Ch.4 – The Fickle Fate
Several years had passed since the Herald's visitation. Everything seemed to be unwinding ever since. It had all started with little fanfare. After it had left, Ozma had hurried back to his wife to explain what had happened, ask about the truth as she knew it, and check on Serah. That, in turn, had led to his private confession about the God of Light's mission. That had led to a tense silence as the two new parents considered their respective revelations.
Likewise, no one in the royal court had reacted strongly to the Herald's speech (sermon?).
That had not lasted long.
Salem had given a public address, affirming the Herald's tale of genocide. And then, without warning him, declared her support for this Crimson. That had led to a very frustrating conversation. Worse, it hadn't improved anything. If anything, things had only gotten worse. Things had grown colder in their marriage. Neither of them had given up and still loved each other, he thought, but it was impossible to patch things up because of that one central conflict: their disagreement on the Brothers.
He was charged by the God of Light to unite humanity, to restore things to the glorious First Age. The only reason he was alive was because of the God of Light. Ozma had not been particularly devout during his first life, but his life as a hero had begun because of the God of Light's teachings. As disturbed as he was by this 'genocide', he could not bring himself to believe that the Brothers were his enemy.
It didn't help that Salem and the Herald had been vague about this genocide. The Herald had only briefly recounted the tale as part of its rapid speech before it had departed. Ozma was frustrated that the Herald hadn't answered any questions, but he could understand why it was so. Salem did not have that excuse. Although she confirmed the event, she was vague about what had led up to it. Every time he broached the topic, she had evaded. Claimed she hated remembering it. He hated hurting her, even unintentionally, but he needed to know why it had happened, especially if Salem wanted him to change his position on the Brothers. The deflections only made him nervous about the whole thing. He wished he had asked the God of Light about it before his incarnation, but that ship had long since sailed. The only thing he could recall was the God of Light's regretful mention of a 'tragedy'. The only thing he knew for certain was that the First Race was exterminated by the God of Darkness. How? Why? What was the God of Light's role? He didn't know.
Until he knew those answers, he would remain loyal to the God of Light.
That had caused no shortage of strife with his wife. She wanted his full-throated support for this god trying to kill the Brothers. He simply couldn't. Not only did he trust the God of Light, but he did not know this Crimson. Didn't know if this being could be trusted. Ozma hated how he was being pulled in several directions. Things were so much simpler in the First Age. After a couple of years of arguments, he and Salem had called a truce. Not only for their love, but for their children. They would agree to disagree, and avoid conflict with each other on this subject. It was… uncomfortable but working.
At least when things didn't burst out in their court. Who were not as devoted to getting along as their king and queen were. In fact, there was almost an eagerness to quarrel between the two newest and loudest factions.
Scarred Salah, his kingdom's Grand Commander, may have had red hair streaked with silver but had not lost any of his fire in his age. Proven as he stabbed a hand with two rings of gold and purple at the crimson-haired goat standing in the center of the throne hall. "We should slay this beast and offer its carcass as a sacrifice to the Brothers!"
As if the rings and his words were not proof enough, he wore a rich robe of interwoven gold and purple threads.
Ozma managed to keep his face blank, but he cringed inwardly. He counted Salah as his closest friend, however there was a reason he preferred the older man to be out on campaign and not involved with courtly politics. Today, the embarrassment was twofold. At no point during the First Age had either Brother demanded animal sacrifices. They accepted petitions and gifts, but had never demanded much beyond respect to their persons and authority. Or, at least that was how the God of Light had operated. Ozma couldn't recall the God of Darkness' views, though both of them were rather hands-off with the First Race.
Until the God of Darkness wasn't.
