In response to reviewer FrontierBrony: thank you for your review and opinion that you enjoyed the twist. I cannot confirm or deny the contents of what will happen in future chapters but I do hope you stay tuned.
In response to reviewer pup: as I said, even when they have sex, Edward is still more liable to bend to Elsa's will than vise versa. Also when I said Edward stopped I mean when he was faced down with guns and Grace. He knew then to calm down as he physically hurt men who were just doing their jobs. And it should be said that Edward would NEVER physically hurt the people he cares for. If he ever did so then he would regress and become guilty. With what happened with Elsa in the throne room, and Gerda spelling out to him what love really meant, it was no shock that he would stop in his tracks when she spells out how bad he fucked up. He may be battle hardened and have been through hellish things but its those emotional attachments that hurt more than physical wounds. Plus with Hector he wasn't going to stop for him that's never gonna happen. And when he looked into her eyes that was after she tried to slap him and he wanted to challenge her. Even Wrath felt he went too far in the moment and felt he deserved what he got. As for Elsa authority being challenged by a maid, you forget that the castle staff hasn't seen her for a majority of her life then one day she's Queen and causes a winter and comes back trying to make up for it. During all that time, Kai and Gerda have been holding down the fort, even Stonewell has been doing the same. The council may have been making decisions for Arendelle but for the most part, Kai and Gerda were the ones actually taking care of Elsa and Anna, that has earned them a say when either of the sisters go too far. If Agnarr or Iduna were there I doubt they would be pleased to see their daughter react in such a way. While they would be pissed at Edward, they could recognize that the couple had their first fight and they needed to resolve it. To avoid them saying or doing anything that couldn't be taken back, the two were forcibly removed from one another. I based the actions of Gerda and Kai to what I thought her parents would do if they were there. While yes, Edward grabbed the Queen and challenged her in her own throne room, and Elsa had a right to repel him in anyway she wished, it was the fact that Elsa INTENTIONALLY used her powers to cause HARM to someone she cared about. Her entirety of the first movie was her being guilty over hurting her sister on ACCIDENT, imagine how she would feel if Edward did not get back on his feet and had a caved in chest and suffocated cause his ribs punctured his lungs. Legally speaking she was in her right but morally speaking she would be devastated. Gerda realized that and felt they needed to separate and talked to Elsa not in anger but as an understanding mother. Kai couldn't give the dad talk to Edward so he picked Stonewell to do it as the Captain was closer to the guy. All in all, their stations may have been leagues below the authority they had but the emotional attachement as well as their position of being stand in parents for the royal sisters earned them a say and can allow them to convey what the late King and Queen would say.
In response to the Visitor: I hope this next chapter is to your liking and satisfies your anxiety. Hopefully I can amp it back up in the next few chapters in which personally I am excited to write.
"Have you nothing to say to your Father?"
That sentence bounced around Edward's head as he stared with a similar expression to Wrath's slack jawed one as the man behind the desk placed his writing utensil down. The young man was aware that his instincts were telling him to get ready, expect some kind of attack, launch a preemptive strike, something.
Yet his mind told him to stay exactly where he was.
Neither he or Wrath moved as the man closed his book before finally looking up at the two with his fingers interlaced on top of his desk. His eyes weren't red as expected, they were an unexpected silver color that had an aged aura within them. His face morphed into the picture of patience, as he looked at the two beings in front of him who did not move.
"Wrath, my child, I asked how have you been, it is very rude to ignore my question."
The predator closed his mouth and anxiously wringed his claws together like a scolded child as he spoke. "I have been well, Father."
Edward's eyes slanted over to Wrath and was surprised at the suddenly meek behavior. The demon had said in the past that he would follow Father's orders but with how events had been progressing and his new found feelings for Elsa, the young man assumed the predator would be more defiant toward the man who wanted to kill her. In fact, he was also surprised why he couldn't force his body to move and attack the man behind the desk.
His instincts were screaming at him to do something but his mind was suddenly engulfed by a feeling of forced passivity that has made making his body move a challenge. The young man's muscles tensed and fought against his mind's reluctance to move, his instincts were beginning to go into overdrive with their fight or flight response. The struggle must've been obvious as the man's eyes slanted over to Edward's and when their eyes met, another wave of passivity washed over him.
