Chapter 23: Long awaited answers, and the trial of mind.
Noah POV
"That...Is not exactly an easy question to answer. We will have to go far back, beyond what most know as history, for a full explanation." I shook my head. "With all due respect I didn't come here expecting simple answers, this world has already proven that it's basically allergic to those. So go ahead." At that point, I was convinced that whatever Histoire would say would not faze me. The world had thrown just that much at me already.
...What do you mean, 'bullshit'!?
(Play Asura's Wrath OST: Dreams-Durga's theme.)
"Very well."
I shifted my legs, allowing myself to sit down, while Histoires' blue eyes suddenly went a bright, shining silver.
"Long ago, I was once a Goddess, one of many that existed during the age of Gods. During that time, the many deities were not all malicious, in fact, most were kind to humans. That changed however, when the first God died. That day, a new truth was revealed; a Gods existence is tied to the faith of their believers. Should a God lose all faith for long enough, they would perish." Okay... (What is she getting at?) "When that truth was revealed, the Gods began to lose themselves, so scared were they of death, a concept they thought themselves exempt."
Her face became pained, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.
"Kidnapping, murder, torture. These were only a few of their methods. While not all resorted to using them, most did. There is more, for there was no crime they did not commit, but I ask that you not force me to relive those details." Her eyes looked haunted, she had seen much, that was for certain. "Seeing all their depravity, I, a nameless Goddess, descended from the heavens to aid humanity." Her eyes became lighter, a smile appearing on her face. "One day, I came across a particularly spirited young man by the name of Akos."
(Akos?) If she didn't have my full attention already, she definitely had it now.
"Our first meeting wasn't pleasant, as he believed me the same as my brethren, and tried to slay me. Fortunately, I was able eventually convince him of my innocence. He told me of his struggles, of how his sister was kidnapped by a God, how she was sacrificed in front of his eyes, and of the burning hatred he held. Despite it though, the searing hatred I witnessed, I saw further. That deep down, he was just a man lost in grief, someone who wished for others to never have to experience the same loss that he did. "
So that was his origin then?
"We both wished for the madness to end. Seeing that I would never be able to convince my brethren to halt their misdeeds, for their fear ran deeper than their love for me. I relented, burying my compassion for them, and journeyed with Akos to stop them." Histoire's smile widened as she continued to speak of her and Akos's journey, the look in her eyes reminding me of how Neptune would look when we talked. "We came to learn quite a lot about one another, and though long, our journey was not entirely unpleasant."
She shook her head.
"Ah, but I am getting off topic... In the end, thanks to my knowledge, and his strength, alongside some trickery. The first God was slain. Ifrit, tyrant of flame, was the first to fall. Akos then used Ifrit's power to slay Leviathan, then Shiva, then Bahamut. Eventually, Akos used thier power to forge Terminus." She was getting off topic again. (Hmm, but this is interesting...) I decided to let her continue. "After a while though, some had sought to follow Akos's footsteps, and eventually they too, killed a God. Once Akos had heard, he sought them out to see if they had a worthy cause."
Her eyes, ones that were once bright, suddenly darkened.
"They did not. So Akos slaughtered them."
Her smile disappeared.
"That was the beginning. From there, Akos's paranoia, heavily influenced and exacerbated by the godly power he held, reached its' limit. Countless Godslayers died by his hand, as did benevolent Gods. To make matters worse, it was around that time that the fallen appeared, monstrous living corpses powered by pure rage, the vengeful anger of a God. Thus, Akos's wish was made, and my hand, forced." I had a feeling we were finally back on track, and that my initial question was about to be answered.
"Humanity needed aid, that much was certain. But I was only a singular being, what could I do to save them all?" Her smile returned. "The answer? Create more that could." Hold on... (Is she saying that she-) "The four Goddesses; Blanc of Lowee, Noire of Lastation, Vert of Leanbox, and Neptune of Planeptune. These four newly-birthed Goddesses would protect humanity alongside me." So... "Does that make you, their mother?" I asked, getting a nod in response. "Precisely. Though with the creation of life, came motherly instinct, and what mother seeks to burden her children with tragedy?"