The bear Faunus woman (Doba? Doaa?) snarled and, for a moment, Ozma thought she might break the peace of the court to lunge at Salah. A firm hand latched onto her shoulder. The woman turned and shook with ire before allowing herself to be pulled back. A man in a crimson robe stepped around her. He was short and lithe with piercing silver eyes. By far what grabbed the eye were his feet. Or lack thereof. For better or for worse, Xavier had been born with two, human-sized falcon claws instead of feet. The appendages were covered in yellowed, hardened skin and came with four sharp talons. If he chose to, he could become quite the exotic warrior. Yet, Xavier had eschewed battle and been a simple trader. Ozma hadn't even met the man before the rise of this new cult.
Salah frowned as Xavier placed himself opposite to him on the other side of the goat, which had remained remarkably calm through everything. The Demihuman leader of the Crimsonites stood a foot shorter than Salah but with equal presence as the court quieted down to watch both men. "With respect, Honorable Commander, I must disagree. I think I speak on behalf of my kin when I suggest that we need not be so hasty in ending this creature's life. If it disturbs you, by all means, allow myself and my kin to remove it from your presence. We will handle it far from your sight."
Salah harrumphed. "Who are you trying to fool? You traitors seek to use this abomination in another attempt to kill our Creators!"
A small smile wove itself upon Xavier's face. "We are all children of Crimson. We owe no allegiance to the Brothers."
"Don't try to lump us in with you Walking Beasts!" A voice cried from Salah's side.
One of Ozma's fists tightened, disgusted that had come from his side. Salah shared his frustration as the Grand Commander shot a glare back toward the crowd before snapping back toward Xavier. Although several of the Faunus behind Xavier reacted with scorn, Xavier himself maintained his smile and his focus on Salah.
"I will hear no more of this quarrel."
All heads in the hall turned to Salem. Only Ozma kept his eyes on the court, but even he couldn't stop himself from tilting his head toward his wife. Although she held Hannah in her arms, her black-and-red eyes were imperious as they regarded their people. Ozma couldn't stop a bubbling anxiety as he prayed, er, hoped, that she did not choose one side over the other.
She gestured to the crimson goat. "This is a temple to ourselves, not to anyone else. The goat must be removed."
Ozma started to relax. As much as he didn't like being reminded of his false divinity, it was a neutral command. She had maintained the peace between them.
"Doba, please see to its removal."
Damn it, woman!
It was still technically a neutral order. In practice, he watched as the bear Faunus woman strut forward to place a hand on the goat and guided it toward the massive doors. Salah's blue eyes shifted to Ozma, begging him to intervene. They both knew that Salem had subtly rewarded her side, the Crimsonites, with this move, but what was Ozma supposed to do? He was adept at battle, not this damn courtly intrigue.
As the goat was escorted out of the throne room, alive, a small crowd of mostly Crimsonites followed. Ozma made no move to stop them and couldn't help but wonder what headache this would lead to…
Crimson's forearms stretched forward as shadow land flew beneath. Avian arms shook as Crimson maintained the red energy shield protecting it from the twin beams of silver and purple. A feline back paw hit a piece of bone as it continued the impromptu flight across Darkness' world. It could dig into the ground and hold against the energies pressing against the red defenses, but this let it put distance between itself and its opponents while defusing their energy across hundreds and hundreds of meters. As bright as the beams were, Crimson could see them.
Which really spoke to how pressed the situation had become.
The beams' power waned, the purple beam dying out entirely, and Crimson swung its wings in a physical gesture of being airborne. It needed to counter in a powerful way but also fast. The eagle head glanced to the right and saw a mountain. It too was dark with splotches of bone jutting out here and there. Idly wondering if Darkness was capable of creating anything else, Crimson drew a talon across the mountain base.
A crimson blade that spanned miles cut through rock and stone as though they were butter in the blink of an eye.
Before gravity could assert itself over this abrupt change of reality, Crimson caught the mountain with a net of power. Red lines criss crossed over the mountain's base while keeping it from breaking itself apart. With a gesture, Crimson flung the mountain toward the Brothers.