He knew then and there that this man was the cause of his reluctance to take action. He didn't know how with only a look, the man could force his body to remain still. It was like he was in the throne room with Gerda again. He and the older woman didn't have many interactions with one another but the love between her and Elsa was plain to see. Edward felt that if he wanted to be with the blonde he'd have to feel worthy in the surrogate's mother's eyes. The two got along fine and the older woman was always so nurturing and kind that he couldn't imagine her hurting a fly.
Even when she was staring him down with that fierce look in her eyes, he rationally knew that she was no threat to him. He had faced worse and was much worse than her but seeing the woman who essentially cared for Elsa like a daughter, looking at him with such a negative expression made him kneel to her completely to be let out from the look. His feelings for Elsa made him submit to the older woman as he knew that the blonde would never forgive him if he laid a finger on the woman.
Gerda also carried, in his personal opinion, the approval of the royal sisters' late parents. He didn't want to be unworthy in their eyes as he already felt he was in his own opinion. Edward knew he had his faults and looking back, he regretted how he acted in that throne room. His sense of shame was overwhelming and it all started from just one look from Gerda.
That same feeling of inability and reluctance to move was engraved in him by one look from the man ahead of him. Edward didn't know how, he knew why, he thought he prepared for it but he was utterly mistaken. He thought he would be able to at least act defiant in Father's presence but right now, it was impossible for him alone.
"Wrath, why do you struggle? You should be at ease in your father's presence but right now you are restless, scared even. Whatever for?"
The tone Father took was curious, genuine, and a hint of hurt in his voice like a kind father would be if his son was afraid of him. It stoked Edward's anger that this monster would act as if he didn't know why. The burst of anger had the young man's fingers begin twitching which made the predator next to him stare at them silently but the patriarch leaned forward and asked again.
"Wrath, why do you struggle?"
The passivity hit again much harder that Edward was almost lost to the sense of tranquility his surroundings had been assaulting him with constantly. His body went lax again as he could only stare at Father. The first question was aimed at the demon while the next was directed at him yet both times, he addressed them as Wrath. The Patriarch of Sins viewed them both as Wrath, one side being obedient while the other was defiant.
The three remained in silence until Edward eventually ran out of mental strength to struggle and decided to rest for a short time. As soon as his intentions to struggles ceased, so did the passivity. For a brief second, the young man considered using this as a chance to move, but the passivity pricked at his mind along with his intentions. He was essentially being held hostage, one wrong move and he would be assaulted again by those feelings. Father kept his patient expression on his face and nodded to him encouragingly that almost forced the words from Edward's throat.
"Because I do not wish to be your puppet again."
The words were grounded out harshly but without any intentions of making a violent move against the man. Father heard him speak and sighed heavily.
"My puppet? I would never wish for you to be a puppet. Out of all my children, I pitied you the most. All you were was just murderous instinct and rage. No knowledge inside your mind. Despite the seemingly infinite opportunities, you refused to learn, over and over. I had begun to lose hope but seeing you now…"
The man rose out from under his desk and walked in front of both of them and laid a hand on each of their shoulders.
"...you are finally willing to accept my wisdom."
At once, both Edward and Wrath felt something flow into them from the hand on each of their shoulders. The feeling went from their shoulders to their heads and it instantly turned into information that filled their minds. The two of them could see war over and over. Between humans from many ages with different weapons and attires.
They also saw people being killed over and over seemingly for no reason and just for the sake of killing. The images made the two of them feel as if it was completely senseless the way these people acted. They were then shown another instance where people senselessly killed one another for seemingly no reason.
Women drowned while being called witches, men being hanged for having a difference of opinion, children being killed just because they were too weak for manual labor, and entire towns being burned because of a sickness.
It went on and on...
Edward started to lose count of how many deaths he saw in a span of a few minutes but it was more than enough to hammer one point.
Humans needed little reason to kill one another.
As soon as that thought passed his mind, the images stopped assaulting his mind and he was back in Father's study looking at the man's pleased expression. "You understand now, don't you?"
