Gwyndolin Interlude: The Shadow Behind the Sun (Part II)
The flickering of light faded away, the vacant hall illuminated for a scant moment from the arrival of the newest figure.
A confident smile spread across the face of the new arrival, pale violet eyes flickered open as they pressed a delicate hand against the underside of their chin and puffed their chest forwards. "To summon me, clearly you have a great appreciation for the finest…"
The boast died in its infancy as the eyes marred with confusion, flickering either side of her as instead of being stood before what she would have assumed to be an adoring worshipper or another misbegotten individual who attempted to seek out her beauty, she was instead greeted by an otherwise empty hall with only a trickling of pale blue light to allow her the ability to see anything.
Her lips pulled themselves into a frown as she narrowed her eyes, lowering the hand away from her chin as she did so. Yet there was something else that pervaded through her senses, it was a familiarity with this location, as though she had been here before but for the life or her, she did not recognise anything about this place. The quality of the architecture could not be denied, and yet it was not something she was familiar with in the least.
Another presence flickered through her, one that she could never have forgotten nor mistaken for anything else.
Her head snapped towards the direction of the sensation, eyes slightly wide as the words ripped themselves from her mouth without even the slightest hesitation. "Me?"
"Myself?" A woman who was identical to her in virtually every single way - save for minor differences in apparel - looked back at her with a similarly surprised expression. So close was their resemblance that it might as well have been a mirror placed in front of her. Yet that was simply the nature of their existence. They were both perfect in every way that mattered, finely sculpted and suited for the tastes of humans.
Her sister regarded her with a dubious look for a brief moment before it faded away into something softer. "I had thought I sensed something when I was first summoned. Though I didn't think it would be with you…however, it is only to be expected. Why summon only half of perfection when the option remains to have both?"
Pulling her lips into a sly smirk, she nodded in assent to her sister before she noticed something move behind her. Stepping out of the shadows and into the light, faintly tanned skin with a mane of messy snow white hair, crimson eyes stared first at her, and then to Euryale directly in front of them. Stheno opened her mouth to say something but it didn't quite get past her lips. Nor was it evidently necessary as Euryale caught her shift in focus and turned around.
A sigh left the lips of her sister as she addressed the minotaur directly behind her. "What on earth are you doing, Asterios? It's no good being here if you're going to remain silent without saying a word." with a faint huff, her sister turned back to face her and then gestured in her direction. "Now then, introduce yourself to myself as politely as you can."
Stheno inclined an eyebrow at her sister, and then towards the minotaur as they seemingly shuffled on the spot for a moment. Their expression twisted with what she would have called nervous embarrassment - something almost endearing about the way they looked at a loss for words - before they nodded their head towards her, their lips forming a rather awkward smile.
"Hello. Euryale. Sister." His words were delivered as slow as they were quiet, not so far that she had to strain her hearing but more than enough so that she needed to actually listen out for them. It wasn't an inconvenience, more like a novelty. Raising a large hand, he pointed towards himself with the same awkward smile "Me. Asterios."
"There, wasn't that nice?" Euryale looked up at him with a single nod of congratulations. "Very polite as well. Good boy." Stheno kept her amusement on her face as her sister outright pat the large minotaur on the leg twice, something which brought a faint noise from the Servant as they turned their head away from her rather shyly, if the lighting was a little better, she was certain that she would have seen a blush on the face of the minotaur.
Humming to herself, she briefly turned her eyes away from the somewhat amusing display and towards the hall they were in once more. Quickly taking in every single detail that was around them, it was spacious but also somewhat barren. There were blank spots on the wall where she assumed that something would have once hung, perhaps pictures.
Turning around, she stared at the pane of glass which allowed a flicker of moonlight to shine through, the single source of light in the entire room on the wall behind an elevated platform. Stheno assumed that something might have been there once, yet again she was under the impression that this had been a chamber stripped of everything valuable and left in this state of disrepair.
Who would think of summoning a pair of Goddesses in such a place…
She could feel the flow of magical energy, it was powerful, far more potent than she would ever have imagined a human would be capable of. There was also the link with her Master that she internally probed and prodded at, getting nothing from the other end. No sign of acknowledging her as being here nor even a direction where they might have been.
It was just herself, Euryale and the minotaur here.
Something reached her ears, clearly it did for the others as well as they turned as one towards the other side of the room. Steps leading towards a large door and through them, they heard the clatter of steel footsteps getting louder and louder. She tensed herself, keeping her eyes narrowed but not before she felt a presence behind her. Then she let out a small gasp as she was scooped up rather gently.
Her head whipped around to see Asterios with his eyes aimed firmly at the door. She might have made a complaint about being touched without permission but he had already placed her down behind him before she could actually get a word out. In the next instance, he took a single step forwards and brandished a pair of very large axes and kept his attention on the door as the footsteps got louder and louder.
When the approaching figure did arrive, she had to suppress a smile at them for the complete lack of intimidation. They were barely even half the height of the minotaur. Clad in full covered rather stylised iron like armour with a helmet shaped into that of a lion, spear loosely held at their side as the helmet swept over them. A curious hum - distinctly female - emanated from the figure before they bowed their heads.
