Chapter 4 – Neptune's New Negativity
"HELLOOOO, READERS! Name's Neptune, The cute and lovable Protag of all Protags! I'm the CPU of Planeptune and one of the goddesses of Gamindustri! I may look and act immature. But my name's in the title for a reason! Pretty nepping sweet, huh?
But you what's NOT nepping sweet? Histy nagging your ear off about being "responsible" and "mature" for the nth time. As if can't be any of those things if I bet my life on it. I wouldn't have four freaking games if that was the case.
I'm still rather pissed that Amitie sold me out like that. Us family members are supposed to stick together, you know.
"Ugh. It's over. I got through another one of Histy's lectures. Such a drag." I complained as I laid my head on the table in front of me.
"You kinda deserved it for running off like that, Neptune." Nepgear said to me.
"You really had us worried, Nep-Nep." Compa added.
"Why? It's not like I wasn't going to come back. I just needed a little break, that's all."
"Break from what?" Iffy asked. "You barely do any work and leave most of it to Gear."
"She has a point, Nepsy." Uzume added.
"What? I do work! You just don't notice it when I do it!"
"That has to be the lamest excuse I've ever heard…" Iffy and the others gained a sweatdrop.
Okay, okay. I should probably explain who are all these people I'm talking to, huh? Well, I don't feel like going into full detail with all of them. So, I'll just abridge it.
First off, my little sister Nepgear. She's what's known as CPU Candidate. Meaning that she'll take over once I step down or something like that.
As if that will ever happen.
A lot of people describe her as the complete opposite of me. Personality, intelligence, appearance (especially appearance. She has a bigger chest than me)…but I don't let that bother me. Most of the time.
Next is Iffy. Well, her name's IF. But I call her Iffy. It's like a nickname. She's this tomboyish-looking brown-haired girl with a leafy green bow and a blue coat that looks WAY too big on her. She's a good friend of ours and a member of Planeptune's Guild.
She also carries a bunch of cell phones with here. Often treats them like they're like her babies or something. Ha! What a freak!
…
D-Don't tell her I said that.
Then there's Compa. She's a kind and caring girl with long light congo-pink hair with matching eyes, wearing a tan-white wool sweater top, and a red plaid skirt. Another good friend of ours, Compa's a nurse-in-training at a nearby hospital. No matter what happens, she's always there to heal up our wounds. Such a good party member to have around.
And finally, there's Uzume Tennouboshi. A girl with long red pigtail-like hair and wears…some kind of school uniform type thing (I never bothered to ask). She's actually the previous CPU of Planeptune. But was sealed off in another dimension due to her illusion power going out of whack.
After some in-game events that are too long to talk about, she and her friends from that other dimension came back to our dimension with us. And now, she watches over me rule the very same nation she once ruled before. Pretty nepping cool, right?
So, that's all of them. There are more out there. But…they're not relevant right now. Maybe later, though.
"So, where did you go, Nep?" Iffy asked. "It's almost like you left this universe completely or something."
"Well, that's because I did."
"Wh-What?" Iffy, Compa, and Uzume gained confused looks.
"I went to a different dimension to visit our cousin."
"Y-You have a cousin?!" And then those confused looks turned to looks of shock.
"Yep. Pretty cool, right?"
"Neptune, don't be so nonchalant about it." Nepgear gained a sweatdrop.
"Ge-Ge, is what Nep-Nep said true?" Compa asked.
"Yes, it's true. We have a cousin that lives in a different dimension. Her name is Amitie."
"Amitie? Kinda odd that her name doesn't start with an N." Uzume said. "How'd ya even find this out, anyway?"
"Histoire found this odd file in the system one day and it was mildly corrupted. After cleaning it, it was revealed to be a family tree of sorts. And at the bottom left corner was apparently the source of the corruption…a picture of Amitie claiming to be our cousin."
"And you believed it?" Iffy asked.
"Well, we did meet and got tested and all that jazz." I said. "And we're 100% related."
"100%, huh? If that's the case, then she can transform using HDD, right?"
"U-Um, well…no. She can't. In fact, I'm pretty sure she's fully human."
"Fully human? So, she's not a CPU?"