I was confused, what could she be getting at?
"In the end, my motherly instinct won, and my four daughters were born without the burden of the countless years of conflict, of death, that I witnessed." Wait, did that mean- "Yes. It is my fault that my daughters neglected their duties, for I had withheld that knowledge, alongside everything else. They were born in the bodies of adults, but with the minds of children. They knew not of their duties, or their purpose, and thus neglected both."
Her eyes, pools of molten silver, stared into my own.
"Unfortunately, their creation took a massive toll on my body, and I was put into a deep slumber for hundreds of years. I was unable to guide them, as a mother should."
What stared back at me wasn't a former Goddess, but a guilt-stricken mother.
"You ask who I am? I am a mother who has failed her children, as well as the world. Your brother, Jin, his pain and hatred was caused by Vert's neglect. Ganache, Blade and Tiamat, also suffered under the neglect of the other Goddesses." Histoire looked ready to cry. (Oh shit.) Never mind, she was crying. "C-countless innocent humans were slaughtered, ripped apart piece by piece, begging for their Goddesses to help them. Yet because of me, their cries were ignored. "
For the first time in my life, I didn't know what to do, at least at first. By her own words, her actions caused insurmountable suffering to countless people. (Do I comfort her?) Someone that, even if unknowingly, caused countless deaths, and fueled the burning hatred of my kin? (But...What would Neptune do?) If I knew her right, and I did! She would... "It's okay. Things are different now. Your little girls have grown up, and are already doing their duties as they should. The hatred that remains is not yours to deal with, but mine. As his brother, Jin is my responsibility." I spoke, wrapping my arms around the small woman, gently giving her a hug.
Sure, Neptune wouldn't have said anything resembling what I did. But I knew that she would comfort Histoire regardless, and maybe even make a reference or two.
She made a mistake, a horrific one with long-reaching and hefty consequences yes, but a simple mistake nonetheless. As someone who had recently become a father, I could begin to sympathise. After all, what would I have done in her shoes? What if, instead of Neptune and the others, it was Freya? "...T-thank you..." Her voice was quiet and coarse, as one might expect of someone who cried for a long time. "You can let go now." Histoire eventually spoke. I complied, sitting back down on the stony floor.
"If you do not mind, I have another question." That was a lie, I had plenty more than one. 'Who was Tiamat?' and 'Why didn't Jin kill Histoire, even though everything was technically her fault?' but I decided to refrain from asking. Instead, I had a more pressing one in mind. "Go ahead, you have earned that much at least." I fought back the snarky response of 'damn straight.' now was not the time.
"My mind and body, ever since I acquired Akos's power, they have changed. And not for the better." Histoire looked intrigued by my words, but also concerned. "How so?" Right, how would I go about saying it... "Well, I suppose the best way to describe it would be that I feel like I'm becoming a psychopath. Recently, I've started to be apathetic towards strangers, quick to anger, and even quicker to think of murder as a valid response to mere annoyance."
It was the truth, a frightening one at that. "I still hold love for my family, that hasn't changed. But love for my fellow humans is basically non-existent." What did that make me, if not a psychopath? "I see... I have an idea what might be causing it, after all, Akos dealt with something similar..."
(Ah, right. Didn't she say his paranoia was exacerbated by 'the godly power he held'?) I was beginning to understand where she was going. "Your feelings, those that might differ from others, are being amplified by the power Akos wielded. As your... Let us say, 'benefactor' Woden has already told you, the power of God's corrupts humans, yet it is not the same for everyone." I was suddenly in shock. (How does she know about Woden?) "To answer your question, everything that is perceived as 'history' is known to me." Wait, could she- "Read your mind? No, do not be silly. Your thoughts were just so obviously written on your face."
What the fu-
"Regardless! As I was saying, the power of Gods' affects others in different ways. For example, Akos's feelings of paranoia was amplified to the point that he committed acts of murder, for a peace he was so convinced would end. Ban, his son, however, only faced a vastly reduced lifespan." Hmm, so maybe that meant that...