"I was informed that we would only be receiving two guests, but I shall leave the technicalities to the Lord God." Stheno did not recognise the name, but it seemed they had been expected to arrive after all. Well, her and herself, clearly the minotaur hadn't been what they were aiming for. Bringing their head back up, the Servant took a half step backwards and gestured to the halls behind them. "If you and your escort would be so kind as to follow me, Lady Goddesses…my lord wishes to speak with you."
They went through the trouble of summoning Goddesses but couldn't actually make the time to go and meet them, instead making them seek out an audience? Well, she would grant this to the new Master, they were clearly exceedingly brazen in their efforts. That was for certain. A quick glance was shared with Euryale before she thinned her lips and offered a single nod of the head.
"Very well then." Stheno declared with a wave of her hand, stepping out from behind Asterios and granting the Servant a brief glance, all while maintaining her confident aura. "You shall be granted the honour of being added to our escort. You can consider yourself fortunate in this regard."
"As you say, Lady Goddess."
Not even so much as a twitch? She would have been a little insulted that she didn't get so much as a reaction from them in any other situation. But that could wait for another time.
As far as Rayshifts went, this one was undoubtedly one of the smoothest he had ever experienced to date. Silver linings, he supposed, but it was what it was in the grand scheme of things. Though the first thing that immediately greeted him was the fact that he wasn't actually standing on the shores of an island.
Rather, he found himself standing on a polished stone floor, turning his head left and right, he immediately noticed that he was surrounded by walls fairly close on all sides of him except for the front, a quick look upwards revealed that there was nothing above him which meant this was a peculiar little cut out. The stairs leading down in front of him made him feel as though he was standing in a rather large battlement or something.
"What the…" He breathed out, blinking several times before he took a couple of steps forwards and approached the wall closest to him Pausing for just a brief moment as he stared at them, then reached out and placed his hand on the surface and dragged his fingers along the surface. Thinning his lips, he pulled them back and brought his head back up to stare at the view that was in front of him, peering down to the city which seemed to fade away into the distance, surrounded on all sides by the natural wall of the inside of a mountain or thereabouts. As though the city had been built at the summit. Yet it didn't take him much to figure out where the centre of the city was.
In the distance, even from his spot quite far away, he could see the single bridge which led straight towards the large cathedral-like structure with the large doors showing the only visible entrance. He knew about the Directors report of the Shapeless isles and this wasn't anything like what he had read about. He didn't even know if this was the shapeless isles or if they had stumbled upon something else entirely.
What he also noticed was the moon which seemed to hang directly behind the large cathedral, just behind the towering spire which jutted straight from the top. He wasn't being crazy, but the moon looked far larger than it had any right to be. Rather daunting but he could infer that it was another of Gwyndolin's illusions, further compounded by the night sky which was completely devoid of stars despite there not being a single cloud to be seen.
Bringing up his wrist, he pressed his communicator with the screen flashing upwards and revealing the face of Romani and the Director. "You said this was the Shapeless isles, right?"
He saw the confusion on the faces of the pair of them, Romani recovered first and nodded his head. "It is the Shapeless isles, that much is still present within this micro-Singularity. But the magical energy readings I'm seeing here are absolutely…they're not like anything I've seen before. Well, that isn't entirely true. Gwyndolin is definitely using his illusions right now but the scale of this is…can you see anything?"
Ritsuka wordlessly turned his arm around and granted them a sweeping view of the colossal city that now stood before him. After around ten seconds passed, he brought the communicator back and was treated to the dumbfounded expression of the doctor, the man nodding his head up and down while making a small voice and clearing his throat. "That will explain it…mainly because it's actually supposed to be midday as well. Though I don't recognise the city structure."
He took a single step to the left as Faraam walked past him, descending the first few steps before he came to a halt and stared out onto the skyline of the city. The Rider said nothing, only the sound of his breathing could be heard before he eventually spoke in a tone devoid of emotion. "It is Anor Londo. The city bathed in the Light of the Lords. Where the sun never sets."
Ritsuka figured that title wasn't all that apt anymore, namely because of the moon that was now hanging low in the sky. He first stared at that, and then to the back of Faraam's head before he cleared his throat. "This is Anor Londo then? It's certainly…"
What could he actually say? Even if this was something like an illusion or whatever, it was still utterly awe inspiring to behold it. The level of detail that went into each and every single building, the magnitude of the city. He had been to Tokyo before so giant cities weren't all that much of a shock to him but something like this? This was on a completely different scale, well to the point where he could see why it would be taunted as one of the greatest cities or something.
"Your silence compliments it." Faraam commented after a moment, yet there was something else in his tone of voice. A confusion that didn't seem quite out of place as he stared towards the horizon, his eyes fixed upon the moon. Ritsuka watched his hands clenched into fists and then loosen themselves, after a moment longer the god shook his head from side to side and turned around to face them. "Standing in awe will not bring us to Gwyndolin. Come."
Jerking his head forwards, he resumed his descent as he called back to them "I was here when the city was being built. I know enough about the layout to bring us to the citadel."
