Echoes of Dread
Kirschtaria Wodime continued nibbling on the cookies that Europa had baked with the younger Medea. It was still fresh despite it being half a day since it was finished, an enchantment that the younger Caster must have done so that he could enjoy the treat to the fullest. It was even emanating a good enough heat, as if still fresh from the oven as he felt the brevity of ingredients from chocolate to its dough melting within his tongue.
It was quite delightful. It was a good mix of sweetness and delectable consistency as it rode the fine line between being too hard that it was close to a biscuit and being too gooey that it was close to being raw. It often reminded him of the days when Doctor Romani would cook for him, Olga, and Da Vinci at times back in Chaldea. The many rare days when Olga herself, who was desperately trying to fill the void that her father left would calm down and just relax.
It reminded Wodime of those old days.
Of better, happier days amongst friends before his individual goal was finalized and enacted.
Days when most of his beloved friends were still with him.
Sighing in nostalgia as Chiyome poured him another cup of her lovely tea, he returned his focus back to his visitors, who were the complete opposite of the rather warm and lovely mood he was having.
"You believe this bullshit?!" the one named William Butcher said as he was now standing up, arguing with his allies as their leader, Grace Mallory continued to stare at Wodime as he enjoyed his little interlude of snacks.
What exactly caused this merry group of assumedly professional and tightly-knit individuals to act this way? Well, even to a magus such as Wodime, when he was told about the realities of actual life far away from their own planet, he too had a considerable, emotional response.
Though it was more subdued compared to what regular humans would feel. Mostly because families and people who practiced magecraft tend to experience seemingly impossible things regularly compared to the uninitiated. More so as an existential rule to allow mystery to flow and overall, the blowback of the world being fully aware of the supernatural and more would spark… quite the conundrum. While he had faith in his species, Wodime understood that humans could fall on both sides of the spectrum in terms of extremities.
"Butcher calm the fuck down!"
"I'm not going to be bloody calm when this idiot keeps blathering nonsense about fucking aliens being the reason why powers exist in the first place! I mean Jesus Christ! It's like you're hearing a fucking conspiratorial nutjob getting the keys to being the most powerful man in the world. I don't bloody accept that."
"Butcher you will calm down this instant so help me God or we are going to-
Extremities being that many are sure to overexaggerate how they feel emotionally and spiritually about these things. He even had to mentally command many of the servants present in the room to keep their tempers down as he allowed the visiting charter of people… whom he may as well trust to say this valuable intel with for the future… to let out their frustrations.
It reminded him of the days when Beryl would cause quite a stir in Chaldea. Or when there were disagreements in terms of personalities between Director Olga and some master candidates.
Returning his mind to the original point, he was very glad and thankful that the normal rules of Mystery and other thaumaturgical limitations were seemingly non-existent in this world. It was truly a world placed directly between a very steep crossroads. One that was on a delicate equilibrium that one certain Olympian was trying to maintain.
That he and his servants were now drafted to maintain.
One other luxury of fate that was brought upon them was the fact that the other concerning extraterrestrial entity that existed in Pan Human History was not present. Wodime dearly hoped that the Spider, wherever it was beyond the Oort Cloud, would not land or chart a course to Earth. Otherwise, the seemingly intact and dormant White Titan would be the least of their problems.
"William… settle down or be removed from the room." Grace Mallory finally said with a glare to his subordinate who, now mostly out of breath from all his frustrations, simply sneered at Wodime who offered him a small apologetic smile that only caused him to angrily huff. His seat audibly buckled quite a bit from his forcible action.
Wodime had to mentally command and hold back Miss Edefelt, or in this case Astraea from supplexing the poor man to the ground as she did with some of the trainees. A sight that still to this day made him giggle, even if it was a shameful, innocent giggle for their poor sake.
It was a shame the room was as tense as it was. He understood of course as to why they were all feeling this way given the circumstances and understandable fear against superhumans and the like, but he truly wanted to make an ideal friendly coordination to work between them.
Because most collaborators for Olympia, those with actual good intentions and those controlled slightly by hypnosis and bribes around the world, were all too eager to follow him. Like drones haphazardly trying their best to meet his every demand due to the benefits that surrounded him. He wanted actual people who had doubts and suspicion laden in their views against him.
It is those people that sometimes give the better benefit. To make Wodime learn from their perspectives, beliefs, and disagreements, all hopefully with the common goal of the betterment of humanity. A statesman after all was as good as he was with his detractors as a certain Lion-headed servant said through one of the many recordings in Olympus before he fell.