"Yes, it appears your emotions are being affected by Akos's power." Huh, well, question answered I guess. (Though...) "Is there a way to stop it? I'd rather not turn into the human equivalent of a monster." Seriously, I had a family. There was no way I wasn't going to look for a way to get rid of the extreme emotions I felt. To my relief, Histoire nodded. "Yes. Akos had designed the trials not only as a way to keep his power out of unworthy hands, but to also solve the resulting issues wielding said power would have."
"So all I have to do is complete the remaining trials? It was that easy?" The blonde girl shook her head. "Unfortunately no, otherwise Akos would have already completed the trials when he was alive. The trials themselves are not easy by any means, especially the remaining two you have yet to conquer." Histoire answered, shaking her head. (Hmm, that means I'll have to deal with them as soon as I can then. I'd rather not raise a kid if I'll end up a damn psycho.)
"So...What happens now?" I was satisfied with the answers I got, and Histoire was let free. At that point, what was next? Would Histoire come with me? Would she go off and do some other important task? "I...I must remain here." ...WHAT!? "Excuse me?" Perhaps I misheard? "I said I must remain here." What the hell? "Didn't you ask me to rescue you? What is the point if you are just going to remain in your prison?" What was going on with her? "There is no longer a purpose to my freedom now. In the beginning of your journey, I had a purpose to fulfill. Now however, I find myself without one. One such as me does not deserve freedom without a sufficient purpose." What sort of logic was that?
"Y'know that's basically spitting in my face, right? Do you have any idea how much effort I had to put in, how much pain I was put through?" Histoire's eyes glossed over. "I wished for freedom so that I could teach my daughter's the correct path, so that they could learn how to properly do their duties. With your intervention, they have already learned. Without a purpose such as that, what right does a monster like me have to freedom?" (Is she still feeling guilty?) Obviously, I knew the answer. But it wouldn't make dealing with it any easier.
"Bullshit."
Histoire looked at me as if I had grown a second head.
"E-excuse me?"
"You heard me. Stop with the self-pity. You made a mistake, so what? You think imprisoning yourself will change anything?" I could understand her thought process, but that just made me angrier. "Those that died won't just come back because you decided to hide like a coward. Hiding away won't erase what you've done. What you can do, is try your best to rectify your mistake. Sure, the four Goddesses are probably far better than they used to be, but I doubt they've learned everything." I placed my hand on the small being's shoulder, taking a deep breath, and feeling myself calm down.
"The purpose of history is to learn from it. As a being who knows all of it, is it not your duty to ensure that those in power understand? That they learn and strive to avoid repeating past mistakes?" To presume that the four of them were perfect, that they could govern without making a single mistake, would be nothing but arrogance. "So stop feeling sorry for yourself, you're not without purpose just yet." My words were met with silence.
...
...
"Perhaps you are right." Histoire's right hand went over her shoulder, and onto mine. "Thank you, Noah Ordinarius. I suppose now is no time to pity oneself, shall we go?" I nodded my head, and the small girl removed her hand from mine. Taking the hint I let go of her shoulder. "Your brother most likely presumed that once you had learned the truth you would join his side, meaning that he will more than likely be waiting for us at the entrance to the Basilicom. I suggest you prepare yourself in case things go wrong." The fairy-like being spoke, stretching her limbs. "Oh? Are you presuming that I'll say no?" The tiny, sorta-Goddess, looked at me blankly. "Would you really? Knowing that his goals involve the death of all four Goddeses, including your future wife?"
Crikey.
"Can I not make a joke?" Histoire's flat stare gave me all the answers I needed. "Fine then, let's get out of here,"
Location change: Entrance to the Basilicom.
Just as Histoire said, Jin was there waiting when we reached the entrance, though his appearance had changed. His previous brown hair and blue and red eyes were now black and fully red respectively. "Hello brother, it's nice to see you." He had a polite and genuine smile on his face. "Indeed, it is a pleasant surprise to see you here." To my own surprise, I was only half-lying. While a huge portion of my being felt animosity. Another, not-insignificant, part of myself felt genuine happiness at his presence. "I suppose her freedom means you have made your decision?" His smile didn't fade. Did he think I was already on his side?