"You think that's where he'll be?" Ritsuka asked with a raised eyebrow, then glanced towards the location that Faraam had gestured to. It seemed appropriate, all things considered, but at the same time it felt as though it would be far too obvious. It wasn't that he didn't think Gwyndolin would be there, it was just that there could be other places he might have been as well.
Faraam stopped walking, then turned around to face him, the gold coloured eyes dimmed for a short moment before he spoke. "It is the only location I can imagine him residing in. I do not know what occurred after my departure, but Gwyndolin was…" closing his eyes, he let out a breath as he brought up his hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "...It was mainly on account of his physical appearance. I contributed to keeping him within the citadel and under mine or Gwynevere's watch."
Ritsuka thinned his lips, he knew what they meant when they said that. "You mean in case people mocked him for his appearance."
The God gave a single nod of the head, then glanced in the direction of Medusa for a brief moment before it darted back to Ritsuka. "Not all Lordkin would have been as accepting as the company he has found now. Neither I nor Gwynevere and Filianore thought anything of it but…we were his family. He was my younger brother, insulting him for that which he had no control over was something I would never do. Others? I…I have little doubt they would have made such remarks"
"Just looking out for him then?" Ritsuka hummed in response, placing his hands on his hips and holding in a breath as he stared at the citadel once more, then glanced towards the moon. There wasn't much else he could say out loud. From the sound of things, they were hiding Gwyndolin away to make sure he wasn't bullied for his snake legs. Which…he wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about that. Gwyndolin was smart so he probably assumed it was something to be ashamed of. Maybe, at least.
Considerate, isn't he?
Hiding me away from prying eyes for my own good. Truly, I was blessed to be put under the love and care of such a devoted family.
Ritsuka's head shot upwards towards the sky, then promptly blanched as he saw a twin pair of crimson lights shine down upon him. The one other source of light painted upon the black canvas sky, save for the moon. The bloc scarlet eyes stared down at them as the voice of Gwyndolin pounded in his ears, seemingly coming from every single direction.
Though, it would be unfair of me to say that he alone was the cause of this. After all, it wasn't like it was his idea. He just contributed to it.
There were others, Gwynevere and Filianore…so long did Gwyndolin depend on them for acceptance where he suspected all others would shun him.
But that wasn't the truth of the matter, was it?
No…they were just forced to go along with it. After all, it wouldn't do for the spawn of Gwyn to appear fractured and divided…anymore than they already were at least.
Isn't that right?
My precious siblings?
Ritsuka opened his mouth to reply, then paused as the word registered within his mind. He said siblings as in plural, which meant that there was more than one. Yet all he could see was Faraam here and Gwynevere had not been present within the Rayshift chamber when they went down. So was there something here he was…
His mind ground to a halt, his lips drew themselves thin as he turned around and stared at the empty space behind him. He needed to stop thinking in such simple ways, because if she had found a way to hide in Chaldea for days on end on such low magical energy without anyone finding her, then it was almost certain she could do something like this. "...You gonna come out then?"
Space shimmered as Gwynevere slowly materialised, her expression set in a deep frown as she first looked to him, then towards the sky and the large eyes which still loomed over them. A rumbling chuckle resonated all around him, the vibration pulsing through his very being as Gwyndolin laughed in such a way that made it clear he wasn't feeling very amused.
There, I knew you wouldn't have allowed yourself to be left behind.
Dear sister, always so desperate for everyone to love you.
Of course you'd come here.
You need to know why I don't love you, don't you?
Gwynevere didn't respond, but at the same time, that response was an answer unto itself. Ritsuka wasn't sure why he would be surprised and suddenly her not asking him for permission to accompany them made sense. Because if he had known why she was coming down here, he probably would have told her no. Still, Gwyndolin had seen her now.
A shuffle behind him brought his attention back to Faraam as he stared at Gwynevere with wide eyes before they narrowed for a split second, then turned back to the sky and stared up at the eyes of his younger brother.
I suppose all we're missing is Filianore but I can make exceptions. It wasn't like she was around all that much anyway.
I think Father couldn't stand the sight of her any more than me, but she still had her uses.
Good for her, I suppose.
"Are you going to just speak in these insulting sentences, Gwyndolin." Faraam called out as he marched down a few more of the steps. Hollering at the sky while he did so, then spread his arms wide. "And in such a degrading fashion? You went through the effort of constructing Anor Londo, you debased yourself into committing petty theft and then came all the way here…why?"
Silence followed.
I forgot how stupid you were.
It's not even endearing stupidity. You are a fool, plain and simple.
I'm not degrading myself, I'm degrading Gwyndolin. There is a marked difference.
"Are you referring to yourself in the third person now?" Faraam shouted back to him with a strained tone of voice. "...Is this truly what you want to do now, Gwyndolin? Is this really what you have to say for yourself after so many years apart? I'm right here…if you wished to air any of your long concerns against me, I am right here for you to do so…but this? What is the purpose of this?"
I've already said.
I'm finally going to be free of Gwyndolin.
Free of…everything.
I had hoped Gwyn would have made his way here first, but I shall settle for putting an end to this sad chapter in my life first.
It was a split second later, a sound like a cannon roared through the city and then there was a flicker of light in the distance atop one of the spires. Ritsuka snapped his eyes to it for the brief second it had appeared, in the next there was a flash of light as something streaked through the skylines and crashed right into the steps where Faraam had been standing.