He didn't need 'Yes Men'. He needed people who realistically and conservatively weigh in on what his future plans were, even if he was just to reveal to them the nature of the compound that gave humans supernatural abilities.
Wodime was never that proud or vain of a person. He appreciated the suggestions, the comments, and the many perspectives of his peers, servants, and people alike around him. The goal after all was to get humanity collectively uplifted in a peaceful manner, to usher in a better future. One man wasn't enough. One man leading with both his hubris and ego would only lead to a functional dead end that a certain Chinese Emperor experienced in Akuta's Lostbelt.
He didn't want that.
He wanted to learn after all from his mistakes. He wanted to honor the suggestion and perspective of that certain last master of Chaldea and incorporate their hopes and dreams into his own vision.
One that he hopes would be better rectified with this second chance.
"Mr. Wodime… all of us in the CIA and those affiliated with the agency know accurately that you're not a fool. Why waste our time in a meeting that you assuage as important by giving us intel that we may as well expect to be a joke on our part?" Grace Mallory said. Her words tested him, she wasn't as emotionally offended or annoyed as her peers were but there was doubt still in it. One that Wodime sadly had to acknowledge.
Sighing, he placed his teacup on the coffee table before him until he comfortably rested his back again in his seat. The stares he was receiving outside of his servants were varied. With William Butcher being the most animated of them all.
The Psyche report from Chiyome, Drake, and even Sanson enlightened him on where the man stood. Especially with his history and what happened to his wife. A problem that he would need to address later in their talks.
"I assure you… my promise for these talks to be as serious as I could emphasize is accurate. Far be it for me to have you all journey to this very remote and hidden farmstead in the middle of the Midwest United States just to have it all be a sham. No… that would be wasting everyone's time, including mine when I could instead attend to more pressing matters given the healthcare program that I'm trying to get off the ground for the United Nations to mostly approve."
"Then why start off with a story cloaked in smoke and mirrors and blame it on 'aliens'? I know for a fact that you'd expect us to be skeptical, or even insulted by claiming such a thing in the first place. What basis could we even trust you now if this is the extent of your… 'truth'."
Wodime maintained his same neutral, confident face when he was dealing with similar individuals in the Clock Tower. Many in fact… many from his own family no less. The woman before him while admirable given the intel he had on them, was a figure and personality that he was used to.
"Very well… if I cannot convince you of just blatantly being honest at my character and words, then I implore you to tell me right now about the findings of your agency on the Compound V sample that my own subordinate, Miss Drake gave to Mr. William Butcher that night many months ago…"
"And why would we do that? Wouldn't your own experts have the same data as ours?" Grace asked, curious and quite confused with the turn of the conversation.
"Respectfully Madam Mallory, while I do not doubt the tireless work of your own scientific team in trying to understand the compound, I do believe we understand it more than you and your agency do."
Grace's eyes narrowed.
"Even if I had the authority to give it to you Mr. Wodime, I'm afraid I am very confident that our results wouldn't be as far off as you'd think."
"Is that so? Then are you perhaps aware that as of this moment, the possibility of the mutagen having a very small passable side effect to anyone exposed to individuals with the serum is a possibility above eighty-six percent?" Wodime expressed as he looked at his guests change their own expressions into something that had a sense of foreboding fear.
The tone of the room changed with it as everyone started to stare at the clearly powered individuals around them, and the many, many interactions most of the people had within the room with the Supes involved.
"Explain." Grace firmly asked, inwardly blanching as she was exposed to more Supes in her life, probably more than even William Butcher after her early time as a coordinator with the team Soldier Boy once led.
It also didn't paint a good picture when a good deal of the public, or the world was exposed to some form of Superhuman contact, local Supes or ones Vought and Olympia controlled.
Seeing the fear that was bubbling on the surface, Wodime swiftly intervened so that they wouldn't get the wrong picture.
"I respectfully ask you all to calm down." He started.
"What the fuck you mean to calm down… you told us this shit regarding Supes is something to be concerned about. Calming down is the least of our problems when we have a whole lot of em' surrounding us now." Butcher angrily said before Wodime smiled at him.
"You would if I specifically said the compound to be… harmful, which it isn't. Direct exposure to it, per se in the illegal markets that I know you are now aware of is harmful. More so because it's introducing the mutagen to an already established biological being, and rewriting it would damage said body rapidly, like how cancer cells deem to do in a natural setting."