"Yes." Jin's smile widened. "Wonderful! Now come here, Noah, I have a lot to sho-" I interrupted his speech, summoning a blade, and pointing it at him. "I understand why you did what you did, but I cannot condone your actions. Those were innocent people you killed, the entirety of Lowee was, and mostly still is, in rubble because of you. The Goddesses may have been negligent, and yes, their intervention could probably have saved many lives. But they are but four people, how many do you think they realistically could have saved?"
From what I had seen, minus Vert, the four Goddesses were the strongest warriors of their particular landmasses. But even they could not be in more than two places at once.
Jin's eyes widened, and his whole body began to shake.
(Play Xenoblade Chronicles 3 OST: Words That Never Reached You.)
"No. No you can't. You can't seriously do that, not you!" His eyes were pools of shock, horror, and anguish. "I can't fight you, I won't, I refuse! Don't do this Noah, please." He sounded desperate. "Y-you haven't seen what I've seen. Those Goddess just give people false hope, they are nothing but parasites!" His words were drenched in so much malice that they were palpable. "Please Noah, join me. Together, we can create a world with no need for Gods!" He shouted.
As strange as it might've sound, I actually found myself feeling sorry for him. Seeing Jin so desperate, so frantically trying to get me to join his side. Somehow, I felt sympathetic. Somehow, despite his many sins, I found myself hoping he'd stop, that he would not look so desperate, so sad. "I'm sorry. I have another family too, and I cannot, will not, abandon them. I do not think there is a perfect solution to this worlds' problems, but I know that yours is not the right one."
Deicide was not the answer, especially considering that my future wife, and a few of my dear friends, were Goddesses.
It hurt, to see Jin, my brother, like this. But I could not allow him to harm them.
Jin fell forwards, landing on both knees. "No...nonononoNO!" He was screaming. "You can't! Don't do this to me Noah, you're all I have left!" He was even more frantic, shouting in desperation and despair. "It's because of that Goddess of Planeptune, isn't it!? That damn bitch seduced you! Damn it Noah, stop thinking with your dick!"
Was he going mad?
"That's not it! I love Neptune, and she loves me! But that's beside the point! I don't know how the Goddesses were then. But I've seen how they are now. They're not the same neglectful and ignorant people they once were. They've changed!" I felt the ground beneath me shake in fear as Jin punched the ground in anger. "Shut up! They never change, they can't!" Jin stood up, his entire body shaking, and emanating a purplish-black aura.
His red eyes bled bright gold.
"This age of Gods, the Goddesses, I will end it all!"
"They will suffer just as I have, just as countless humans have!"
"Through their spilt blood, and over their corpses, this world will know true happiness, true peace."
"And They will never take you from me, brother!"
Suddenly he was gone.
And I felt to my knees.
Neptune POV
"Mama, how long is papa going to be?" My super-awesome, super-cute daughter asked. "I dunno Frey-Frey, but I know he's gonna be back soon, after all, he can't stay away from us for long." Zeddy was taking aaaagggeeeesss, but I knew he was doing something important, and would be back as soon as he could. Zeddy would never willingly stay away from his darling future wife and daughter after all.
"Found you Nep-Nep, and you too, Frey-Frey!" Darn it! "How'd you find us, Compa?" Seriously, under the bed should have been a great spot, but it didn't even take her 5 minutes! "Sorry Nep-Nep, but that's a secret. Besides, it's time for you two to get to bed, especially you, Frey-Frey." (Aww, how boring.) Wait, did she ignore my question? "C'moooon Compa, don't be such a square." Through the bedroom door, IF suddenly appeared. "Fine then, you can be the one to explain to Zed just how Freya came to be sleep deprived." Pfft, silly Iffy... "Zeddy's a complete pushover, you're not getting me that easily!" Iffy and Compa both looked at me blankly.
"Isn't Freya 6 or something, how are you gonna justify letting her stay up this long?"