The God released a small noise of alarm as the stonework gave way, vanishing into dust as he lost his footing and fell forwards. Ritsuka took half a step before something grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him backwards, barely catching a glimpse of Medusa yanking him towards Mash before another flash of light rushed towards them from the same spire and slammed into the side of Faraam, bowling him backwards into the wall with an audible crack.
The two attacks had been so perfectly timed, Faraam was left with little time to recover as the final patches of stone gave away and he ended up slipping over, a faint gasp left his throat as he fell forwards and ended up plummeting off the edge and out of sight, Ritsuka let out a small noise as he rushed forwards - accompanied by Mash and Medusa - and peered over the side as the war god vanished down into the murky depths.
Ritsuka was left without even the moment to call out, in the next instance, Mash had wrapped an arm around his waist and dragged him backwards as she hoisted up the shield in front of the pair of them, a metallic clang echoed out an instant later, something smashed into the shield with a flash of light and then he felt the ground beneath his feet give way. His eyes widened as they snapped downwards, the stonework crumbled into nothing as cracks and fractures ran across the ground under his feet.
"Hang on, Senpai!" Mash called out as she pulled him closer, he didn't even hesitate to swing an arm around her shoulders and pull tightly against it as he entered free fall in the next moment, yet it didn't quite pan out as he expected. The momentum of their fall slowed in a moment and suddenly as opposed to a rather sudden and violent free fall, they instead found themselves virtually gliding to the ground rather than anything else.
Blinking twice, he turned his attention towards Mash and saw she was just as dumbfounded as he was, then looked over his shoulder to see that Gwynevere had a stoic mask on as she was behind them and slightly above, not even looking as though she was being affected by the fall. Her eyes met his and the silent message was passed that this was her doing. He wasn't entirely certain how she was capable of this, just that she was.
Medusa looked ill at ease for a moment, then straightened out her posture and thinned her lips. Turning her eyes downwards as they approached the dark depths of the city streets at the bottom of the metropolis. Clearly they were going to be in for a far smoother landing than Faraam was in for.
Their journey hadn't gone on for nearly as long as she had expected, and it had answered a fair few questions as they did so. She knew the sensation of this location from anything and the lingering memories of her time in one of her previous summonings gave her all the information she needed as to where she was.
Yet, she knew nothing of any 'Lord' which left her slightly bemused as to what precisely was going on.
"My feelings are not mistaken, are they, me?" She heard Euryale whisper to her from her left, turning her eyes briefly to her and then nodding her head once before they returned straight ahead, yet they moved from point to point as they walked through the long hallway to their destination. Statues of knights lined the walls as they did so, proud but identical looking figures with pointed winged helms.
"We are on the Shapeless isles, yes." She confirmed with a nod of the head, yet that was not all. She knew this architecture now, having stayed in it for a short time. This was similar to the construction that Gwyndolin had made for the pair of them while they were alone on that island. It had been a novel experience yet oddly empty. Gwyndolin demanded nothing of her save for the company she provided, it wasn't even that he admired her beauty. Just that she was there and sometimes spoke, that was the impression she got from him.
Someone familiar with Gwyndolin, then? She was aware he had siblings.
Perhaps this was some elaborate scheme to ensure that anyone with a relation with their sibling first passed their standards. If anyone had tried to get close with Medusaless, then she would have certainly gone through a similar ordeal as well. But that was merely a given.
"I do not suppose you would be willing to answer an odd question, would you?" She might have phrased it like a question, but it was much more of a demand than anything else. Stheno was not in the mood to so blindly wander into a meeting with a potential God that she knew next to nothing about.
The woman in front of her inclined her head in their direction for only a short moment but did not break her stride as she answered. "Whatever answers I can provide you would be insufficient. I was summoned only a short time before you, Lady Goddess. My orders were to await your arrival and then lead you to the central chamber."
Well, that was disappointing.
"Have you even met this 'Lord'...Sanura, wasn't it?" Euryale asked and Stheno quirked an eyebrow at her sister for knowing the name of the human. Though she harkened that to her remembering them from a past summon when they were separated. She did not remember encountering them during the events of that amusing little festival that Medusa was invited to. Whether her sister noticed her look didn't matter, as the knight responded with a negative.
"I have not. He has communicated only through my mind but that is not for me to demand seeing them." The knight responded dutifully, Stheno would have applauded her devotion. It was much like a loyal little puppy or something. The sort of loyalty that could only be inspired through being bred into it or being enthralled. This Lancer didn't have the hallmarks of being charmed with the powers of beauty either, which left only the former as an answer. "I am afraid that is all I can answer for you, Lady Euryale."
"Ah, I was wondering if you remembered me." There was a light note to her sister's tone before she chuckled under her breath. "Then again, meeting one such as I is a somewhat notable experience. I suppose it is only natural that you would not forget."
"Lion head. Nice. Lady." Asterios commented from beneath them, they had gallantly offered to carry the two of them on his shoulders without so much as a complaint. Rather, he had been enthusiastic about doing it, she wasn't aware that someone could smile that wide and Euryale had been a touch slower to take up that offer than she had been, though it seemed as though it hadn't been because of any negative reasons. She was rather good at reading herself and knew when they were flustered. "Happy to see."