"…that's why those who use Compound V shots tend to deteriorate faster, like in the live tests we had with animals." Susan Raynor said with a low tone before Grace glared at her.
"Precisely… as your colleague expressed, the mutagen contained in Compound V, or as we in Olympia nicknamed "Valkyrie" is a terribly powerful substance that can effectively but not ideally transform the existing human genome that you all share," Wodime explained, thankfully they didn't seem to question the last part of the sentence he ended with. No need to overwhelm them about how different Homo Sapiens were here compared to Pan Human History in a biological, thaumaturgical sense.
"You bloody pompous bastards. Compound V's already a stupid name as is…" Butcher commented before he was elbowed by his colleague on his left.
"I assure you; I feel the same, but at the end of this conversation I believe you will understand why we named it that way. It's not to sound grand at all, nor to make it… marketable. But alas, I need to correct the small terrible implication that I revealed to you earlier first, before we get deeper."
He then pulled out a data disc, functionally shifted into something like a USB, per Tesla and Edison's design, and placed it on the coffee table.
"The side effects I stated are merely minor. Based on the research that I and Caster amongst many other experts have deduced that it's an energy increase of the pre-existing biological form. Or in layman's terms, everyone on this very planet now produces ten percent more energy than what is expected from humans, via exposure to the Valkyrie substance."
"Benign, I hope? Mr. Wodime, I don't wish to mince words, nor do I want to dance in this little political game with you, so I have to ask with considerable caution if this development of the serum's properties poses a threat at all to humans." Grace said with a straight-to-the-point tone, one that Wodime expected, as his little bombshell (which was closer to what they were more used to) would ruffle some feathers. Making Grace a lot more cautious.
"It's benign in the sense that such energy will never be felt at all nor used in a manner that would benefit or debilitate humanity. For this generation at least."
"This generation?" Marvin Milk asked. A very intelligent and resourceful fellow per Achilles' own assessment. One that Wodime would wish to approach in the future for a certain project. While the man didn't have a technical understanding of biology and the like regarding the topic they were conversing on, he was attentive and eager to be more open-minded than his brethren present. An inquisitive spark was in his eyes, one that Miss Corday said was shared between his equally similar friend, Serge nicknamed 'Frenchie' amongst them.
"Yes. As far as estimates would go, ever since the Valkyrie was introduced to the world back in Soldier Boy's first implementation and of Frederick Vought's experiments, humans by the 2300s and forwards will be practically speaking, have the first natural-borne Superhumans, with abilities now being part of their genome. No longer a mutagen in a strict sense, but an external factor now added to the natural course of human evolution." Wodime explained as he watched the expressions closely upon his guest's roster. All of them were within the emotional range of uncertainty and a sense of turmoil given all of the consequences and implications involved.
"In fact, at this very moment now… my experts and eventually your own, should we give you the more innovative and advanced tools to observe this phenomenon, might actually consider present humanity to already be 'Supes' in a clinical form. But these traits, abilities and such would only occur naturally, without overriding and destroying each other's bodies through artificial means for another few centuries."
"A reincorporation of the Divine Gift the Golden Age of humans had in Atlantis," Astraea whispered to herself where only Wodime could hear given it was similar to that, before Sefar burned that Golden Age to nothing in this world and in Pan Human History. It was a strange form of irony that the blessings now came from it compared to the Gods that once ruled over humanity.
To the guests present, his words were now heavily laced with such weight that they started rethinking their entire perspective on things. For while the overall impact of the compound as known to them through decades only occurred in the form of entities known as Supes, then the revelation almost of every single person on the planet now being attached to that baggage was concerning.
Supes were now part of the cultural osmosis and fundamental foundations of the world as they lived and understood it despite the many concerns given their power over the normal man. To know that both were related in some fashion sparked a great degree of uncertainty and conflict in their minds.
William Butcher on the other hand was a different story. Looking at his own hands, a tumultuous wave of thoughts coursed through his mind as his vitriol against Supes took on another meaning. He looked at Wodime and thought about Olympia again as a whole, comparing it against Vought. Recalling Homelander, recalling Drake, and several others.
He even recalled his wife most importantly and despite denial deep in his own soul…
He found himself reflecting that the same hate was now ironic in its meaning. He hated Supes for what they stood for against those powerless to act against them. He hated Homelander, the prime reason why he lost his wife and his own sanity in the first place with a burning, absurd passion. He wanted to prove that people like him could triumph against their tyranny, their burning indifference to people they can just kill easily…
…but he then recalled what Jason told him.