The silver attack ceased as the mass of earth and bone sailed towards its target, debris raining on the land between the two beings. Crimson twisted its claw, and the energy net spread over the rest of the flying mountain, forming a spear tip. Light flew through the air and slid past the lines of crimson as he phased into the mountain itself.
Just as Crimson wanted.
It gathered power, picturing the porous energy net becoming a trap as it snapped shut against the deity.
"Left flank!" Griff shouted.
Crimson's avian head snapped to his left. Darkness' maw was wide open, power gathering and nearly ready.
"I don't appreciate spoilers."
Crimson redirected gathering energy into a new shield.
Darkness fired at the motion.
With a grunt, Crimson was shoved through the air as the half-cocked blast slammed into the barely-protected side. In the distance, one could hear and feel the earth thunder as the mountain collided with the ground. A massive earthquake rolled outward. Crimson grunted again when it hit a hill. Before Crimson could recover from that, the earthquake washed over the ground. It was an unpleasant but not a severe motion.
Crimson let the physical, griffin form phase through the moving ground and pushed back into a levitating position…
"Right flank!"
…just to see Light swinging his long tail against him.
Crimson threw wings over its body right before impact. Swinging vertically, Light batted his opponent skyward. Crimson's wings rang with shock and pain. It could take a minute solace from how light the attack had been.
Wait, where's -!?
"Above!"
Crimson flipped in mid-air in time to see Darkness bearing down. In the ensuing clash, Darkness' claws grappled onto Crimson's feline body as the pair dropped back toward the planet.
"Even with your little watcher, you are no match for us!" Darkness mocked as he sped their descent.
Crimson's claws wrestled with the two talons trying to pierce its body.
"What do you hope to achieve?"
One of Crimson's claws slipped. The would-be challenger screamed in pain as Darkness stabbed into the crimson shell. But Darkness didn't stop there. Agonizing inch by inch, the talon dug deeper and deeper. Until there was a crack as the talon broke through Crimson's back.
Then Crimson's back broke through the ground.
Yet, that wasn't enough for the dark dragon.
Using Crimson as a bludgeon, the two continued the descent. Never given a chance to shift to incorporeality, Crimson flinched and recoiled as they struck through every metal and mineral deposit through the planet's crust. Miles of packed boulder and bedrock flashed past the two combating deities.
Until they broke through the mantle.
Magma exploded through the new opening, drowning Crimson. Only then did Darkness release his hold, and he teleported back to the surface. For a moment, Crimson flailed in liquid heat.
Back on the surface, Light awaited, glancing down at the rapidly-filling tunnel. He drifted away as a geyser of lava sprayed into the air. Not that it was a threat to him, but Light had little interest in being doused or wasting the energy to phase through the melted metal. On the opposite side was the second griffin, the far weaker one. It had not made any effort to do more than shout warnings and watch the battle.
Darkness reappeared next to Light, laughing. "I've not had this much fun in ages!"
Light did not approve of his brother's bloodlust, but politely declined to comment on it. His focus remained on the being who had harmed him.
Darkness' attention wasn't as aimed. It fell upon the weaker being. "Why did it bother to create a second with so little power?"
"If you would wait, perhaps we can force some answers out of them."
Crimson swam out of the geyser and pulled itself onto the nearest patch of 'dry' ground. Its movements were sluggish, all but shouting exhaustion and weakness. A purple and cracked hole throbbed in the center of its body, reminding Light of his own crimson piercings.
"Yield," Light commanded.
"Or we have more fun," Darkness added, eager promise thick in his telepathic voice. "In fact, maybe a warning shot would make you more amicable."
Crimson stilled. A warning shot?! He stabbed me through the stomach! What would count as a warning shot after that?
Purple energy gathered in the eye sockets in Darkness' exterior skull. It aimed at Crimson, who braced. Only to twitch its head toward Griff. On instinct alone, Crimson flew into action, literally and metaphorically. As it teleported its body in front of Griff, Crimson opened the Metaliteral Hallway for an instant to slam the 'Remnant Omniscience' Door closed. Power flowed into Crimson a second before Darkness lanced it.