The Lancer made a small noise as they cleared their throat. "I have not forgotten the debt that I owe you during our last encounter either, Asterios." the knightess replied with a cordial tone of voice. "On a personal note, I am gladdened to see that you are maintaining your oath to protect the Lady Euryale and her sister without prompt."
Asterios made a noise of affirmation, nodding his head up and down while slightly jostling the pair of them.
Stheno aimed a flat look at the side of the minotaurs head while Euryale seemed unbothered by it, save for the slight flick she gave to the horn that she was holding onto for support. Asterios somehow got the message from that and tensed his shoulders, providing the pair of them with greater support than he had been doing before. Euryale, naturally, preened at the display and sported a far more pleased look than earlier.
The Lancer came to a halt in front of a steel door in front of them, turning around to face the pair of them and taking several steps to the right, placing herself out of the way of the door entirely. "This is as far as I am to be allowed, Lord Gwyndolin awaits you on the other side of the door."
With only a single nod of the head to the pair of them, the Lancer started to walk away from the pair and back through the hallway they had come through before she vanished into motes of light as she returned to her spirit form. Stheno watched her depart before humming quietly, then turned her eyes towards Euryale and saw her with a similarly bemused expression before shaking her head and looking down at Asterios.
Though just as she imagined that her sister was going to give commands to her…she wasn't entirely sure what Euryale saw Asterios as, calling them a pet felt like doing them a disservice but at the same time, she wasn't entirely sure she viewed them as a friend either. A curious development regardless, all the same before Euryale could ask anything of the minotaur, the doors in front of them released a shuddering groan as they started to pull themselves inwards, revealing a completely darkened interior on the other side, yet the message remained the same.
"...It would seem as though we are being invited in." Stheno commented with a raised eyebrow, then felt her lips pull themselves upwards. "It would not do to keep our host waiting then, wouldn't it, me?"
"Indeed not, myself." Euryale supported with a similar twitch of the lip before she pat Asterios twice on the back of the head, the Berserker let out only a single noise of affirmation before he continued his march forwards.
Stheno would say this for the Servant, they did an ample job of keeping the both of them supported on his shoulders. Another thing she noticed was that the doors were unreasonably large, as though they were used to taller figures walking through them. The moment they passed through, she found herself squinting at the interior of the room, bathed in shadows and unable to make out much detail, save for the face it was a wide hall with great stone pillars reaching from the floor all the way towards the base.
A trickle of magical energy behind her prompted her to turn around and see that the door they had just entered through no longer existed, or rather no longer existed in the same way it had done so. It had grown to stretch from the floor all the way up to the ceiling and was made of some solid metal.
The room seemed to shift, pale moonlight filled the chamber and provided a dim lighting to the barren hall save for the other end of them.
Three statues were carved into the wall with little outcrops for each of them, the one in the centre was of a bearded man with a rather tall crown, a sword held firmly in his hands and pointed down towards his feet. To the right of the man was a woman, her hands held in front of herself and with a veil hanging down from her neck and a rather ample bosom. Then to the left was the final figure and much like the bearded man, he similarly sported some manner of pointed trident like crown on his head, armed with a large spear which transitioned into a sword and matching the pose of the man in the centre.
Stheno's eyes flickered around for a few moments to see if there was anything around here that could allow them to place exactly where they were. However, she did recognise the central figure easily enough; there had been a large statue of him in a corner when Gwyndolin had constructed that little home of theirs. From that, she could determine the other two, she recognised the one on the left at least as well having seen them in person from a distance.
"Ah, you've arrived." A cold voice reached her ears, she tensed for only a moment before her brows knit together as recognition seeped in, but only for a moment. The voice was identical but there was something in the words that seemed almost alien. "Good…and I see you brought along the Demon."
"Gwyndolin?" She called out, placing a hand on her hips. "Might I ask as to why you would summon me in such a place and not even meet with me? I did not think our relationship was so dour…" she paused for a moment, then felt her lips pull upwards into a coy smirk. "Unless you're a bit embarrassed to face me…are you afraid I'll tease you about you and Medusa?"
"Medusa…yes…your younger sister." Gwyndolin made a small noise from somewhere, his voice continued to echo about as a whisper. "So quiet…so distant. So much like Yorshka."
Stheno narrowed her eyes, he didn't even so much as react to her words.
"I think that's why I attached myself to her at first." There was a small pause before he made dismissive noise. "Or rather, why Gwyndolin attached himself to her. So lonely and seeking only company…company that would not spurn his mere presence as though it was toxic. Medusa was…convenient for that, I suppose."
"Fufufu~" Stheno laughed in a way that made it clear she didn't actually find anything he said all that amusing, instead it was replaced by a dark tone as she rested her hand on her cheek. "My, my…it sounds as though someone just confessed to using Medusa without actually caring a single wit about her feelings. That doesn't seem very nice at all." the smile on her lips turned sharper. "Not in the slightest."
"Quite so." Euryale chimed in from the left with a matching tone of voice. "You might want to rephrase your words a touch, someone might end up with the wrong impression if you aren't careful. That would be fairly terrible to happen, wouldn't it, Gwyndolin?"