...he recalled the genuine human-like qualities that many in Olympia possessed despite having power.
…he recalled Drake spending time with him and reminding him what being 'human' meant.
And that's when this new revelation essentially placed him in an uncertain irony of hating himself, in a literal sense. He was now part of that problem that he strived to burn since he lost his wife. It was almost too funny and emotionally breaking that he wanted to storm out of the house and walk away from it all. To deny it with every fiber of his soul and curse Wodime and all of those that had power… but…
He couldn't.
His changing perspective on things, even if he was still too stubborn to deny it, forced him to stay. If only for the loyalty he had with MM, Susan, and Grace. If only for the realization that the world was once again changing around him, and he the stubborn son of a bitch he was, was still clinging onto a reality that was swiftly being removed from the picture.
How was he to cope with that?
In Wodime's case, his attention to cold reading which aided him well in the Clock Tower was in full swing at that very moment. The way micro expressions and the like worked on each of his guests' faces made him ascertain an inkling of their thoughts.
Most intriguing were those from William Butcher. Conflicted and emotionally uncertain that he was. As he let the group digest this news amongst themselves, Wodime glanced at Sanson who subtly took the silent command without question as he left the room to fetch another part of their exchange.
"That drive contains proof of your claims then, Mr. Wodime?" Grace said with a slight hint of exhaustion and defeat in her voice. While she remained composed, the revelation, like many of their comrades seemed to hit hard individually. She looked at the data stick plainly and mundanely placed on the coffee table, one that contained such an alarming discovery stashed within the confines of its drive, one that the world was practically not ready for, in an overall sense.
"I'm afraid so, Madam Mallory. I do promise that should you wish to investigate or look over the truth in my claims through a third party, then I welcome you to do so. I've already collaborated with the WHO and the UN about this, though through more discreet channels to have them freely corroborate it, albeit with technology from ours, they are certain about its validity."
"And I hope those experts you've given these same data aren't just… yes men? Politically speaking, you giving them any ounce of what secrets and tech you have would have them saying the truth as you deem it to be." Grace said with a brow raised in his direction. The skepticism was palpable, but given Wodime's honesty and track record, at least in public and inner circles through intel that she gathered, most of it was just denial at this point.
He softly nodded at her as if understanding some of her plight.
"It's the main reason I am here with you now. To freely ask you to see the truth in my claims. It's better to approach those who disagree, have doubts, or have no stake in matters concerning me and Olympia to make the best results. That is in essence what peer review amongst experts is after all. To trust more on an answer that is more realistic, neutral, and non-biased."
Grace looked at the drive as Wodime picked it up and offered it to her.
"Take it. It's a gift from me. One whose knowledge I am freely willing to share. For the benefit of everyone and to possibly forge a connection through mutual interest."
Grace slowly and gingerly took the drive into her fingers, as if it was the most dangerous thing in the world. "That interest being?"
"For the safety of man."
She clutched the drive into her hands, before giving it to Susan who was similarly looking at the small item with great uncertainty. Grace however continued to look at him.
"I still have questions. Many of them, Mr. Wodime. Ones that I am scared to ask."
"…and yet ones that we must discuss at length. If am to be more transparent with my methods outside of the general altruism that I spearhead, then you must know that the knowledge in that drive is of utmost importance… and of utmost danger should it come out to the public. The least we want is for panic to come rushing out in this day and age. Especially with the truth in regard to what Frederick Vought discovered."
"Vought? Frederick Vought? Wait… are you saying the dude was an alien?" Marvin asked.
"Are we still on that?" Butcher asked, though unsure.
"Pipe down, both of you… Mr. Wodime, I would like you to elaborate. A virus transforming people eventually into Supes for the next generation is a headache enough, but… aliens? Just what are we dealing with here?"
Wodime's smile vanished as Sanson finally arrived, depositing a tray of items next to him before he returned to the place where he was standing.
The once stalwart head of Team A sifted through the items before pulling out a folder, filled with photos with the Vought Stamp on its front. He was appreciative of Stan Edgar's help alongside Homelander's new 'alliance' of sorts with Olympia that allowed him access to the company's more hidden archives.
He placed it on the coffee table gently, urging Grace to open it and see its contents.