"Brother, stop!" Light pleaded. "You could have destroyed him."
"Hardly. There was only enough power to cripple the smaller one."
Crimson growled and couldn't help but agree. I overreacted.
"I'm sorry," Griff mumbled from behind. "I'm a liability here."
"It is what it is."
"You do not have the power to overcome us, and I have more questions for you," Light insisted after throwing another warning look at Darkness.
Crimson stretched wings out. The Brothers watched closely. The wings slapped against the ground.
Light bathed in light and fire.
Darkness saw nothing but howling night.
Crimson and Griff returned to the spiritual realm. Crimson groaned as it gingerly touched the hole in its body. The wound itself meant little beyond the temporary pain. Crimson had the means to heal it, in two different ways as needed. No, what was frustrating that it represented how little Crimson could do when faced against the Brothers combined. Each Brother had been a force to reckon with on their own. Yes, it could theoretically secure victory, either by tactic or attrition. But together? Together, the difficulty of the situation multiplied. Except for the initial attack, Crimson had not been able to land a single blow against the two when they fought together. Worse, they were learning. Whatever inexperience they began with was quickly being shed with each encounter.
I just need another round of power. Soon, soon, I'll be able to stand against both, even against a united front.
Crimson opened the connection to the Contract.
As before, power flowed. Once again, the Observations formed a hefty investment. Its permanent strength grew to equal one Brother entirely. Several Flags and Cheers added their weight. Until all that was left was to listen to the Commands.
You're the second Crimson and in a much better place than the first Crimson, who got practically no Commands or Observations and had to rely on Faith-power to win; he diluted time while in the spirit realm so that several thousand years passed on Remnant in a few seconds and sent his clone to Remnant to build up the cult, which led to having magnitudes more Faith-power. (If you speed up time like the first, Ozma and Salem should have much less influence by then, allowing you to more easily spread your cult, possibly receiving thousands of years of faith at once if your cult persists, then you can win before the next round. From HT)
Crimson hated hearing about this other version. Even the news, that it was doing better than the other… man? That proved to be of little solace to its being. The fact that it was referred to as the 'second' twisted the metaphorical knife. Crimson was Crimson. It did not hear nor wanted to hear about this other.
The suggestion was of strange value. The battle was going well enough that Crimson didn't need this faith-power to win. As it stood at this moment, the Contract had provided over 70% power to equal the strength of both Brothers' combined. The Commands, thus far, had proved either neutral or mildly beneficial, and one really weird one.
It was not inclined to rely on this unwanted cult for victory. Ideally, without another intervention, it would pass away naturally. As for the time, well, it would have its pick of era once the battle was over. Perhaps it would stay here in the ancient 'past', or perhaps it would migrate to a more modern time.
Soon, very soon, I'll have the power I need. And without a true Command, I gain power from this just by listening. If only all the Commands were this easy.
When the time comes that you win the battle against the Brothers and enter Remnant, be sure to make use of your position to spread knowledge of the One who sent you and teach your Bonds His ways first as your disciples, and then in turn establish a Church in His Name; this Command supersedes any that blatantly contradicts it.
The One who sent me? I don't know anything about that One. Is this about the Second Party? At most, I only have vague feelings. Too vague. How am I supposed to fulfill a Command that requires knowledge I don't have?
The one silver lining (maybe not silver since Crimson had been repeatedly blasted by silver) was that it was a conditional Command, so there would be no forced attempt to do the impossible. It was a headache-in-waiting, but it would not bother it at the moment.
Also, what was with all of these religious Commands? The cult Command had been unwanted as it was. Now there was a church Command? How many more of these would there be?
Maybe there was some wisdom in speeding up time. It's not like I'm going to need the power from those Lamps of Time at this rate. I might have to sacrifice one, maybe two doors, before I can stand on my own. I'm so close, I can taste it!