"Not Gwyndolin." He instead replied, not even giving a hint that their words even registered with him beyond that point. "Not anymore…but I can sense it, that subtle threat. Medusaless you called her but now you rush to defend her? What a curious state of affairs…is it because you care or because she is yours? Can't stand the idea of someone other than you abusing her?"
A faint noise reached Stheno's ears, one which had her subtly tense.
Slithering.
"But maybe you are siblings who do care for one another. An inside joke, wouldn't that be novel. But if that were true…then why did the Gorgon come to be?" Her eyes darted to the far end of the room as a shadow moved out from behind the pillars, and it was a shadow. Like a splotch of darkness in a deeper black than anything else in the room. "How is it that you can speak such cruel words with such a genuine smile? I wonder why it was that Gwyndolin attached herself to Medusa…perhaps she saw something of herself in them…so meek and quiet."
The shadow moved out fully from behind the figure, though the form remained utterly obscure save for the glow of two crimson red eyes, Stheno's breath caught in her throat and she felt the minotaur tense beneath her as the shadow moved around, the sound of slithering ringing in her ears as she could faintly make out what looked like tendrils moving in the darkness.
At least that was how she thought they were immediately, then one of the tendrils moved out of the darkness and banished that notion away. She knew Gwyndolin's physical appearance, she knew of what resided where his feet would be. Yet they had been so small and so delicate looking.
Now they weren't.
They were wretched looking things now, monstrous by shape and by manner, obsidian coloured scales with slitted red eyes, the orbs glared at her as the snake head with armoured ridges twisted and opened up its jaw, revealing rows and rows of curved hook like teeth. It remained in the open for a fraction of a second before it slithered back into the darkness as the shadow moved about the room in front of her.
She knew the voice.
But it couldn't be Gwyndolin.
"Was that it, I wonder? Did she seek freedom from you and turn to embracing her curse? Is that why you were…consumed?" From deep within the shadow, the orbs turned and faced her once more. Red eyes narrowed considerably as she felt - for a brief moment - that she was once again staring at something from so long ago. Nostalgia in the most revolting sense of the word struck her. Taking a half step before she stopped and pursed her lips. Keeping her eyes locked onto the red counterparts.
The tendrils - which she now knew to be snakes - coiled around in the darkness, hissing and spitting at one another as they did so. Sometimes they'd cross into the light only to retreat back into the cloak of darkness. It was fleeting but it reminded her they were still there and that something had happened.
"I'm not Gwyndolin. Because I'm free…" The voice took on a lighter tone to it, yet the echo remained as though they were speaking from all across the room "Because Gwyndolin would never let this happen…because she would never have the courage to really step forwards." their voice dropped into a growl. "But I don't need to worry about her anymore. I don't need to trouble myself with her little whimpering or her begging or anything…Because I've finally purged that weakness from me."
"Gwy-"
"Not. Gwyndolin." The crimson eyes burned bright enough to very nearly illuminate the room, yet the blackness which surrounded them remained untouched by the light, as though it spurred the very presence of it. From beneath the darkness, the hissing of snakes grew louder and more aggressive. "She was weak. She was a victim...But I'm not going to be a victim anymore. I'm finally going to be free…"
Turning from them, the shadow moved towards the statues and halted just shy of them, the red eyes vanished as Gwyndolin presumably turned his back on them and faced the shadows fully.
"I'm done being a pet." The statute of the woman withered, the stone rapidly started to shift as though it was coming under the effects of age. The smooth skin of the stone started to wrinkle and shift, decaying rapidly until the statue bore the look of a skeleton clad in scraps of cloth.
"I'm finished waiting to be saved." The statue on the far left vanished without a trace, disappearing into nothing as though it was never there.
Then he turned his attention onto the final statue. "...and I'm done being his victim." The central statue burst into flames, the brilliant inferno claiming it within mere seconds before it cracked and crumbled away, the statue of the imposing God scattered in an non-existent wind and into nothing. Leaving behind only a small pile of ash where it had been stood, a molten pronged crown jutting from the top being the only solid remnant of it.
"...I'm just going to be me." He said at last, there was an audible smile in his voice as the shadow turned and moved towards them. Stheno couldn't find it within herself to speak as he approached and then loomed over the three of them, even towering over Asterios as he used more of his tail to push himself up.
"...And I'm going to learn why it is that Medusa still cares about you, because I know in her heart that she does." Gwyndolin intoned darkly as he loomed over them, burning eyes leering into them as they moved from point to point and then settled on something behind them. "You can rest well, Asterios…" there was something gentle in his voice as he addressed the minotaur, something flickered through those red eyes. "I mean no harm for now. They've treated you well which has earned them…a reprieve for these questions."
The shadow loomed back from them, turning away and moving back across the room, the sound of slithering and hissing only intensifying further as it did so before Gwyndolin turned to face them once more. "Time will tell how strong your bond truly is and whether your affection holds true. Until we are all reunited…let's talk about the Shapeless Isles."