"Nep-Nep, she's a growing girl, she needs her sleep."
...Well shoot, they actually had good points. "Okaaaay, fine. Frey-Frey, time for bed." The little girl looked at me with puppy eyes as we exited the underside of the bed. "Do I have to mama?" My little daughter attempted to use the age-old puppy eyes. (Darn it, it's super effective!) One look at Iffy and Compa however, dispelled any effect Frey-Frey's eyes had on me. "Yes Frey-Frey, now be a good girl and go brush your teeth." fortunately Compa had a few spare toothbrushes in her storage disk.
"Can you please come with me mama?" I smiled at my daughter. "Of course." Thankfully, while Zeddy was out doing all the hero stuff, Blanny had showed me, Compa, and Iffy, where all the bathrooms and bedrooms were. (I didn't expect her to have so many though, maybe she has a lot of friends?...Pfft, nah.) Blanny wasn't that popular. I felt a hand grasp my hoody. "Are we gonna go?" It was Frey-Frey. "Yup, sorry about that Fey-Frey, mama was thinkin' is all." I ignored Iffy's laughing.
One trip to brush our teeth later, and Frey-Frey and I were ready for bed. "Goodnight, If anything goes wrong, you know where to find us." Iffy spoke, Compa nodding alongside her. "Yup, goodnight Nep-Nep, and you too, Frey-Frey." I waved at my two sisters. "Goodnight my totally-awesome sisters. Say goodnight, Frey-Frey" My also totally-awesome daughter waved at the two. "Um, goodnight aunty Compa and aunty IF." having said their bits, Iffy and Compa left.
"Um, can you please tuck me in, mama?" D'aww... "Of course, in fact, we can even sleep in the same bed if you like." Frey-Frey nodded her head. "Um, please." I had the cutest daughter in the world. "Okie-dokie, scooch over then." Frey-Frey did as I asked, and I lied down in the bed next to her. "Papa is gonna be here when we wake up, right?" I patted her head. "Of course he is, he's your papa. If he takes too long, we'll just prank the snot out of him." My little girl smiled.
"Heheh, I love you mama."
"I love you to, Freya."
Noah POV
(Play Asura's Wrath OST: Lamentation- Momentary end.)
...
...
...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
So many conflicting emotions. Love, hate, frustration. So many all at once. Was it so strange that I couldn't help myself in screaming? Once again there was conflict, and once again, I had to be the one dealing with it. My own brother declared that he would stand at nothing to kill those I cared for, and despite having no memories of him, the thought of it brought me anguish. It hurt me, bored a hole in my stomach. I knew nothing of Jin, yet my heart bled for him.
Why did things have to end up like this, with my suffering, or the suffering of those I loved?
I had a choice, Jin or the others.
And despite the cold feeling in my chest, I chose the others.
Jin was strong, far stronger than anything I had ever seen. However, if I gathered the remaining fragments of Akos's power, if I rid myself of my psychopathic self. I would no doubt be able to stop him, and in the process save the others.
But in doing so, I'd no doubt have to kill him. I understood his pain, why he was the way he was. It was because of that I knew he would fight for his cause until it killed him.
And the idea of that outcome sickened me.
"Are you well? I have no doubt that must have been difficult for you." Histoire spoke, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Heh." I began bitterly. "Of course not. But life never gives a shit, and it apparently won't start anytime soon." I got up from my knees. "The others are currently in the central Basilicom of Lowee, feel free to go there. I have other business to attend to." it was time to deal with another trial. "Do you wish for me to explain everything to them?" I shook my head. "No, just explain everything about yourself. I'll explain the rest when I'm done."
"Very well, see you soon, Noah Ordinarius." Histoire left, and I took out my phone, picking a particular number.
"Woden, it's me, I want to undergo another one of the trials."
"Heh, I knew you would."
The man suddenly appeared in front of me and placed a hand on my shoulder. Within an instant, we were no longer outside.