"Nope. Just your average 17-year-old girl."
"17? So, you two are goddesses and yet you have a normal teenage girl as a cousin. Hope she's okay with that."
"Well…" Nepgear and I slowly looked away from the others with nervous looks on our faces. And with Iffy's good attention-to-detail skills, it didn't take her long to figure out why.
"Wait, a minute…you two never told her, did you?"
"Aw, shucks. She figured it out…" I said.
"Read us like an open book…" Nepgear added.
"So, she has no idea that you two are the CPU and CPU Candidate of an entire nation?" Uzume asked.
"Well, not exactly…" I said.
"She knows we're CPUs…" Nepgear added. "…but we didn't really tell her what that actually means."
"We didn't tell her about the other CPUs, HDD…hell, she doesn't even know that we don't age. As far as she knows, we're just as normal as she is."
"So, she's completely in the dark about how your lives work?" Iffy asked. "Do you at least have any intention of telling her?"
…
…
…
"N…N-Not really." We both answered with mildly shameful looks.
"Seriously?"
"Nep-Nep. Ge-Ge. You shouldn't lie to your cousin like this." Compa said.
"We know, Compa." I said. "But telling a long-lost family member who you recently met that you're an immortal goddess that rules over an entire nation…that you have insanely God-like powers and that there are others that are like this isn't exactly the easiest thing in the world."
I then thought for a bit.
"Or…dimension. Now that I think about it."
"There were times in which we thought of telling her…" Nepgear said. "…but then we went against it. There's just no telling how she would react to it all."
"They each do possess a point." Histy said as she joined up with us. "Telling Amitie such information is highly risky. Other dimensional affairs should not be toyed with."
"You say that, Histoire." Iffy said. "But haven't these two been to two completely separate dimensions and interfered with their affairs?"
"I can easily confirm that." Uzume added. "Not that it was a bad thing or anything."
"That…is true." Histy gained a sweatdrop.
"Hmmm…"
"What's wrong, Compa? You've been silent for a while." I asked her.
"Well…you said that Amitie is 17, right? Is she older or younger than you?"
"Duh. She's totally younger than me."
"Really?" Everyone questioned that statement.
"What?"
"You're older than her?" Iffy asked. "Then how old are YOU, Nep?"
"Hmph. Well, that's a bit rude to ask ain't it, Iffy?" I pouted.
"I'm just saying. Even though it can't be exact since neither you nor Gear age at all due to being goddesses, I find it hard to believe that you're older. Judging by your personality and physical appearance.
"It's kinda the reason why people often mistake Gearsy as the older sister." Uzume said.
"Yeah…I can see it, too." Compa added.
"You too, Compa?"
"Sorry, Nep-Nep. But Iffy does have a point. Ge-Ge is taller, more mature, and has bigger breasts than you. By a longshot."
"That last one's probably the most shocking of them all." Iffy said.
"It does bring confusion to most of the citizens here." Histy added.
"Um…can we please leave my breasts out of this conversation?" Nepgear gained a sweatdrop.
"W-Woah, woah, woah! Hold up!" I was beyond pissed at this moment. "How can you all deny the fact that I'm older than my cousin?!"
"Well, how would you describe her?" Iffy asked.
"Well, for starters, I'm older than her!"
"*sigh* Well, asking you is gonna get us nowhere. What about you, Gear?"
"Well…thinking about it, Neptune and Amitie are the same height. They're also the same weight, have similar hairstyles…"
…
"…and they are kinda flat-chested."
"Nepgear!" I shouted with a mild blush.
"Sorry, Neptune. But it is true."
"So, that means…Nep-Nep is 17-years-old!" Compa said.
"Wh-Wh-What?! I may not have an age…but if I did, it would definitely NOT be 17!"
"Why? It makes sense to me." Iffy said.
"I can totally see it, Nepsy. Basing on how Gearsy described your cousin." Uzume added.
"Ugh! This is nepping ridiculous! Just because I happen to be short, flat, and immature, doesn't mean that I can't be the older cousin! I mean…I'm the freaking main character of this series! Do you know how long I've held this title without anyone questioning it?!"
"No. Not really, Nep-Nep." Compa said.