It really did consider the possibility for a long moment. In the end, time was left unaffected.
That last part of the Command was really strange and would be a violation of the Contract, would it not? The Cosigners did not have power above each other. That meant that last part was probably void. Either way, it would not affect Crimson.
I like the idea of this taking place in the early time when Ozma was reincarnated and he and Salem's relationship is really nice to see, and I did like how Faunus where not called that originally and how even they weird out Ozma and Salem but they want to be nice to them. (Ozma and Salem being the focus for a while was really refreshing.)
Yet another Command declaring a Cosigner's interest, not in Crimson, but in Ozma. That felt… kinda humiliating. Not on its own, but when combined with the knowledge that there was another Crimson out there. It did not appreciate being ignored or being ranked among others.
Still can't complain too much about it. It's essentially free power for listening to a Cosigner ramble about this and that. A small price to pay for victory.
…still. The other Crimson was male? Was that by choice or because of a Cosigner? Crimson's entire past and being had been wiped away. There was nothing to draw upon. Perhaps when the battle was over, Crimson could make a choice. It wasn't sure what it wanted, but perhaps there was a hint to this vexing revelation? It was impossible to know. Right? That was part of the Contract's deal.
It sighed.
It was way too early for existential crises in this battle.
We must make sure you do not appear here again; BAILIFF! WHACK HIS PEEPEE!
…
What kind of Command is this!?
Crimson paused and waited to see how this Command would implement itself. Because it was clearly a Command! Yet, Crimson had no gender or sex. So, this Command could not be implemented against it. But then, who would it affect?
Apparently, the Contract either didn't know or had deemed the Command too vague to implement. Crimson was not forced to do anything, except let the words bounce around in the mind.
Dodged something there. And apparently, if I had been male, that would have been… well, I'm just satisfied that didn't do anything. And I'm not going to think about it any longer.
The one downside was that listening to an illegal Command did not invest power. So, it was a wasted Command for all involved. Perhaps the next one would be more helpful?
Pretty good start.
Well.
Power was power.
Light reached out with his senses. The light and heat were incredibly powerful but no threat to him. After a moment, he parsed out matter, metals specifically. "Ah, I see," he murmured to himself before jumping forward in space by ten astronomical units.
He was in deep space. He glanced behind him to gaze upon the supernova Crimson had teleported him to. Already, the event was ending as the brilliant light faded. If Light had waited a few more seconds, he would have realized where he was by the sudden loss of energy and matter.
Placing a god of light inside a supernova? A joke? Light mentally shrugged before turning his attention to where his brother was…
Crimson waited for the next Command.
This command shall only be heard once you have defeated the Brother gods, be it slaying them or removing them of their divine nature; you and other individuals of relative importance shall be bound to the 22 Major Arcana through a ritualized system of power by an additional contract you must sign first before receiving it (a short introduction for the 22 Major Arcana will be sent alongside this command once you receive it). (From Yip)
Crimson was deeply confused. All I could hear was this buzzing noise. What does that mean? Is there a problem with the Contract? Did something break? Is everything okay?
It was deeply unsettling. Something had happened. But what? The buzzing noise had stopped. So, something had come and gone. That had to be what the buzzing meant. The timing fit the length of a typical Command. Yet, no Command was given?
I don't get it. I really don't get it. …I don't like it. This is new ground, and I wish I had never experienced it. Was it illegal? No, I've heard the illegal Commands be communicated. Then, what is this?
It didn't know. And, worse, Crimson had no idea how to find out. Would it ever come back up again? Did it want it to?
I never expected this to happen with the Contract. Don't like it at all.
You will do your best to preserve your mental, spiritual, and physical wellbeing, not prioritizing one at the detriment of the others.
Huh. A strange Command. Did this really need to be commanded?