"It's the lower quarter." Faraam intoned as he turned the next corner, keeping his eyes on the buildings in the distance as he did so before grunting and jerking his head forwards. "There's a lift that carries people from the bottom all the way up the cathedral in the centre of the square. Getting there is a simple enough feat…provided we do not face more resistance from the one who shot us down."
Ritsuka paused for a moment and then blinked, though before he could get a word out Medusa spoke up first.
"How can you be certain that it was not Gwyndolin who sent us down here?" Though her tone remained flat, Ritsuka could sense there was some unease in her words. Whether it was the implication that there might have been another Servant here or whether it was the idea that he had shot at her, he couldn't tell. They did seem close, at least. "He is, after all, in the class of Archer."
Faraam stopped walking, then turned around and looked towards them before shaking his head from side to side. "While his class is indeed of the bow, I can state with absolute certainty that the one who shot us down was not Gwyndolin." he turned back around and continued his walk. "They were far too strong and much too skilled."
Ritsuka paused once again, his features twitched for a brief moment before he glanced towards the direction of Gwynevere, and she didn't even so much as blink at the rather brutal assessment of her brother. He felt the need to at the very least defend Gwyndolin, though Medusa was ahead of him on that account once again.
"That seems to discredit his abilities." The Rider remarked with a distant tone of voice. "How can you be certain that he has not improved in his skills as a bowman during the time that you have been separated."
Gwynevere chuckled under her breath this time, though her tone was far more cordial. "It's amusing to see that you are attempting to defend him, but this is a matter I would leave to the Unspoken-"
"We're adults, Gwynevere." Faraam dryly replied back to her before she could even finish her sentence, prompting a flat look from the Goddess at the interruption from her brother. "There is no need to subscribe to the exile now that we are all traitors to Gwyn. The least you can do is use my name." he turned and stared down at her in silence for a few seconds before he exhaled. "Or not…you can hate me if that would make you feel comfortable."
Gwynevere's expression remained devoid of emotion before her attention returned to Medusa, the dismissal was rather clear, though Faraam didn't look surprised but Ritsuka saw the brief flash of hurt in his eyes.
"Whether or not Gwyndolin has improved in his skill, there is the simple matter of his strength." Gwynevere replied with a shake of her head. "He simply cannot produce the power for such displays, I shall not comment upon his skill but in terms of the usage of magical energy…" she offered a sympathetic smile. "He is undoubtedly weaker than many of the Servants within Chaldea as well."
Medusa remained undeterred. "He has access to the Holy Grail, there is nothing to say he has not merely improved his own abilities." again, Ritsuka had to hand it to her, she was making some decent enough arguments that he would consider it logical as well. Yet neither Faraam nor Gwynevere looked convinced by them. "I am merely airing on the side of caution that he may have become a slightly more formidable individual than we are granting him credit for."
She took a single step to the left, then brought up her hand and wrapped her knuckles against the side of one of the nearby buildings, a faint echo ringing out as she did so. "The proof surrounds us of what he is capable of with his illusions. To say nothing of his ability to fool us as he made off with the Holy Grail. It was impossible to determine that the Gwyndolin we saw was an illusion until-"
Faraam let out a breath as he shook his head. "I know my brother and I know what he is capable of." turning around, he resumed his advance through the streets and called back to them. "He could not even so much as call upon the strength of Miracles without causing…duress to his person. I doubt that changed in my absence."
Gwynevere hummed but said nothing, it was a non-verbal affirmation.
"Besides…illusions were always his strong suit but that is all they remain. Illusions." He gestured around them. "A convincing forgery but a fake nonetheless. He has improved with them and I shall provide him with the due credit for that achievement but physical combat…it has never been Gwyndolin's strong suit and I do not believe the Holy Grail would be able to change that."
A glance was spared over his shoulder towards Medusa. "While I am thankful that you are at least willing to debate me on this topic and have confidence in him, it is simply a matter of reality. Gwyndolin…he's always suffered from frailty. I saw nothing that would change my opinion when I last saw him during that festival." he made a small noise and shuddered for a moment. "That…peculiar Goddess with no sense for combat bested him so, when faced with that display, I am forced to leave my opinion unchanged."
Ritsuka furrowed his brows, placing his hands on his hips and then briefly sharing a glance with Mash at his side. It became clear that but the odd look on her face, she was seeing the exact same thing that he was as well. There was nothing malicious about their words towards Gwyndolin but at the same time, they seemed…weirdly quick when it came to dismissing him as a potential threat. Like they just didn't think he was actually capable of it.
Sure, that fight against Artemis had been a little embarrassing but he had seen what Gwyndolin was capable of in a fight. He'd watched them go toe to toe with Aldrich after they consumed a Demon God and landed some very solid shots. Apparently he'd also fought something during the moon festival with Artemis as well but he never got a chance to ask them for more details about it.
He glanced at Medusa, he watched as she thinned her lips and then eventually nodded her head up and down. "Very well. I shall leave the explanation for you then, merely that underestimating him would be unwise. He is, after all, still a Servant and a Divine Spirit."
Faraam remained silent for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. "As you say."
Ritsuka advanced on ahead just to fall into step with Medusa, the Rider paused for only a moment as she noticed him before she turned her head straight on, looking at the back of the advancing war god. "...That was strange, right?"