He released them and gestured to the bookshelves lining the walls. "All of this knowledge I have amassed here is the result of continually learning instead of wasting time and energy on trivial matters. Humans are slow to learn because they are self destructive, why kill each other when we can learn together? Do you know why humans are prone to self destruction?"
Father turned to them then snap his fingers causing a random book to fly out from a bookshelf
and float above his head. The book opened and the words on the page it flipped to fell off the page in the form of black dust and began to form a picture. The picture was of a throne of bones with the ground being completely drenched in blood. Upon the throne was a frightening creature that bore a vague resemblance of Wrath. Surrounding the throne were other terrible creatures that would give children nightmares. As the young man scanned over each of them, two of them were familiar to him.
Off by himself in a corner sitting was Wrath and on the other side of the throne was Envy. Aside from those two there were five creatures in all and Edward already had an idea what was being shown to him.
"Humanity's Seven Deadly Sins. They are the reason that humans will always drag their feet when it comes to learning and why ultimately, most human lives are meaningless. Whenever something occurs that causes one of these feelings to come to the forefront of a person's mind, it's all they can think about. It could be something as simple as envy for someone's rank, or lusting after another's spouse, perhaps the sloth of the higher class who chose to do nothing while others suffer. All of these could be avoided if humanity as a whole overcame those limitations."
"If you feel that way then why make us?"
Father looked at Wrath who spoke for the second time with an elated smile. He almost looked excited that the predator asked such a question. "Why indeed did I make all of you? Perhaps you would like to venture a guess before I tell you?"
Wrath remained quiet as Edward already had an answer to that question. He already knew that at one point, Father was human. If he felt that humans themselves were easily distractible and were incapable of learning at the speed he felt was satisfactory, then it would make sense for him to get rid of his distractions. The young man used to wonder where Wrath came from, he was the embodiment of wrath for many but whose was he in the beginning? It was a simple question that just never crossed his mind. It also explained how Father was able to control them so well if at one point, the Sins were his.
Yet there must be a reason for him to keep them around if they were just distractions. Why leave monsters that had abilities that most humans could not hope to top? Especially when it seemed he wanted humans to learn, they needed to be alive to do that and with the others going about their business, they would create even more of those distractible feelings that Father himself rejected.
So why keep them?
"I see you're a deep and critical thinker, it's no wonder out of all of the Sins, you resemble me the most."
Edward said nothing as Father snapped his fingers again making the picture dissolve and the book to fly back to its place on the bookshelf. The man had a beaming smile on his face as he leaned into the young man's and looked deep into his eyes. It was like he wanted to see his child's brain think about the question he asked, as if he was so fascinated by it. The stare was distracting but Edward still kept thinking why.
If he assumed that Father controlled all of them as he had before today then it would make no sense for the man to have him kill so many people. Wrath murdered many people throughout the ages and effectively made their lives meaningless as he erased them. If Father wanted to teach others then it would make sense for him to make Wrath spare them.
No… that's not true.
Coincidence, accidental, or by the grace of God, Wrath spared Rahim and the boy dedicated his life to the very Sin for the rest of his life. Rahim was son to one of the most intellectual minds that anyone would likely meet and he only focused on revenge. A revenge that ended with him being killed and then his body being taken by his killer.
His life essentially meant nothing if applied to Father's line of thinking.
That wasn't the only case, Wrath had killed families that made others enraged and ended their lives as well. For each life Wrath took, the knowledge they had was lost to the world and would set back humanity from learning more, if only by a small scrap of knowledge that particular person knew. Why keep him around if he was slowing down humans learning from their mistakes and rising above such distractions?
The more Edward thought about it, the more hypocritical Father seemed. He preached about how humans were always so slow to learn yet does nothing to stop the monsters he released that would slow down humanity's learning pace if not just outright make them extinct. The man should hate Wrath for killing so many people, for standing here with a desire to hurt the man himself.
Yet he was happy that his child was finally ready to…
The young's mind finally made the connection that evaded his mind for the duration of him considering the question. When the look of realization washed over him, Father's smile broadened as he got even closer and strained his ears to hear his child say his answer.
"You want us to learn. You want us to rise above our own Sin as you have to be able to learn as you have."
