“What do I say?” The Fiendish King had to ponder on Rathe’s offer for a moment. “There’s a lot I’d like to say, but for your proposal, I’d say I’m speechless. It’s not something I expected or prepared for, so it’s a lot to take in at once. I guess for just first impressions, there’s definitely some parts I have issues with.”
“Naturally,” Rathe nodded, clearly unsurprised. “While it is a bit disappointing that you wouldn’t implicitly trust in my experience and wisdom, I suppose it’s to be expected. You’re naturally curious and ambitious, always wanting to forge your own path. And I accept that, so at the very least, everything can be discussed and potentially negotiated.”
“Well, I guess my biggest problem with it is…” Drim tried to word it correctly. “Why exactly would I want to train and get stronger, to learn these powers?”
“Erm, excuse me?” the demigod was genuinely taken aback. “Now that was something I didn’t expect. I’ve never heard of someone not wanting more power. Even the most good-natured mortals always seek out more strength, even if for purely altruistic purposes. You have surprised me. So please, elaborate.”
“Frankly, I just don’t see the point,” The Slayer was blunt. “Thanks to you, I’ve already been indwelled with more power than I could ask for. I might have trouble against a few other Fiends, but besides them—maybe a few monsters—there isn’t much that would phase me. As a group, we’ve pretty much conquered and prepared for any threat that any mortal being could come up with. And if something unexpected or cataclysmic did arise, I’m sure we could figure it out and overcome it together.”
“That would only leave the divine, which we just found out about recently. They could certainly be a threat we can’t combat. However, given that we went the majority of our lives ignorant of their existence, and from my rudimentary understanding of how demigods work, it would appear to me that they mostly keep to themselves and their worlds. The odds of coming across another in any of our lifetimes seems highly improbable.”
“If I’m also brutally honest, I’m not the biggest fan of some of my current powers. While both Life and Nature Recycle have been undeniably useful to me, when combined, they grant me the ability to create life—perhaps a bit unconventional compared to standard beings as we know them, but life nonetheless. And it’s a power that I’ve only used twice, the first being an accident out of curiosity that created Drimini, and the second was to help a friend get a new body. But ever since, I’ve sworn off of it, because the power to create life itself is something I want nothing to do with.”
“I see,” the demigod was surprisingly understanding after listening patiently. “I believe I understand the core root of the issue. You don’t want to play god. Such a human point of view. You believe that you would be ascending to something you are not, afraid of another level of responsibility, questioning whether you yourself would be worthy of something like that.”
“But it’s nothing you need to worry about. While you are not on the level of one such as I, it doesn’t change what you are. Just as a human is born a human, the divine are born as divine. There are extremely rare exceptions where one can ascend otherwise, but that’s not what has happened here. You were made this way, whether you like it or not. Even if you want to shy away from it, you can’t deny who you are.”
“You are not human, nor are you a ‘Fiend’. Regardless of your feelings, you were born a part of the divine family. And as such, you are beholden to their whims and expectations. If you do not desire power, then think of it as obligation. As a divine, it is your onus to learn your powers and become the best you can be. One day, you may have a world of your own to care for, or may very well inherit this world from me. You owe it to your future denizens to learn all you can and be well practiced.”
“Assuming I even live that long…” the man could only sigh at the thought. “You’re thinking much too far ahead. Perhaps my perspective is skewed, but I’ve only ever been able to see my life from the point of view of an average lifespan. The thought of being trapped in here for months, years, or possibly even decades or centuries, even if I survive much longer than I expect, that’s not a life I would want to live.”
“And not to mention the thought of never seeing everyone here again. As Fiends, we can expect some natural improved longevity to an undetermined point that we won’t know of until we get there. But even with that, there’s no guarantee we’d ever be reunited, and even if we are, I’ll have missed so much of their lives, and so much of my life gone without them.”
“I would do anything for this group, even die for them if need be. But the thought of being torn apart from them is just too cruel. I was never much of a social person, so I never expected to make many friends, and Phon and I never had much in the way of family, just each other and our uncle. But that is that this group has become. Each and every one of them has become our family. And that’s what you’re asking me to give up!”