"It kinda comes back to my question on how old are you." Iffy added.
"W-Well…I-I'm older than Nepgear! That should be enough, right?!"
"Well…" Both Iffy, Compa, and Uzume went dead silent on me.
"Un-nepping-believable!"
"Well, Neptune. I hope this serves as an eye-opener for you." Histy said to me.
"Eye-opener for what?! I basically got insulted for being short and flat!"
"While there is nothing you can do about the short and flat problems…"
Way to be encouraging, Histy…
"…This is the perfect opportunity to mature and act your age. 17 or not."
"You gotta be nepping kidding me…" I said in a sour mood.
"Cheer up, Sis." Nepgear said to me. "I can help you with…"
"No way, dear younger sister of mine. If I have to prove to everyone that I can be older than you and Amitie, then I'll do it on my own. Hell, I'll even prove to you all why this series is, and will always be called, Hyperdimension Neptunia!"
"Oh, really now? I don't suppose you would like to prove that to me as well, huh?"
"Huh?"
"That voice…" Nepgear said. "Isn't that…"
"Hahahahaha! So, we meet again…Neptune."
"A-Arfoire?!"
"Well, you sure have some huge guts to just walk on in here like nobody's business." Iffy said.
"It was easy, really. You were all so busy chatting amongst each other that I took the chance. How pathetic of you all to not notice."
I should probably explain this one too, huh? Well, this purple old hag in the extremely questionable clothes is freaking Arbore. She's an annoyingly cliché villain who often has nothing better to do than attempt to "rid the world of CPUs" or something like that. But she always loses. Like the annoyingly cliché villain she is.
"How DARE you describe me as such? And it's Arfoire, you idiotic brat! Now, I have yet another reason to kill you!"
"U-Uh oh. Arbore's already pissed off."
"And just who's fault is that, Nep?" Iffy retorted.
"Arfoire. You have no right to be here. Why have you come?" Histy asked in a really serious tone. The same kind used when she lectures me about stuff. It's super intimidating.
"Why else would I be here, Histoire? To kill all the CPUs and erase this pitiful world known as Gamindustri out of existence. Hahahahaha!"
"Ugh. She's still doing that?" Uzume asked in an annoyed tone.
"She must be very determined to make that happen." Compa said with a sweatdrop.
"Told ya guys she's cliché as hell." I taunted.
"Enough of this worthless banter! Neptune! You WILL perish here! And I finally have the means to do so this time."
"Really? Oh, please. You'll be eating those words once again after I beat you, Arbore! TRANSFORM!"
I then began transforming into my super powerful Goddess form! Known as Purple Heart! I get all big and powerful and…
"Not this time, child. Ascella!"
"Huh?"
*PING*
"Gah…!" I was suddenly stopped mid-transformation when these glowing blue chains came out of a blue-like orthorhombic stone infused with Arfoire's staff and grabbed me all over. My arms, my legs, around my stomach, and even around my neck. That one especially making it hard for me to breathe.
"Wh-What is this? I-I can't…m-move. C-Can't…breathe…e-either…"
"N-Neptune!"
"Don't just stand there, Gear! Let's help Nep out!" Iffy said to Nepgear.
"R-Right! TRANSFOR-"
"I don't think so." With a snap of her fingers, Arfoire made the stone change from a blue-like orthorhombic stone to a pink-like shapeless one. And from that, a huge distortion field filled out the room. It didn't take long for everyone to feel its effects as they all fell to the ground.
"Wh-What…the hell…?" Iffy said weakly.
"I-I can't…move. M-My body is…s-so weak…" Compa said.
"Wh-What is this…p-power? I-It is…dr-draining my energy…" Histy said.
"D-Damn…m-my head…i-it feels like…i-it might…ex-explode…" Uzume said.
"N-Nep…tune…" Nepgear said.
"G-Guys…" I tried to yell. But my body…I was losing so much oxygen from my lungs that I was feeling like I was going to pass out. These chains are constricting my still human body so damn hard…
"Now…for the final part." Arfoire said. "If what that girl said was true, then all I have to do is recite the chant."
"Ch-Chant? Wh-What…ch-chant?" I asked barely.