Father let out a pleased laugh as he cupped the young man's face and shook his head. "Yes! Finally one you figured it out!" The man continued to jovially laugh as he let go of Edward's face and turned away from him.
"Out of all you, I suspected that Sloth would get it first as she apprenticed under my firstborn but I was a fool to not consider you and Pride. The two of you are more special than Talib gives either of you credit for. Even after teaching him so much, he still doesn't get the big picture. I had hoped to limit his distractions but he stubbornly continues forward. There is grace in that, foolish as it may be. Yet you…"
Father pointed at the two of them with a look of pride, which was surprising as well as impossible given that he discarded his feelings of pride.
"…the one with no knowledge was able to figure out the reason I created all of you. If the seven of you can discard the Sin that completely embodies you then all humans should be able to. You being able to do so proves that my hypothesis is right and if it is then I can move on with my final endeavor."
"And what endeavor is that?"
"I would be pleased to tell you as you figured out your purpose but you haven't discarded your distraction yet. In fact, out of all the others, you have the most distractions. It's the reason why there are two of you yet only one soul. Wrath couldn't live with the feelings that plagued him so he split himself in half in an attempt to discard them. He made a container to hold all of his human feelings when they became too much and funneled them all into that container. Unfortunately, he still has a tight grasp on those feelings and it's why he can't completely discard them or stop himself from feeling them as well."
Edward's eyes widened in shock, if what Father said was true then he essentially didn't exist. The persona Edward was just a container for feelings that Wrath wasn't able to bear. The differences between the two of them weren't differences, just ideas that Wrath didn't pass on. It threw into question many things; his self loathing, the anger at Talib and Father, his respect for Stonewell and Alrick, his adoration of Kristoff and Anna, his love for…
"NO!"
Wrath was poised behind Father with his claws ready to cut his head clean off. The man didn't seem worried as the predator slashed at him with both hands with the intent on silencing him forever. Edward watched it happen in slow motion.
The sharp blades on Wrath's hands drew closer and closer to Father's neck and just as they were about to touch black dust emerged from his palm and covered his claws, halting the attack. The man slightly turned around and fixed the predator with a disappointed stare.
"You were supposed to be the logical half yet you still struggle when you already know how pointless it is. I would've liked to keep speaking with you but I will not tolerate any violence in this space as you can damage all the knowledge I have here." Father raised his hand and placed it on the predator's chest lightly and with a loving touch.
"Until we meet again, hopefully when you can appreciate what I have to offer."
Edward was about to protest but a pulse seemed to originate from the man's hand and as it entered Wrath, the predator turned to black dust and was blasted away, leaving only the two men. The young man's eyes widened as he stared at the spot Wrath just was. There wasn't anything left, not a trace. The young man could still feel the demon but it was a far off feeling.
Father dropped his hand and turned to Edward before clasping his hands behind his back and leaning forward to look in the young man's eyes. "I kept you here since you looked ready to listen but you will have to leave soon as well."
The earlier jovial demeanor the man had was wiped from his face and all that was left was the cold soulless aura of a person who didn't feel anything at all. Such a switch between the two personalities was chilling and Edward was just now realizing how much power the man in front of him had.
Being able to force a sense of peace on someone was a powerful tool if used correctly and the way he stopped Wrath's attack was awe inspiring. He didn't move or even look in Wrath's direction yet somehow he was able to form black dust on the predator's hands and restrain him. What made it so awe inspiring was that Edward could feel that the black dust that appeared came from Wrath but was controlled by Father.
Like all it took was a thought to control the black dust that made up the predator.
There was also the feeling that Father seemed to be able to know what they were thinking. As he stared into the young man's eyes, Edward stared into his and could see his expression fill with glee every time his mind came up with a theory. And when he finally came upon the one that Father wanted to hear, the man knew the exact moment he did.
If Father was able to control their black dust, know what they were thinking, and could force that sense of tranquility on them to the point they couldn't force their bodies to move then there was no stopping him. No one with these restrictions could hope to oppose their enemy, it was impossible. It was almost like…
"Like trying to fight a god."
The words Father spoke were monotone, like stating a cold fact that was indisputable.
The more the young man stood here, the more he came to realize one thing.
To him at least, Father was his god.