“Hmph, nonsense,” Rathe’s look of gracious understanding seemed to suddenly slip away. She took a few further steps back, and returned to a much bigger form, sitting down on a new throne that she spawned. “I am the only real family you have. To even still compare yourself to the likes of them after finding out the truth shows how ignorant you are, how much you’ve been warped and influenced by their society.”
“That is why the isolation is so important, so we can free you of those mental burdens and shackles. To be one of the divine, you need to forget what it means to be human. Only then will you be able to rule over them.”
“Sorry, but I can’t accept that!” Drim’s own patience for civil conversation was wearing thin. “No matter what you say, I’ll never be able to forget my own experiences, to forget them. So I’m afraid that as long as that’s part of your deal, I can’t accept it, can’t even begin to think of it. And they’ve suffered enough, so if you want to keep discussing, I ask that you taper your presence.”
“No, I don’t think I will,” the demigod staunchly refused. “Without it, we’d have constant interruptions from those whose voices don’t matter. The only way we can talk peacefully at the moment is because of their oppression. But I am willing to make one concession.”
“How about this? I will allow you to keep one with you during your training. Whichever one you want. You will be responsible for its care, for however long it lives. I personally will want nothing to do with it, and as long as you promise that it will not interfere with your training, you’ll be free to do with them as you wish.”
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“While I still think cutting them out entirely would be the more efficient method, this would help you ease into it. You’ll get to see them live out their entire life and it will help you accept moving on from all the others when they eventually pass. It will ultimately hamper your growth, and make the process take longer, but if it will aid in your cooperation, then I will tolerate it.”
“What, you’re saying I should keep one like a pet?!” The king could hardly believe what he was hearing. “You just don’t get it, do you?! From what I can tell, you treat humans like nothing more than livestock, burdens you’re forced to tend to, or do they even mean that much to you?! That’s the disconnect that makes you unfit to dictate the course of our lives. It’s why your last world failed, and why this one will meet a similar fate should you choose to intervene!”
Rathe tensed slightly in her seat, nearly lashing out in anger at the blasphemous words. But then she let herself relax with a look of pity growing across her face. “I see it’s much worse than I thought. The humanity in you is far too entrenched. But it is partially my fault. I should have brought you to me the moment I blessed you with power. It was foolish of me to think it best for you to grow up on your own.”
“I was contemplating threatening the lives of your friends should you not accept my terms, but now I’m wondering if it would be best to simply eradicate them. While I would prefer your cooperation from the start, it might be quicker to deal with your hatred until you’re broken down than to have you clinging to dreams of what could be waiting for you.”
“And you think I’d just stand here and let you?!” Drim erupted. “Even if I couldn’t save them, I’d still never let you have your way, and I’d end my own life purely out of spite. But I have a feeling you said that just to rile me up, to try and make me quick to flip out of fear and accept your terms.”
“However, it’s backfired! You’ll find that I’m not as quick to decisions as you. Even if I were to go along with it, and take your offer so that my friends could be spared, it wouldn’t matter. Because I know them, and they wouldn’t accept it. No matter what I said, they wouldn’t listen. They’re rather disobedient that way.”
“If you gave them their strength back now, they’d try to steal me away. And if you expelled them, they’d only come back. Even if it took the rest of their days, they’d try to free me from you. Because my life is not just mine, it belongs to all of them! So they will never stop fighting.”
“But it’s your own quick mouth that has doomed this. The fact that you would even conceive or threaten such a monstrous act means that we are purely incompatible. Until you have some growth yourself, understand what it means to be a proper ruler, then all negotiations are off the table. I refuse your deal!”
Rathe’s eyes twitched and narrowed, suddenly staring Drim down as if he was her prey. ❝So then what use do I have for an insubordinate child?!❞ The demigod vanished from her seat, reappearing directly in front of her son with her pointed fingers splaying barely an inch from his throat, ready to stab him through as she’d done with Feyjrusa.