"This is the entrance to the trial of mind. Normally we'd go to the trial of soul first, but your unique, let's say 'composition', means you'll have to do this one first. Just go through the door when you're ready, and don't disappoint, yeah?" I flipped Woden off, before entering the trial chamber, choosing to completely ignore everything else around me.
I was met with pitch-black for a few minutes, then an instance of blinding white, before an eerily similar figure appeared in front of me.
"Hello. You might be wondering why an apparition of Akos hasn't greeted you yet. That's because he'll appear at the end." An even more familiar voice spoke. "For now, you'll deal with me. Why, you may ask?"
Blue eyes.
Brown hair.
And a very familiar outfit.
"Let's just say it's about time you faced yourself, Noah Ordinarius!"
Neptune POV
A few hours later- Morning.
"Nhhaaaaah, good morning mama..."
"Good morning, Frey-Frey, did ya sleep well?" The girl groggily sat up. "Uh-huh, I had the best sleep ever!" (Aww, look at her, so energetic in the morning, just like her mama!) "Ya ready for a fun day of doing...whatever?" My little girl nodded enthusiastically. "Uh-huh!" I patted her head, unable to resist after she acted so cutely. "Well then, get up and brush ya teeth, we got lottsa' fun stuff to do!" She didn't really need to know that I had nothing planned, but I was awesome at making up fun stuff to do on the spot.
(Hmm, maybe we can see if there are any cinemas open? Oh, or maybe we can go out for pudding! Hmm, maybe Zeddy will have an idea?) Okay, so maybe I was kinda a lost cause when it came to suddenly picking out an activity on the spot. But hey, I was still fun! "Um, mama, aren't you gonna get up too?" Oh shoot! "Ah, in a moment, sweetie. Mama was just thinking." (Quick, think of an activity!)
"Hey Neptune, Freya, good morning."
"Good morning you two, sleep well?"
Darn it, Compa and Iffy interrupted my thinking! "Hey Neptune, are you constipated or something? I think Compa might have something for that." Iffy spoke, making Compa have a suddenly serious look on her face. "Have you been drinking enough water, Nep-Nep? Have you been making sure to have some fibre in your diet?" (Darn it Iffy!) I playfully glared at the two girls. "I ain't got consti...consti...constiwhatever! I was just thinking!" Iffy raised an eyebrow. "You can think? Are you feeling alright? Compa, can you check her temperature?"
Compa came over and shoved a thermometer in my mouth. "Hmm, it says she's okay." Iffy gave Compa a surprised look. "Are you sure?" Compa nodded, then they both began to laugh.
Totally uncool.
"Y-you should have seen your face!" Iffy spoke, barely able to through her laughter. "Y-yeah Nep-Nep, you look so silly!"
Excuse moi?
"Um, mama, are you okay?" I ignored my sisters, and instead chose to assure my non-traitorous daughter. "Yes, my little munchkin, your mama is A-okay. Your aunties Iffy and Compa are just being mean." I suddenly bore witness to the glorious sight of Iffy and Compa dealing with a glaring Frey-Frey. Though despite trying her hardest to appear angry, my precious daughter looked soooooo adorable. "Don't be meanies to mama, apolo...apolo... Say sorry!"
"Tch, weaponize your own child why don't you...Sorry Neptune."
"Yeah, sorry Nep-Nep."
I smirked smugly. "Aww, don't worry, it's aaaaalllll cool! You're forgiven." They both pouted, before looking around the room. "So, is Zed not with you then?" Huh? "I thought he was with one of you two?" Wait, was he not back yet?
"Um, where's papa?"
Darn you Zeddy!
Noah POV
(Play Blazblue Calamity Trigger OST: Gluttony Fang.)
A familiar form stood opposite me, as if I were looking into a mirror.
"W-what? Who the hell are you!?" (Who-what is he, and why does he look like me!?) The figure laughed. "Are you thick or something? I'm YOU, or at least a part of you." The figure spread his arms out. "I am the version of yourself that you reject, the so-called 'psychopathic' part of yourself." He stared at his nails absentmindedly. "Well, I always preferred the term 'realistic' but what can you do, eh?"