His soul tried to tell him differently, that there was always a way and all that power had to have some type of limitation but his mind kept replaying what happened to Wrath. A sense of hopelessness started to fill him as he remembered Grand Pabbie saying that Father was most likely going to kill any Ice Elementals that had the potential to freeze his heart again. If he couldn't stand against Father then what could he do if Father went after Elsa?
"Absolutely nothing. There is nothing you can do for her. Her fate was doomed the moment she created her first snowflake. You might as well put her out of your mind, and focus on what you were made for. As a reward for figuring out your reason for existing, I'll gift this to you."
Father once again snapped his fingers and a book flew into his waiting hand. He then extended it toward Edward in an offering gesture. The young man numbly took the book and watched the man snap his fingers a final time before the entire study and him disappeared with the snap.
He didn't return to the warehouse, instead he was back in Wrath's courtyard where the predator perked upon seeing him and strided over to him. "What happened between you two?" Edward heard the demon speak but his mind was far too distracted by the thoughts going through his head.
He made a container to hold all of his human feelings when they became too much and funneled them all into that container.
Edward repeated that sentence in his head over and over and with each time, he asked himself if what he was feeling right now was really his own feelings. Yet with each time, he felt a delayed reaction from his feelings like they had to be sent over to him from the predator next to him. Whether or not this was his own mind playing tricks on him or not, the feeling of nausea washed over him and he felt his legs go numb as he fell on the steps of the courtyard.
Wrath watched the young man's face begin to get sweaty as he started to stare at his shaking hands and his breathing started to become more shallow. The predator was also running their recent conversation over in his head a few times, each time he grew angrier. It was odd, when they were in that space Edward was the one who was more likely to lose his cool between the two in the beginning but toward the end he kept it while Wrath lost his.
The demon for the most part was calm and apprehensive being in front of Father as he remembered the overwhelming weight of the man's stare whenever he wanted to impress who was in control. Edward didn't share that sentiment and was ready to try and defy the Patriarch but that quickly became impossible when that sense of peace assaulted him. It left him immobilized and completely at the mercy of the man.
Then Father decided to speak with both of them and give them a lecture about humans. There was nothing new about it, Wrath had already heard it and Rahim had a less in depth version of the lecture from Talib. Even after hearing it multiple times, Wrath never thought to ask why would Father even make the seven of them if he truly felt they were distractions. The question never occurred to him and he was completely disinterested in even considering it and more preoccupied with Father's presence.
Edward on the other hand, he figured it out after a few moments of thinking. The young man stared the Patriarch dead in the eye and was able to come up with the true reason of the seven Sins existence before any of the others. It was a commendable achievement that Father was elated to witness. Wrath considered the idea that he was supposed to discard his feelings of anger and found that to be ludicrous.
As far as the predator could remember, he wasn't particularly mad at any one thing. He had a murderous instinct and was drawn to the wrath of others but none of it rarely came from him. In fact the more he thought about it, Edward was the first host he could actually remember feeling wrath from. All the others had wrath in their lifetime before becoming the Sin but after, those feelings faded away. The courtyard of weapons that each carried their own trace of anger were integral to the space Wrath created for himself.
To remove them was unthinkable until that phantom came along and removed Rahim's katana from the center.
Perhaps Father meant for him to discard all the weapons he had taken as trophies but even if he did that, Wrath would still be Wrath. All these weapons were taken after being brought into existence, back when he was a mindless beast. By the time that Wrath was able to actually think, those weapons had been ingrained into his very space, they were all his and he would never let them go.
Then Father actually said that Edward was a creation of his and not Rahim. That couldn't be true. Edward was a defiant soul that came after taking over Rahim's body. If these feelings Father said were too much to bear then what event could have possibly made the Sin desperate enough to create such a container? Never before has Wrath ever felt his emotions being too much for him to handle, he rarely felt to begin with.
Until he got to Arendelle, nothing mattered to him.
Edward wasn't like that, he had a guilty conscience that led to him trying to kill the both of them multiple times. He was tortured and horrified over the things they've done and wishes to atone for them. Arendelle has finally given him that sense of peace and he wants to preserve that even it means accepting what he really is. Such of a sense of self couldn't possibly come from a container made just to hold his feelings.