Wodime then recalled the moment he was allowed access to specimen Olympia now called Valkyrie 001 and Valkyrie 002 and thought about his limited time in Ophelia's Lostbelt and compared it to the failed, buried experiments of the Valkyries in this world.
They were almost non-identical to each other. The Stranger, or the Father of the Gods of the Greek Pantheon did not elaborate much on Odin's whereabouts in this world, but whether it was differences in terms of lack of power or other esoteric reasons, it was quite concerning seeing those corpses. Or if they were even alive at all at the moment of their creation.
It didn't help that Frederick Vought's barbarism of their bodies further created a rather demented, obscenely crude aftermath that even his companions in the expedition, Artoria and Mordred were horribly appalled.
"What in fuck's name is that?" he heard Butcher say as Grace with a grim look stared at the contents of the folder, alongside her subordinates. The air and tension in the room already reaching a grim standstill as Wodime's guests looked at the violated remains of the origin where powers came from. The still cerulean-like color hailed from the White Titan's remains that now coursed through the evolutionary path of these humans through both a natural and artificial process.
They were all confused and stricken with what they were seeing…
Even Grace looked at him, her voice shaky as she said,
"Mr. Wodime… w-what? What is this?"
Almost as if on cue, Chiyome handed him another cup of her sublime tea. Hopefully, it will cool his own nerves as the stress regarding the unresolved stalemate between Zeus and the White Titan continued to rattle his worries day by day.
"Would you like me to start at the beginning again? Where all of this fits into the puzzle?" he said with a near ominous tone as his guests stared at him.
The Golden Apples of Hesperides hung gracefully over the tree that his young charge had planted. It wasn't the apples as they exactly were back in the gardens where Atlas used to be close, but they were a close supplement enough to the real thing.
One that he had given his blessing to, mostly for his sons, daughters, and many other family members present. Summoned beings or not, he was quite happy with their existence, and he was quite pleased with the progress that his charge had enacted in this world.
And quite the progress it was indeed.
Just the sun's rays shining upon the tree, illuminating its fruits and leaves within this symbolic garden of sorts that allowed him to remember the finer days in Atlantis brought him nostalgia. It also helped that the courtyard, which was encircled by Olympia's (fashionably named) main facility in Northern America hosted innovation that while advanced to these human's eyes, were all attempts at recreating the relic-old biotechnology that his sister Demeter maintained.
The building itself was 'living' per se. An advanced mind now maintained by someone who succeeded him in name with his Coil technology and one that allowed the progression of more accessible industries and innovations in the form of a Lion. Two people that his son in all but name, Hephaestus would be very pleased of.
In time, the world would once again be as great and powerful as it once was, but not with the help directly from the divine, but of human ingenuity and cooperation. A dream and hope that he and his brethren eventually embraced as they slowly withered away through time. It may not be the world that he had envisioned for humanity, but it was a world that he could accept.
His days were waning after all, after such millennia even someone who held the title of Omnipotent God of the Heavens would reach his due. He just hoped that they were ready for it. Those who would carry on his legacy.
Not yet today of course. He still had ample enough time.
He still had the growing semblance of power indirectly given by the summoned vestiges of his family and many more that Humanity cherished. He still had to assist his charge, the boy to whom he entrusted the mission, and he still had time to make up for some old wounds.
Some old mistakes.
"Ah… brothers, sisters. I wish ye could see all of this." He said with a tired sigh.
He still had more to do with what time he had left.
"Golden Apples… well that's something I didn't expect to see." A voice said, taking the old God out of his thoughts. He, of course, was not here in a literal sense. Merely a pastiche, a projection with permission from his charge himself. A way for him to visit their efforts.
But it was still closer to a temporary terminal that could feel, see, and hear as a biological being would. Albeit with lesser capabilities than his main one, he still had senses that trumped any mortal that walked the Earth to this day.
So, to have him quickly recognize who it was that was now standing just a short distance from him, the old man found himself frowning. Though with opportunity in his veins as he contemplated quickly what to do with the false golden child.
"Beautiful… aren't they son?" he started. His accent adapted to the current language and intonation of this part of the world as the boy looked at him.
"Oh… I uh… were you talking to me?" the boy said. Surprised that there was someone in the courtyard where one of the trees was. The old man found it comical that he was baffled that someone was able to stealthily hide from his senses.
In reply, he instead smiled with a nod as the boy smiled back.
Cheeky little shit, he mused. Reminded him of his own son Ares sometimes.
"Gotta say, I didn't expect Olympia to have another guest other than me."