The king however, didn’t flinch. He didn’t move or try to dodge. Instead, he stood firm, matching his eyes up with Rathe’s once more—staring her down, judging her choice of action.
But the next moment, she was back in her chair, looking distraught. “I’m sorry about that,” the rocky woman suddenly apologized. “My emotions got the better of me, and in my haste, I lashed out. Even as a feint, I never should have acted so aggressively. Not against family. Hopefully one day you will forgive me for this transgression.”
“What feint?” Drim was confused by her sudden remorse, but more so by her lie. “Just now, you attacked me with intent to kill. It couldn’t be more obvious. Had you not been stopped, I’d be dead right now. But I guessed right. You might be wondering why I didn’t try to defend myself, and that’s because I didn’t need to.”
“That’s what his words meant. He said roughly, anything you do, can’t be undone. Any action you take is permanent, unmovable by your hands. The Drain can’t be stopped, the continents can no longer be altered. And because you created me… You can’t kill me!”
“Hmph, so it would seem,” the thought seemed to grate on the demigod’s nerves. “But for once, I am thankful for my own curse. If my rash action had killed you just now, that would ruin all of my plans and dreams. Life on this planet would once more lose meaning. If I lose you, Drim, I am back to having nothing in this world. I mean that. It’s how important you are to me, even with all of your reluctance and harsh manners, how much you insist on pushing me away.”
“I wonder, though, is this where your cockiness comes from? Do you believe that just because I can’t end your life, that I hold no power over you? You sorely underestimate me if that’s the case.”
“No, it’s not cockiness,” the man assured her. “It’s resolve—something you may not appreciate or understand. But what it means is that nothing you can say or threaten me with, nor any action you can take will make me change my mind! You have my answer!”
“So that’s it then…” Rathe was surprisingly calm and acceptant, but just for one fleeting moment. “You think you’re being brave, accomplishing anything with your dissension?” ❝You would dare to defy me?! Defy your creator that rules above all?! Defy your very own mother that gave you life?!❞
“I’ll never see you as my mother!” The Fiendish King spat at the thought, openly disavowing the demigod in an act of unscrupulous heresy. “Despite their uncountable flaws and heinous acts, Eleen and Relyk are the only parents I recognize. And Mallea and Phon were the ones who actually raised me, made me the man I am today. But not that it would matter. You’ve seen what I’ve done before. I’ve already killed one mother, so what’s one more?!”
“Ahahahahahaha!” Rathe couldn’t contain her cackle, endlessly amused. “So that is actually your plan?! You mean to try and kill me?! You’re welcome to try. But as your friends could surely tell you, it’s no easy feat. They tried to defeat me both with and without their powers, and yet they’ve hardly left a scratch.”
“So… what difference would you make? While you are stronger than the rest of them, in the realm of the divine, you are but an insignificant speck—nothing but a fledgling not yet even worthy of a name! But I am a true demigod! One has been around, amassing power since the birth of this world! How do you think you’ll fare against me?!”
“Well, that’s where you're wrong,” Drim reached behind him and grabbed at his quiver, pulling off the bracers that he’d removed before transport, and then slid them back over his wrists. “Cosmos has already named me.”
“He-he what?!” Rathe jerked forward on her throne, her eyes bulging in disbelief.
“Yes,” the other divine one confirmed. ❝I am Thorn, Demigod of Nurture!❞ “Though I don’t quite know yet what that’s supposed to mean, or what kind of demigod I’m meant to be. But ultimately, it doesn’t matter.”
“Because before that…” he squeezed his fist, jutting his blade forward to confirm they were still in working order. “I am Drim Drazah, leader of the Fiends For Hire! Since our formation, we have overcome every obstacle, beaten every foe, stopped countless enemies who would do harm to this world, and even traversed to others.”
“And now,” Drim pointed the blade at Rathe, taking a stance ready for a fight, and his declaration rang heavy with his resolve. “Together, we will defeat you! Destroy your form, put an end to your reign! We will set our planet free from your tyrannical hands and send you back to Cosmos where you belong!”