that is. How did you get here in the first place?" Promestein asked.
"Well, Tamamo tried to teleport me, but Ilias has anti-black magic protection all over her home continent, so that didn't work. Instead, I just sailed. That's how we'll get back too," Luka explained.
"But, wouldn't Ilias's angels detect you? Angels can detect other angels easily, even if they are only half" She asked.
"Well, I had to take a roundabout route to avoid that. I went from the south of Safina to the southwest of Ilias. Tamamo said that was the least civilised area. From there, I went south and east, and then eventually north, arriving here. We'll be doing that but in reverse. There's a boat waiting for us on a beach southwest of here." Luka said.
"I see," Promestein said. "Not a bad plan, I suppose."
"Promestein... Your legs are shaking."
"Ah, forgive me. I have not walked in a long time. I'm afraid I might not even be able to make the trip."
"Well, I don't mind carrying you."
"Really? Well, if you're sure."
"It's no problem. Here," Luka said. He crouched down and allowed Promestein to climb onto his back. There was one issue, however. Promestein was slightly taller than him. This made the pair look ridiculous, but neither cared. Luka began to walk back the way he came.
"We can rest here for the night," Luka said. He slowly put Promestein down next to some rocks. "Are you okay? Do you need water or anything?" He asked.
"No, angels don't need anything like that." She explained. "...But thank you for the offer."
Huh, strange. I never thought I'd hear Promestein of all people thank me. It's actually a pretty nice feeling.
"Well, I do. I'm going to go get some." He said.
"Where? I don't see any water in this cave."
"Further in, there's a large pool of water. It's pretty clean, from what I've heard. Clean enough that slimes can live there."
"I see... So you have been here before?" She asked.
"A long time ago. Before I even began my adventure, I was attacked by a monster. She was my first opponent, and she was also a slime girl." Luka explained.
"When I told Erubetie about it, she asked me to bring her to where we fought. Eventually, we ran into her again. She led us here, to their home. All this time, there was another haven for slimes so close to Iliasville. A spring, hidden in the mountains."
"And this was... how many years in the future?"
"958 years, one month, and three days," Luka said. Earlier, the two had gotten the chance to talk as they walked. Luka took the time to explain everything she would need to know about him and Tamamo.
"That was impressively quick..." Promestein said. "Everything you said sounds insane to me, but for some reason, I think you're telling the truth. It's... believable."
"I assure you, it's all true," Luka said. "Anyway, I'm going to get that water now. I'll be back soon." Luka left, leaving Promestein to think about the situation.
So, I've been saved by a hero from nearly a thousand years in the future who was sent here by a crazed monster lord, whom I helped empower.
It all sounds so ridiculous, but... I don't think he's lying. If he was, he'd surely come up with something better than that.
Heh, If I were one of Ilias's followers, I'd be thanking her for sending him to me. He is a blessing... If I was stuck in that cave for any longer... I don't know what I would've become.
Promestein heard an echo approaching. Luka was walking back with a canteen full of water. He took a swig from it and sat down on the cave floor, on the opposite side from her.
"So, your body must be human, then, since you still need sustenance." Promestein reasoned.
"Yeah. It's a problem for me, actually. Whenever I use my holy power, it corrodes my body, since it's not built to handle it." Luka explained. "Currently, I've used it as little as I can, and have given myself breaks between uses, but with the amount of fighting ahead of me... it could become a serious issue," Luka said.
"Hmm, I see. That would be a problem... I don't mind looking into it for you." She said. "It's the least I could do."
And I was planning on researching him anyway... This would make a great excuse for that.
"Really? That'd be great." Luka said. "Thank you, Promestein."
A sudden silence fell over the cave. Luka took the time to set up a campfire, which he was very quick at now. He began to cook some high-quality meat that Sabasa had given him as rations. He was very grateful.
"Luka," Promestein said.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"What was I like in the future? You've told me some of what I did, but... There's still more, isn't there?" She asked. Luka brought his hand to his chin for a moment as he began to think.
"Hmm, well, you were really, really smart." He said. "Tamamo said you were even smarter than her, and that's quite the feat! Other than that, you were my enemy too. Tamamo said that according to legend, you were the one who gave humanity the gift of fire, which was thousands of years ago now. Ilias was enraged by this, and locked you up in a cave."
"Somewhere between Heinrich's demise and the beginning of my journey, you were freed by Black Alice. Ilias decided to allow you to keep your freedom, as long as you obeyed her. You did, but that was a lie, of course. She knew that too. We first met outside of Chrome's mansion." Luka explained.
"Who is this Chrome?" She asked.
"Oh, she's a member of the artiste family. The only living one currently. They specialise in necromancy and have been the Monster Lord's necromancers for many years, apparently. Anyway, you worked with her in the past, and when me and Alice went to sort things out, you were there. You didn't really say anything to me."
"I see. What happened next?"
"We met again outside of Lily's mansion. And then finally, at the Monster Lord's castle. You brought an army of Chimera's with you, along with your most prized creations, the Next Dolls. Together, you defeated each of the heavenly knights, save for Tamamo. She rode in on top of a bioweapon! After some more fighting, you decided to retreat."
This is far too comprehensive to be a fabrication. I'm nearly sure of it now. He's telling the truth.