When Wrath heard Father say that, he was enraged. Edward fought the predator tooth and nail more than any other being in the Sin's life and to insinuate that he was just fighting himself made all that struggle pointless and senseless. That at any time, Wrath would have simply taken over and that would be the end of that. Even when Wrath was finally able to do so, Edward had given him so much to think about and consider that the predator was actually fine with allowing the young man to retain control and work with him.
The two of them started out as enemies in the beginning but now, while he didn't know if he could call them friends, they looked out for one another. Wrath felt that Edward was a better jailer than Father was and if the two of them accepted what the man said without a question then Wrath would be back where he started.
A beast only being let out when he was needed.
Wrath didn't want to go back to that, he could freely admit that now. He saw the uncertainty cross the young man's face and he acted. He would not allow Edward to become Father's pupper and tried to silence the Patriarch but was repelled so easily. When he was blasted back here without Edward, the predator started to panic. He didn't know what the man would do to his jailer and seeing the young man now, he wished they shared the ability to read the other's mind.
The demon dropped to a knee so they were eye to eye and gently laid a clawed hand on the young man's shoulder. The gesture made Edward look up from his hands. "You need to calm down. What happened changes nothing."
"Changes nothing? After what we just heard, you're saying it changes nothing?!"
"Considering who we heard it from, yes, it changes nothing. We knew in the beginning that Father would be a force to be reckoned with and that sooner or later he would come to kill Elsa. speaking with him changes nothing, Stonewell would tell you the same."
Edward laughed a bit before he put his head in his hands. "Before or after, you tell him that I'm just a container for your feelings?"
Wrath narrowed his eyes in anger but reined it in. "You're just going to believe the man who made your life Hell just like that? Earlier, you were pissed at Elsa for just believing Garret, saying that he could be lying to her just to screw her later."
"Yeah I did and look how well that ended for me."
The predator was beginning to grow tired of the young man's consistent moping when things got a little out of hand. He wanted to enrage the young man, make him as defiant and stubborn that Wrath knew at his core he was. "So what, you're just going to sit here, with your thumb up your ass?"
Edward sighed into his hands. He heard the predator and knew that Stonewell already told him he wouldn't be doing what Wrath just suggested. The young man's mind was still reeling but it recalled his meeting with Father. His mind told him that with what he knew, it would be impossible for him to ever oppose the Patriarch. All of his logic told him that there was no scenario in which Wrath could ever compete with Father.
His mind said that but his soul argued differently.
He looked between his hands and could see that Wrath's face while still stuck in that grin was quite irritated. He could easily tell that Wrath thought differently and wanted to defy Father's will in any way he could. His mind labeled it futile ambition and considered that there was nothing they could do so it was pointless to even struggle but his soul said otherwise.
Edward liked being a logical thinker and rather go with his mind over just feeling and letting them take control. It's what led to his current situation right now with him being banned from the castle temporarily and Elsa likely being angry with him.
Yet it also led to him embracing his feelings to the blonde despite every logical warning his mind made. He was happy around her and was content whenever he had her in his arms. Hearing Father saying those feelings weren't his and were actually Wrath's were jarring, but did that make them any less real? Edward dropped his hands and stared at the predator for a moment.
In this space, Wrath was King. Yet he chose to remain here instead of exploring the outside where he could learn to enjoy life around him. It made sense that Wrath wasn't really experienced with his feelings, there were very few instances the predator actually shared them. They both were told in the beginning that they were two halves of the same soul. Edward told himself he wasn't afraid of Wrath anymore on that training exercise and was ready to completely submit his body to the demon.
They even swapped with one another easily and remained consistent with their actions despite who was in control. Edward knew now that Wrath would never harm Elsa, Kristoff, Anna, Gerda, Kai, Stonewell, or anyone else they cared about. The two of them identified as different people but they had the same goal with some different ideas.
They just never considered the idea that Edward came from Wrath and all he was was just feelings the Sin couldn't handle all at once.
The young man when he thought about it some more found that Wrath was right. What Father said changed nothing, they were still in the same boat as before except now they met their opposition. His mind kept saying that it was a foolish idea to even consider opposing the Patriarch but he could tell that his soul that was literally staring him in the face was telling him that he would try to anyway.