"I know this sound," Darkness said as he glanced…up? He paused as he tried to place it. The howling was everywhere, but louder the more 'up' it was. It had been awhile since he had heard this particular sound, but he knew he had heard it at some point in his past. When was it? Maybe if Darkness played with the volume, he could figure it out. As a spiritual being, Darkness could affect his physical interactions with but a thought.
The answer came to him immediately.
"Teleporting the God of Darkness into the center of a black hole?" Darkness said with a hint of frustration. "I care not for these games."
Mystery solved, Darkness set out for his brother.
Crimson knew time was still moving forward. How much longer, until the Brothers found them again?
Crimson, since all beings have the potential to be redeemed, I command you to not kill the Brother gods, instead make them your subordinates by making them admit defeat with your eventual greater power, perform magic on them once they understand their place that will cause their power to kill them if they seek to rebel once you lose your power; if this doesn't work as the failsafe I intend for you, try to come up with a failsafe that works, killing them only if it is impossible and what you want. (I hope you can show them the error of their ways. -HT)
I do not want, but- That was as far as Crimson got before the Command kicked in. It was not impossible, therefore Crimson was forbidden from slaying the Brothers. A bitter note resounded as it contemplated its new reality.
This is risky. At my strongest, I will be far weaker than they will be. I could force them to surrender with enough power, but I won't be able to stop them from changing their minds later. Eternity is such an underrated scale of time. All it takes is a second to decide they want revenge. More likely, Darkness would, and I would not have enough power to stop him. He could destroy me, destroy Remnant, and that'd be the end.
I could curse the Brothers to destruction if they attempted to harm me or Remnant, but they would have an eternity to learn, study, and ultimately undo the curse.
There were two truths that undermined any attempt to win the battle while preventing future retribution. The first was that an eternity offered endless opportunity to overcome any static defense Crimson could conceive. Any barrier could be undermined, toppled, or worked around. Rendering the Brothers as mortal would not guarantee that they couldn't reclaim their divine power, even with a limited lifespan. Unlike Crimson, they were not mortals pretending to be deities. Their very nature was one of power.
The second truth was that the God of Darkness would always chafe at any restriction. In time, it would give birth to resentment, which in turn would beget hatred. He would seek vengeance on Crimson. If Crimson was gone, then Remnant would suffer instead. Light, on the other hand, would willingly put up with such a binding and would even try to persuade his brother out of avenging himself. The problem there was that Light did truly love his brother. Any argument or fight that might break out between them, Light would never consider slaying his brother. Without Light to do so, it was inevitable that Darkness would brute-force his desires over Light's conciliatory attitude.
There was only one permanent solution, and it came with a hideous cost. The only way to prevent their return without death would be to transfer their power into a new vessel with the strength and nature to contain their essences. Of course, that was the problem. It would have to be a sentient being who's body could handle those powerful energies. Any such being would have their very selves be merged with the personalities of Darkness and Light. In other words, a soft form of death for the vessel.
And there's only two beings that could survive the transfer without the essences reverting back to Light and Darkness, Crimson noted as he glanced at Griff. There was a pause. Wait, that must have been the last Command. …do I dare bring up this situation with Griff?
"We must learn how he was able to perform that last spell before we engage him again," Light said among the alabaster void of the spiritual realm.
Darkness grumbled. "Lest he simply escape us again."
"Your majesty."
Ozma stifled a sigh as he came to a halt. The day was waning, and he had sought a private walk in his personal forest for a chance to escape all of the problems plaguing him. Some days, he missed his previous life as a wandering hero. A simpler life of sleeping beneath the stars and among nature.
The contrast was twice as painful now as he turned around and saw Salah marching toward him.
"Your majesty, we must strike at this heretical cult before they get us all killed."
A/N: So, while the streams will continue to happen on Mondays, I'm going to shift the day when the chapter is uploaded to Wednesdays. I like having a day between my first draft and my final draft because it gives me time and a new day to check things over, catch errors, and remember a few angles to cover. This should improve quality.