"Hahahahaha! Pay close attention, Neptune! For this will spell out your end!" As Arfoire changed the stone back to the blue-like orthorhombic stone and pointed her staff at my suffocating body, she gained an evil sadistic smile on her face.
And for the first time ever…it scared the living hell out of me.
"To the fires of hell, your soul shall fly…
I send it screaming across the sky!
It shall endure such eternal pain…
And slowly you'll go completely insane!
Topaz of Sagittarius, listen to me…
Kill this brat! So mote it be!"
K-Kill? N-No…I-I can't…d-die here. I-I just can't…
"Delta Sagittarii!"
Arfoire had fired a bright blue laser from the stone. And almost immediately, I felt immense pain coming from all over my weakened body. The chains had gotten super tight and really hot. It was burning through my clothes and eventually my skin. The pain was excruciating and unbearable…like no pain I've ever felt before.
It felt like…my soul was being destroyed.
"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"N-Nep…Nep…!"
"N-Nep…!"
"N-Neptune…!"
"N-Nepsy…"
I continued screaming in pain as my sister and friends had no choice but to watch me being internally burned alive and strangled to death. These chains…they were definitely melting my soul. I could feel my whole body getting weaker…I couldn't even connect to my HDD form anymore.
Like it was erased from my entire existence.
M-My soul…i-it burns. I-It hurts…s-so nepping bad! I-I can…I-I can even feel it…sh-sh-shattering.
…
…
…
But…for some reason…it's starting to feel good. Really nepping good! I can't get enough of this! It's so damn good! *giggle*
"Hahahahaha! This is finally the END for you, Neptune! Now witness this worthless universe cease to exist! And burn in the depths of Hell for all eterni-"
"Shut up."
*CRASH*
"Wh-What?!"
I felt the chains break off from my body and witnessed them fall to the ground around me. The pain was finally gone…but now…I was feeling something else. A surge of a strange new power overtaking my still burning soul. It felt so good that my heart was racing and my mind was nearly blank. I eventually opened my eyes and saw that my hands were tattooed with a strange glowing blue-colored light. With my right hand having this even stranger symbol on it.
Kinda looked like…an arrow?
"*demented giggle* *more demented giggling*" I started giggling all creepy-like as I began getting up from the floor. Once I was on my own two feet, I felt the power flowing to the rest of my body like a sudden jolt of electricity. The blue-colored glowing grew brighter from my nearly ruined jacket. Revealing that it was all over my body and not just my hands. Even my eyesight was a little blue at this point.
"*demented giggle* *more demented giggling*"
"N-Neptune…?" I barely heard Nepgear whimper in fear. I honestly paid no attention to her or the others still trapped in the distortion.
All my focus…was on this purple witch in front of me.
"demented giggle* Yo, Arbore. That was some attack ya did on me. Wanna see me return the favor?" My voice was all demented and unrecognizable. As if I've lost my sanity or something like that.
"Th-That voice…" Histy said.
"N-Nep-Nep…" Compa added.
"Wh-What's going on?! H-How are you still alive?!" Arfoire yelled in a panic.
I didn't answer. Instead, I raised my glowing right arm and opened my glowing right hand. Feeling a ginormous amount of energy rushing to my hand as a blue aura surrounded it whole.
Until finally…
"Ascella!"
"Wha…?!"
*BOOM*
…
…
…
"*cough* *cough* *cough* Wh-What the?! H-How did you…w-wait! Wh-Where did you…"
"Alnasl!"
*BOOM*
"*cough* *cough* *cough* N-No…I-It can't be…"
"H-Holy crap! Those attacks!" Iffy yelled as the other were somehow free from the distortion.
"W-Was Nepsy ever able to do such moves?!" Uzume asked.
"First time I'm seeing them!"
"Delta Sagittarii!"
*BOOM*
"Zeta Sagittarii!"
*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*
"St-Stop! Stop already! I can't…t-take it anymore!" Arfoire yelled after I pelted her with attack after attack with this strange rush of new power. It was truly the most fun I've had in a long time. I honestly can't remember the last time I felt so much joy. I've never felt so…so…reborn.