"We met again, in Heaven. You used a drug called 'White Rabbit' to give yourself more power. Combined with you implanting yourself with genes similar to those of Alipheese herself, you became even stronger. You confronted me, and attempted to eat me so that you could absorb my power, and grow strong enough to kill Black Alice, and rule the world."
"Really? I'm... sorry."
"It's fine; it happens to me all the time. Also, it wasn't you, but future you, so it's fine. Anyway, you failed, obviously. But don't worry; Black Alice failed too, and so did Ilias. And... So did I." Luka said.
"...Do you have any idea how she's returned?"
"No. She should've died. I've been thinking about it ever since we met again. I have no idea how she's back, but she is. I have no idea what to do about it." Luka said.
"Well, I think that's pretty clear, no? You'll just have to beat her again." She said. "And this time, you have me on your side."
"Heh, I guess you're right," Luka said. Once he was done cooking, he sat down and ate the food.
Not bad. I've still got it.
"Look, Luka," Promestein said. She pointed upwards, towards the roof of the cave. Luka looked up. There were blue lights coming from the ceiling, and some stretched down to the walls.
"Wow... It looks amazing." Luka said.
"Indeed. They're called Orfelia fultoni." She explained. "Or Dismalites. They're a type of bioluminescent larvae found in caves. They're quite rare, actually. As you can clearly see, they glow bluish-green. This is thanks to their photic organs. They glow like that for three reasons."
"One is to attract prey. They can lure in flies and other insects so they can eat them. Two is for defence. The light can confuse or distract any potential threats they may encounter. Three is communication. They change the glow of the organ to convey certain messages to one another, and during mating rituals too." Promestein explained.
"It's mesmerising," Luka said as he looked up at the glowing spots. To him, it looked almost like he was looking up at the night sky.
It really is beautiful... I wish Alice were here to see it.
"This cave is a lot nicer than the one I stayed in..."
Once Luka and Promestein were done looking at the lights, he wished her goodnight. To his surprise, she said it back. He extinguished the campfire and went to sleep.
"Alright, we're around an hour out now," Luka said. He was currently rowing a boat.
"Okay," Promestein said. She was writing on a clipboard. Luka had no idea where she had gotten it from.
"Luka."
"Yeah?"
"Earlier, you showed some mathematical skills with your quick calculation of time. I wish to see your capabilities in full." Promestein explained.
"Uh, sure. I don't mind."
"Very well. We'll start easy then. 87+65 is...?"
"It's 152." Luka said instantly.
"Correct. Next, 25x13?"
"325," He said again, instantly.
"Impressive. How about 8965x964?"
"8642260," Luka said, slightly slower this time.
"Eh? You answered that in under a second! T-Then how about this? Factor 129878627!"
"Don't underestimate me, Promestein. I studied simple arithmetic in my free time." Luka said. "...101x233x5519, I guess."
"A-again, that fast? Impossible. I thought you were better than most, but..." Promestein looked shocked at Luka's display of his skills.
"It's just math, Promstein," Luka said. He returned to rowing without another word.
This boy... He's so strange...
Well, whatever. I'll research that more later. For now, I'll move on to a more important subject.
"Luka?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"I know this might be hard, but can you tell me about what happened with your mother again?" Promestein asked. "The Daystar, I mean."
Luka was surprised by the sudden question, but he had gotten over his mother's demise many years ago, or at least, he hoped he had."She was killed by a sudden sickness. She was the first one in Iliasville to get the plague, and it spread to the others afterwards."
"And what were her symptoms?"
"She was pale, pallid, frail, and tired. She could hardly move when it got really bad. It was... a tough two weeks." Luka said.
"Two weeks... That's quite quick for a disease..."
"What are you getting at, Promestein?"
"When it spread, who did it go to? And how come you didn't catch it?" She asked.
"...It went to everyone who refused to help us, and some others. I don't know how I didn't get it... I just got lucky, I guess."
"Maybe... or maybe..."
"Maybe it was Ilias," Promestein said. Luka stopped rowing and looked at the scientist.
"Ilias? What do you mean? Why would you think that?"
"You have already seen it, haven't you? The sickness, They call it 'Ilias's blessing'." Promestein said. "I believe she gave it to your mother, in hopes that she come back to her."
"...That... That can't be..." Luka said. "Do you... Do you really think she would do something like that?"
"I know she would. You know it too. And the fact that it just so happened to only kill those who refused to help you? And how did it not even affect you? It's too much of a coincidence for it to be anything else."
Ilias... Did you...
No... Of course she did... She was angry at Mother for rebelling against her... I know Promestein is right...
Mother... I swear, you didn't die for nothing. I will fight on. For you, for Father, for Lazarus, for everyone...
...And for you, Alice.
"Thank you, Promestein," Luka said. "I understand now."
"...Are you sure you're okay? You're crying."
"...I'm fine. Let's just get going. We have to meet up with Tamamo." Luka explained.
"...Alright," Promestein said. She began to write on her clipboard again.
'Luka is surprisingly good at math. Also, he is lying to me.'
Notes
The first scene is heavily inspired by the short one-shot made by AzuMazu, titled 'Wandering Soul'.
I've rewritten all my earliest chapters (1-5). It's up to you whether you want to re-read them or not, They do have new scenes in them, but it's more or less the same story. They were... not great. They had a slew of spelling mistakes and grammar issues, and some were just poor overall. Anyway, do what you want.
(The rewrite includes Luka telling a dad joke.)