What kind of bullshit was this? "So what, is this the part where you try to convince me that being a psychopathic asshole is the best way to live? Well you can go fuck yourself!" I stretched my arm outwards, attempting to summon a blade.
Only for nothing to appear.
(W-what!?)
"Surprised? Within this place even the power of Akos can't be used. What would be the point if you just kill me and get it over with?" The figures face contorted into a creepy grin. "I am part of you, the you that once was, you ain't getting rid of me that easily!" The figure laughed, sounding like a madman. "Strangers, and just humans in general, are just worthless creatures that will stop at nothing to use us until we're no longer worth shit."
"Histoire used us to get herself freed, and even then, she tried to spit in the face of our efforts."
"Ban used us to carry his legacy that we wanted no part of, forcing the burden of his death into our hands, and creating a divide between us and the others. "
"Woden still uses us for some reason we don't yet know."
"Those worthless reporters tried to use our precious Neptune to get information they could use to make a few quid."
"That piece of shit Vert used us to get her powers back."
As much as I wished I could rebuke the figure, I found myself staying silent, as I couldn't really disagree.
As much as it disgusted me, the figure was right.
But...
"That doesn't mean all strangers are pieces of shit though, I've just been unlucky. Kinda balances out, with Neptune and the others being so amazing." The figure still smirked. "Ah yes, Neptune, the shining light in our darkness... You could even say she is the world's light, it's hope. Such as shame those worthless parasites were gonna use her to make a few coins eh? Guess not everyone values her, huh? Like Vert for example, the bitch was just gonna up and kill her based on such a silly rumour..."
I gritted my teeth at the mention of the Goddess of Leanbox.
"Y'know, if not for her pride, she would have happily turned the entirety of Leanbox against us." The figure's smirk bared teeth. "Every single person on Leanbox would have been out for our precious Neptune's blood. Do you think they would have cared, would have shed tears at her death?" I was getting angrier and angrier, though I barely managed to calm myself when I realised what the figure was trying to do. "You're trying to piss me off, trying to get me to see things your way."
I flipped the figure off.
"Nah, fuck you." I felt as if what he was saying was the truth, but a part of me also rejected it. "Oh? But what about that bitch Noire? Didn't she use us to get Lastation back under her control? Had we not just ignored Lastation's issues, we could have avoided seeing what happened in that damn facility." I felt a sudden urge of hatred for the Goddess of Lastation, but willed it away. I had no reason to hate her, whatever was causing my anger, it wasn't me. "Again, fuck you. She's an innocent girl who was viciously experimented on."
The figure's smile was still present.
"Oh? And what of Blade and Jin? They would stop at nothing to kill Neptune and the other Goddesses, are you saying they aren't pieces of shit?" Tch, now he was getting them involved too... "If they try to harm my Neptune, I will deal with them. But they have their reasons, as uncompromising as they are." They suffered, that much was apparent, and those that suffer tend not to be sympathetic towards their tormentors. "They would still see our loved one's dead, what good is mercy for ones such as them?"
"Piss off, Jin's my brother!" The shout came not from the heart, but the soul. "And Neptune is our wife, your point is?" The figure was really starting to piss me off. "My point is that your full of shit!" What was its point anyway? That humans were shitty? Tell me something I didn't know. "But I'm right, and I am you. How can you be wrong?" The figure laughed maniacally.
"We cannot leave until we find the answer, our answer."
Neptune POV
"Um, mama, how did you and papa meet?" Frey-Frey asked. We had just gotten back to the Basilicom after a day out. Seeing as neither Compa, Iffy or myself, had any heckin' idea what Frey-Frey liked, we ended up doing a lot of things. First, we went to a park, then a cinema, then finally a restaurant.
...Okay so we didn't do 'a lot', but in our defence, there weren't much to do in the first place. Besides, we did learn a few new things, primarily that mine and Zeddy's daughter shared my love of pudding. Something that made me a very happy Neptune.