"*demented giggle* You know, Arbore…your stutters of fear and pain always brought a smile to my face. You may act all tough and cocky…but you're really nothing more than a pathetic emo witch just seeking attention."
I blasted her with another weird spell.
"G-Gah…!"
"Eliminate all CPUs"? "Destroy Gamindustri"? Ha! Don't make me nepping laugh, you sorry excuse of a villain!"
I then blasted her again.
"G-Gaaah…!"
"You always talk about "killing this brat", huh? Well…maybe I'll kill YOU here and now! Just for the hell of it!Hahahaha!"
"Y-You wouldn't DARE!"
"Oh? I wouldn't DARE, huh? Wanna bet?!"
I then raised my arm once more and aimed it at my arch-nemesis. So nepping ready to do the one thing she had failed to do to me for such a long time.
I was nearly at full charge when…
"Nep! Stop!"
Iffy?!
"Back off, Nepsy! This isn't worth it!"
Uzume?!
"Gah! Let me go! I was just about to end her!"
"This isn't like you, Nep! Calm the hell down!"
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"*cough* *cough* Wh-What the hell…?" Arfoire said as she slowly got up from the floor. "I-Is this what they meant by…"
"Hahaha! For an old witch, you did a hell of a lot better than I thought! Had fun?!" All of a sudden, this strange new voice appeared and started talking over all of us.
"Fun?! I almost DIED trying to do this for you!"
"Meh. Whatever. Just hurry up and get the hell outta there!"
"You're not even going to explain what the hell just happened?!"
"Ugh. Man, you nag a lot. Fine, I'll tell ya once ya get here. Happy?"
"*sigh* Fine. At least I did my end of the deal." Arfoire gained an exasperated look on her face as the mysterious voice went away. Soon giving her attention back to us.
"Arfoire! What did you do to my sister?!" Nepgear yelled.
"As if I know! And even if I did, why the hell would I tell you?! I'm sure you girls aren't that stupid to figure it out for yourselves."
"Tch. Why you…" Iffy and Uzume grew angry.
"Oh? Arbore's still here, huh? That means I can KILL her, right?! RIGHT?!" I shouted with the blue aura glowing all over my body. And even grew a sadistic smile on my face. One that gave everyone in the room a shiver down their spine.
Ah~! The fear! The pain! Giving it all to the people around me feels so nepping good! I can totally get addicted to it all! *demented giggle*
"W-Well… *clears throat* th-that was fun." Arfoire said. "But as you heard, I must be going now. Au revoir, girls. Treat this as the warning for all of your deaths in the near future! Hahahahaha!"
Arfoire finally disappeared out of the Basilicom. And I slowly felt my new power dropping down to a reasonable level.
Problem is…that wasn't the only thing that was dropping.
"D-Damnit…sh-she got away. Wh-Why did you all…*moan*" I said with barely any breathe or energy as I finally collapsed onto the ground. Too weak to move my semi-burned almost naked marked-up body anywhere from where Iffy and Uzume were holding me back from murdering Arfoire.
And what's worse…the pain from the chains was coming back. And it really really hurts.
"Neptune!" I could barely hear Nepgear's voice as I started fading out of conciseness.
"N-Nep…gear…I…I…"
I then closed my eyes and went dead silent on the floor. My body shutting down and my mind going blank. I wasn't sure if I was truly dying or not. But if felt like I was. Everything about me was so weak.
My body…
My mind…
And most importantly…my soul.
A-Ah, damn. A-A game over? Th-This early?
…
M-Maybe I am…only a 17-year-old…
Author's Note: A strange new power has infested Neptune after nearly dying from a surprise attack. And from the looks of it, her power isn't the only thing that's changed. The good 'ol Nep that you know may be…a little different from now on.
This chapter also revealed two of the other stones in this story. Their names will be revealed in a later chapter.
For all Neptunia readers - If you're wondering about the timeline of this story, it's mainly after VII (Victory 2). It seemed like the best setting to base this on. And not just because it's the lastest mainline game in the series.
For all Puyo readers - If you're wondering about the timeline of this story, it's mainly after Chronicle. Much like how a lot of the stories are on these sites. But I'm making this notice just in case.
Thanks for reading. Later.