"No, I'm not gonna sit with my thumb up my ass. Stonewell will have our head if he finds out."
A hopeful glint appeared in the predator's eyes.
"Then?"
Edward put his hands on his knees and stood up with a sigh.
"Then I guess we'll just have to find a way to fight back."
Wrath's facial expression didn't change but the young man could tell that the smile on the demon's face was genuine.
"So what do you have in mind?"
Edward had to push his mind's doubts into the back of his mind as he thought about his entire meeting with Father. He wanted to go over everything he saw and heard in their brief stay there, from the giant empty library, the familiar sense of tranquility, and Father's words. He knew they had no way of confirming any theories he had but they could still make educated guesses,
The first being that they were likely in Father's own soul. Somehow someway, the black dust in that crate was a link to Father's soul. It would explain how the Patriarch could control the environment and be King if they were on his home turf. It also would fit someone of Father's personality. Completely surrounded by knowledge without any distractions. The giant library was empty save him and at the very top of it was him writing down even more knowledge.
Being there would definitely give the man the advantage.
Edward also considered that feeling of tranquility Wrath described was similar to the place where he pulled Wrath out of. While Edward didn't know exactly what that space looked like as he only could see what lies underneath the reflective surface, it wasn't too far-fetched to think that that space Wrath was trapped in was one fashioned by Father.
Wrath's soul being above the surface then the Hell in between followed by the space that would give him peace made by Father. Such a place would allow the Patriarch to have a modicum of control over the predator's soul. To get to that space, Wrath would have to go through all those copies of Rahim that were just full of rage. The task would be easier if Wrath did indeed discard his Sin which could once again allow him entry into Father's library where he could receive more knowledge.
That was a logical theory as to where they were. Now onto Father's abilities.
The Patriarch's abilities could not be matched. There was no disputing that. No matter how fast or strong they were, there was no way they could attack the man if he would see it coming. It was similar in the way Wrath fought opponents consumed with anger, all of their thoughts and intentions were easily read like a book, the only real trouble was the Sin's body keeping up. Their predicament brought up the question; how does one beat Wrath while consumed with anger.
The answer; they don't.
No opponent consumed with rage has ever been a suitable opponent to the Sin. Rahim being the best of them, barely achieved a blow from a mistake on Wrath's end. There was just no way to injure someone who saw your every move coming…
Wait…
"Wrath, do you remember our battle with Envy?"
The predator nodded with a confused air around him. What did he have to do with Father, they managed to beat the Sin and he died.
"After, you said that Envy should've been an easy fight since he was already pissed to begin with and during the battle I could see all of his movements."
"Yes, all of his attacks were predictable and should've been easy enough to dodge."
"But I still was wounded."
"You weren't completely able to read his attacks at that point."
Edward fixed Wrath with an intense stare. "No, it was because I made a mistake." The predator's confusion grew even more which prompted the young man to continue.
"Back then, I saw his first attacking coming and put myself in a position to perfectly counter and attack when my opponent was vulnerable. At that point of the battle he wasn't enraged yet, he kept his cool until he turned into Envy. Still though, my reflexes should've been faster than my opponent and I should've seen the attack coming even without being able to read his mind. That singular mistake that led to that blade going through my side greatly inconvenienced me the entire battle and if Kristoff hadn't dealt the decisive blow, I would've been passed out in the snow while my opponent was still alive."
"So what you're saying is that we need to move on Father when he makes a mistake?"
The young man shook his head. "We can't fight Father, it's impossible, those abilities of his are too much for us."
Wrath instantly began to rebuke such a statement. "Only in that space! We don't know if he has those abilities in the physical world, maybe his abilities can only be used in his own space where he is King."
"Regardless if they are or not, we don't have to wait until he makes a mistake, he already made one."
Now Wrath looked at the young man like he grew another head. He had no idea what came over him to become such a deep thinker that not even the predator knew what was going on in his head. It actually worried the demon a bit and made him wonder if Edward was becoming more like Father after that one confrontation with him.