"They have no expectations for him." Medusa replied quickly and rather tonelessly, her lip pulled down for a fraction of a second before it evened out. "They are not malicious in nature, I can sense no ill will in their words but perhaps that is the problem. They do not see him as anything more."
"...Keep an eye out in case Gwyndolin has buffed himself with the Grail." Ritsuka mumbled to her under his breath, though he aimed his gaze upwards as well. "But be on the lookout for anyone else that might be here. Gwyndolin took the Holy Grail for a reason and who knows if he summoned help."
"He likely did." The blunt comment from Medusa brought him up short for a moment, aiming a glance at the side of her head the moment she spoke the words. He was left more puzzled than anything. If she was confident that Gwyndolin had summoned help, then why would she have been rather adamant about the idea that it could have been Gwyndolin who attacked them? Was she just looking for a reaction or something?
The Rider didn't say anymore as she paced ahead of him, Ritsuka watched her move away as Mash caught up with him and fell into stop. With thinned lips, he brought up the communicator and flashed it open, Romani's face emerged a moment later, shaking his head from side to side. "We've gotten no signs of any sort of Servant readings at the moment, but that might be a result of Gwyndolin's meddling. He is using a Holy Grail after all and…well…he does have the most experience with them out of anyone in Chaldea when we take into account it works in a similar fashion to the Lord Vessel you guys picked up."
Ritsuka nodded his head up and down. "I take it just using a command spell wouldn't be enough then?"
"The command spells at Chaldea aren't quite as potent as the usual set, it was the cost for allowing them to recharge." Romani explained with a shake of his head. Reaching up, he rubbed the side of his cheek as he spoke onwards with a disheartened tone of voice. "In normal circumstances? I would say that you'd be able to use them to get Gwyndolin to stand down but if he's powered himself up with the Grail? He's probably boosted his resistance quite a bit."
"Figured that was the case. Though I can still feel him contracted to me." Ritsuka nodded his head, then slowly turned his eyes to one of the other figures. "On another matter, why did you sneak into the Rayshift chamber?"
Gwynevere was silent before she responded. "...I was not certain you would have allowed me to journey with you." her tone was quiet but he could sense the suspicion in her tone of voice. "Given your…opinion, I felt you might reject my aid on account of making things worse. I am aware that Gwyndolin holds…strong feelings to me-"
"You're down here to figure out why he hates you."
"...He loved me." She replied in a quiet but confused tone of voice. "I…I do not see how he could have changed so greatly since we last met with one another. There was never a hint of these emotions during all the time we spent with one another…it was I who cared for him after mothers…" she took in a deep breath before she exhaled and straightened herself out. "When it was decided that he would become the Goddess of the Moon, I instilled the proper values he would need to carry himself as a Princess-"
"What?"
The voice of complete and utter confusion echoed through the street, Ritsuka turned and looked ahead to see Faraam having stopped and turned around to face them, his head cocked to the side much like a young child having been told that Santa wasn't real or something. His eyes shining with that level of innocent puzzlement as he looked at Gwynevere. "What do you mean when he became a Goddess?"
Gwynevere stared back at her brother with a vacant expression before she replied. "I mean as I said. Lord Gwyn decreed that you shamed the role of Prince too greatly that none would ever hold the title again. Thus it was deemed that Gwyndolin, for his affinity with the moon, would become the newest Goddess." she replied in an utterly serious tone of voice. "Filianore was already in the process of becoming Matriarch of the Pygmies, thus the role of educating Gwyndolin on the ways of womanhood fell to me."
"Womanhood?" Faraam parroted back to her in a voice of complete and utter disbelief "Wom-wo-he's…he's not a woman." he replied rather dumbly, his arms by his side before shaking his head rapidly. "No that is…mother would not sit back and allow-"
"Mother raised no objections on the matter." Gwynevere cut him off, then paused for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. "That is to say, when it was decided she spent so little time around either of us. Having become fully invested in her duties. Lord Gwyn ensured that brother understood the weight of his new role and he offered no complaints."
"No com-" Coughing loudly, Faraam looked as though he had been punched in the gut. "He's-what manner of-what of you?!" he pointed at her "You just stood there and did nothing?"
Gwynevere cocked her head to the side "Why would I?"
Ritsuka pursed his lips as he glanced between the two of them, the disbelief on Faraam's face was only matched by the bafflement in Gwynevere's tone of voice. It was something that could not be faked. She was genuinely confused as to why she would see any sort of issues in what was being asked of Gwyndolin. That wasn't right, that sounded horrible just by the sound of it. By all accounts, Gwyn had flat out just forced his son into becoming a girl against his will.
"To serve the duty of the Gods is the highest calling, Gwyndolin understood that and accepted his new role silently." Gwynevere replied with a frown on her face as she stared at her brother, uncaring as to the fact he looked so utterly lost for words. "He performed his role amicably."
Faraam stared, silent and still. "...Amicably? That is all you have to say on the matter?"
"What more is there to be said?"
"...What more indeed." With a growl, he turned from her and marched through the streets once more, Ritsuka kept his eyes on the back of their head before he frowned deeply. Glancing to Gwynevere briefly and then back to the advancing God.
Yeah. What more indeed.