He chuckled at that reply as the cape-wearing boy walked towards him, in deep thought while peacefully admiring the golden tree and seemingly everything it stood for. Inwardly the old man was thankful that Castor wasn't present. Otherwise, their clashing personalities would have caused blood to be spilled. He didn't need that right now.
If anything, a conversation to understand the boy near him right now intrigued him.
"I am a visitor of sorts, yes, but a guest I surely am not. I'm very much family to a lot of youngsters in this facility we now stand in. Many of them my own sons and daughters." He dropped, an implication that the young fool took as bait.
"Family, huh?" he started, nodding to himself as a brunt of emotions circled his brain as he kept his smile up until he relented. "That's good to know, sir. Mainly because I admire the brave men and women who now serve as heroes around the world. Doing good… doing wonders to help the everyman. It's quite amazing, actually after handling the weight of the world on my shoulders for so long. It's… nice to not be lonely for once."
The old man laughed, not in a derogatory way, but he almost wished that he could. Still, he kept his fatherly, old, and wise visage to keep the boy calm and composed.
"I appreciate then, quite proud of them in fact. As a father, it's one's own dream to see my children and their legacy prosper. To see the smiles on their faces, their genuine dreams bearing fruit while they try to honor their own path as well as looking back at mine."
"That's true… that's… something I hope for. Someday in my case." The boy said, a hint of yearning in his tone as if recalling a certain memory that the old man had an inkling of.
"Where are my manners though, heh… call me Soter."
"Sounds foreign… lemme guess, Greek?"
"Obviously…" the old man said with a giggle as the boy genuinely smiled back. "…what is yours, son?"
The boy blinked at him, as if not comprehending that his face and name weren't known worldwide. He acted confused at first, laughing almost as if it was a joke as he turned to him, but before he could say more on the matter, the old man raised his hand.
"Oh, I know you quite well son. What I ask is basic courtesy. One that people exchange onto one another in order to relay respect and humility. One that any father and son share."
Seeing that he was put into a corner, the boy licked his lips before nodding in understanding.
"Right… may I at least take a seat first next to you? If you don't mind." The boy asked as the old man scooted a bit to his right as the old man watched him fashion himself to a good seating position beside him. His cape spread around him as the colors started to interact with the floor.
"The name's John. Outside of Homelander, I'm John." He said, offering his hand for a shake.
"It's nice to meet you too, John."
Nice to meet him indeed, if only to study him.
AN: eeyyyy follow up is here! And I'm quite excited to write the following Artoria bashes the trainees skulls in part (lol), Wodime scaring the CIA group, and best of all, the conclusion of Homelander and Daddy Zeus' little conversation about legacy and fatherhood.
Sure to be fun.
As for why Butcher is conflicted by the realization of what Compound V does, in its side effect towards the world. I'd like to think of it simply as him looking into a mirror of sorts. He already hates himself. He hates Supes (but in this world is convinced more so than in canon that some good ones exist) and the realization that everyone at this point can be considered a Supe in some form puts him at a crossroads.
A crossroad where the hypocrisy in his actions, both good and bad now comes back to him in full force. While parts of him are still stubborn, would deny, and even heavily start to conflict himself with this knowledge, the truth of the matter is, that he's now realized that the self-hate is now literal and he could do nothing to change what is to come and what he initially hopes to achieve in the first place...
That is to end all powers, whether by force or not.
In canon comics and in the TV show, sure, he would be more destructive against this notion. The TV version will most likely just break down knowing that to kill Supes, he would need to kill the World, in the most literal sense, so he is left with a conundrum. Comics would just say fuck yea and make a Super NUKE virus killing humanity, regardless of the consequences, but we're not here for that.
The main gist is, with external factors involved, like renewed hope in some good people he trusts in his life, Jason's words, Drake's presence, and many others, this Billy Butcher (while emotionally conflicted) will have to rethink a lot of his own perspectives moving forward, and what purpose he'd want to do after.
Many things will happen to him in this important talk with Wodime, One of them was the deal regarding the news of his wife and her son. How he chooses to act with those in the next few chaps, is something I'm going to explore heh.
Oh and if it isn't kinda obvious by now, the Compound V side effect is a cheeky little reference to how Quirks rose in MHA. But instead of a rat and AFO, it is now the White Titan's foreign mutagens. How that plays into the endgame is something to stay tuned for.
Again, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter since October will be a lot more focused for this fic.