"Father said he thought that Sloth would be the one to figure it out first and was surprised to find out that we did. His abilities make him essentially a god to us as well as the other Sins. The definition of god is a being who is all knowing and all powerful. A majority of humans believe that God gave them free will yet knows everything and has a plan for how things will go. So no matter what anyone does, they are just following their god's plan, so does one even have free will?"
"What does this possibly have to do with Father?"
Edward smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Just humor me."
Wrath sighed and considered the question. If God gave people free will yet also had a plan how everything would turn out then it would be impossible for him to give them free will since he had determined exactly what they would do.
"No, following your line of logic, people don't have free will."
"Logically yes, humans don't have free will if their actions are predetermined. However, that's where the idea that they have faith their god has given them free will to choose their actions and has made a plan only for them and that while it is predetermined they are protected."
"Alright, regardless if that's true or not, the fact is that they're life is predetermined by their god."
The young man's smile grew. "You're right, their god has made a plan for their life that only he knows because he is all knowing. Yet Father said he thought Sloth would find out first but we beat her to it. Which means he isn't all knowing and he can't be our god."
Wrath felt a bigger spark of hope alight in his chest as Edward continued.
"And if he isn't our god then our life isn't predetermined by him. Which means, we still do have a chance, we just have to find it."
The predator couldn't help the chuckle that came from him as he could see the young man's now determined expression. His earlier worry was erased by the look. At first, he was being stubborn and defiant in accepting that they couldn't oppose Father but had no idea how they would go about doing so. Edward just gave him hope that they still did have a chance, even when he himself was moping a few moments ago.
"What's with the change of heart, you were down in the dumps just a few minutes ago?"
Edward shrugged again. "My mind was telling me to give up while my soul said differently. As it turns out, I follow my soul more than my mind for better or worse. Besides, the old man would throw a fit if he knew I was sitting on my ass." Wrath chuckled again and watched the young man fade away from the courtyard back into the real world.
"Looks like his will is getting a little stronger every day."
The warehouse surrounded him once again and Edward was now aware that he was grasping something solid in the black dust that was inside the crate. Pulling the object out, he recognized it as the book Father gave to him just before he left. The book wasn't too thick and looked to be the size of a book of poems rather than a tome of knowledge that he assumed Father gave him. It had a completely black cover and spine with no words on the front yet Edward knew exactly what the book was called.
The truth of the ones who came before.
An ominous title to be sure, but Edward couldn't afford to throw the book away despite where it came from and the danger it could present. It was funny, he accused Elsa of not being careful of where she got her information and here he was doing the same. Maybe it was better that he wasn't in the castle for the time being. Tucking the book away for now, Edward quickly filled out the paperwork and stored the crate before locking up and leaving for the night.
The next day as he was going about his business, Mr. Jorgen walked up to him and greeted him with a kind smile and an amused look. "Good day, Young Edward. I was called away yesterday before I could complete my duties and it has come to my attention that there was an inspection conducted by the Arendelle guard last night. I worried that they would find that crate I told you I would inspect but to my great surprise, the paperwork was completed and it was correctly stored. Would you happen to know anything about that?"
"I apologize, I didn't wish to undermine your authority and orders but I didn't want you getting in trouble so I inspected the contents. Nothing out of the ordinary, just some sand."
Mr. Jorgen's smile widened as he nodded. "No, I should be thanking you, you saved me some trouble. It's no wonder I missed having you around. Well keep up the good work." The older man turned to leave but was stopped when Edward spoke.
"Oh and thank you for the warning to be careful, I didn't heed your advice in the beginning but now know better."
Mr. Jorgen turned back around and met the young man's eyes for a moment before he jovially laughed and continued on his way. As he walked away, Edward's eyes narrowed at his retreating back.
No one in the right mind transports just sand.
Edward didn't want to, Mr. Jorgen was a really nice man that has been a friend since arriving at Arendelle but it couldn't have been a coincidence that he met Father while working for the harbormaster.
WOOO another chapter! I hope you all enjoyed Father's brief appearance. The religious content that was in this chapter was not meant to offend anyone and I hope no one was. Please continue to leave either reviews or pm me if you wish to speak. I hope you enjoyed the chapter because I am very excited to write the next one. Anyway stay tuned and hopefully I'll get a break from work cause I haven't gotten a day off in almost 2 weeks.