"Well, that's easy! Your mama was falling out of the sky, when your papa flied through the air and caught me." Frey-Frey's eyes went all starry. "Whooooaaah, really!?" I nodded my head. "Yup, your papa was a hero from day one!" I smiled fondly at the memory. (Funny, isn't it? I just can't imagine my life without him.) Not just him either. Compa, Iffy, Blanny, Nowa and Freya as well, I couldn't imagine living without any one of them. "Um, mama?" My daughter asked, shifting around in my lap. "Yes, Frey-Frey?" The little girl turned around, just enough to look me in the eyes.
"When papa comes back, can we play hide-and-seek again?" Frey-Frey asked, giving me the puppy eyes. (This gosh-darn daughter of mine...) She better not realise how effective those eyes of hers were. I'm sure if Zeddy were here, he'd shiver in horror too. "Of course, Frey-Frey." I came to a sudden realisation. "Ah, but only if it's still daytime by then, okay?" (Phew, almost messed up there.) Iffy would scold me if-I mean it wouldn't be good for Frey-Frey to play outside in the dark, even if me and Zeddy were there with her.
"Ah, okay mama." Frey-Frey spoke, nodding cutely. (Darn it, she's soooooo cute! Who do I have to thank for creating such a cute kid! Seriously, Zeddy's missing out!) Without thinking, I placed a hand on my stomach. (Hmm, wonder when I'll have one...) Wait. (Snap out of it! Now's not the time for that, keep it for the ending!) Yeah, the two main characters getting married and having children was an endgame thing!
Frey-Frey tilted her head, and asked a question.
"Mama, can I have a little sister?"
...
"Er...ask your papa." Sorry Zeddy, I have to leave that to you.
Suddenly, Compa came barging into the room.
(Play Shin Megami Tensei 4 Apocalypse OST: Polytheistic Alliance.)
"Nep-Nep, take Frey-Frey and hide!" Compa looked frightened, eyes unfocused, and whole body trembling. (This...This is not good.) all good feelings were suddenly gone. I stood up, placing my daughter on my back. "Why, what's going on?" The warm air suddenly went cold. "Me." Turning to the right, I laid eyes on a familiar person, the same old man who made Iffy fight Zeddy. Said old man grinned. "Sorry to say it, but there's been a little... Hitch, in the plan." He lazily lifted his right arm up, pointing at the little girl on my back, and making my blood run cold.
"That child doesn't belong here. She's become a glitch in the system, an unwanted bug." the man closed his right hand, making a sickening cracking noise. "And what are bugs, if not things to be rid of?"
The crackling of lightning was heard, an ornate golden spear summoned itself into the old man's grasp, and the figures' appearance changed. The old man was taller, balder, and had a long white beard as well as an eyepatch over his right eye.
"So, what will it be? Are ya gonna hand her over nicely?"
A wave of pressure washed over me; I could feel my daughter collapse onto my back.
"Or are things gonna get messy?"
*FWOOOSH*
Before either of us could move, a sphere of golden-white fire hit the intruder.
"Stay away from them!"
The man grinned, eyes lighting up in excitement. "Ah, I was wondering what you would do. Let's hope one of the Amatsukami can give me a good fight." He rolled his head around, causing nauseous clicking noises. "Course' that won't change the outcome, but it'll be fun to see you struggle!"
BZZZT*
Bolts of lightning rained down, destroying the surrounding room, and probably other rooms as well. (Crap, how are we gonna win this?) Of course I was never gonna let some old man harm my daughter, that was out of the question! But the fact remained that the man, despite looking older than dirt, was obviously strong.
"Get out of here Nep-Nep, take Iffy and go find Zeddy. I'll cover you!" countless fireballs were fired at our foe, hitting their mark immediately, causing a plume of smoke. "Ahhh, the flames of a mother Goddess..." The smoke cleared. "Such a shame you lack the ability to use them well." (No...) I was shocked, despite being hit by so many fireballs, the enemy was completely fine.
"But I suppose I have the time to play some more, come at me with all you have!"
END OF CHAPTER
With the finale in sight, an agent of Fate sets the end in motion.
But who is this agent of Fate? It matters not.
For Fate is infallible, unchanging.
All bends to its whims.