There was a bit of silence as those sitting around dwelled on what could be a proper question to ask, or a story worthy of a demigod. And ultimately it was Rezin, the quietest among them, who disturbed the lull. “Erm, there’s something I’ve always been unsure about. If you know, maybe you could tell me how I became a Fiend. I never found out who I killed, and I’ve never been able to think of anyone to fill the conditions.”
“Hrm,” the demigod clearly let her mind drift away in thought. “You were never on my radar originally, a lackluster human amongst the masses. So I can’t say you had my eye or attention when it happened. But when you transformed into a Fiend, like with all of you, we formed a brief link, and I gained the knowledge of the circumstances as to why. After all, since you’re basically stealing my power, I deserve to understand the reasoning.”
“Since it’s been a while, and even then, you were a ‘Nobody’, so I can’t say I remember their name or anything about them. But there was one tidbit that stood out just because it was strange, and unlike any of the other Fiends. You set off a series of chain reaction accidents that ultimately resulted in the death of your stalker.”
“Erm, a stalker? I had a stalker?!” the boy found it hard to believe.
“Yes, and that was the other interesting part,” Rathe’s mouth twitched with amusement. “You’d never actually met face to face. They were one of your, erm, gaming friends, and I suppose they had a bit of an obsession with you.”
“Who could it have been?” Rezin tried to rack his brain. “I had a few good friends who went dark around that time, so I’m really not sure.” While The Nobody struggled through his worries, the conversation moved on. A few more people asked questions, more generally relating to broader strokes along questioning the purpose of life and the pursuit of happiness that Rathe clearly had an issue with answering, giving general philosophical cop-outs that anyone could come up with.
And eventually, things naturally moved on to stories. Roque and Chorus went off on a long tangent about an adventure they’d been on together that got everyone laughing, allowing the mood to ease and devolve into a more natural and proper party. The Fiends got more comfortable, perhaps a bit too much so in front of a divine being, but their host seemed to enjoy the revelry. But there was one question that came her way which immediately brought the fun to a stop and caused the atmosphere to tense to the point of suffocation.
“There’s something I’d like to hear an answer for,” Phon was the instigator, her tone already more accusatory than curious. “The Cosmic Boon, that was you of course. Many amongst our world think of it as a great marvel, one that Cosmos stole all the credit for, which I’m sure annoys you to no end. But that’s not what this is about. I want to know why!”
“It wasn’t part of the Fiend-making process. Certainly it happened at the same time, our hair and eyes changed while we were enveloped in the light, so that’s why we might have originally mistaken it, but that would have happened anyways, right? No other Fiend has ever experienced something along those lines when they transform, and the rules for creation seem rather set and definitive.”
“So why did that happen? Why were Drim and I torn from each other, flung to opposite ends of the continent? It makes no sense to me. You gifted us power and then sent us into dangerous situations that nearly cost us our lives. What was your reasoning? Why did you torment and forsake us?!”
The demigod’s fingers tapped against her now empty chalice. “Phon Drazah…” the words slipped from Rathe’s mouth, not in response or to get the woman’s attention, but rather out of pure disdain. “You look so much like your mother. It vexes me. She was right about your age, I suppose a bit younger, when I first met Eleen. And if you’d kept your original hair color, I could almost confuse you as her twin.”
“But it’s not just the looks that are similar. So much about you reminds me of her. Your twisted personality, your insubordination, your cruelty. Even as a child, you were like a small version of her, and it was obvious what you’d grow into—a new thorn in my side. Does that answer your question? No, I’m sure it won’t satisfy you.”
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“So compare yourself to your brother and see if you can find the differences. He is everything you’re not, became what you could never be, reached heights even I never expected. Killing your mother, that was something I couldn’t have anticipated. He surprised me completely.”
“As a bearer of my power, Eleen and I also shared a connection, so I knew the moment that she died, along with the circumstances of her death. And it was Drim who had done it, killing her with such a fitting and merciless death for her transgressions. I was so stunned, but also so proud. And I couldn’t help myself, overwhelmed with a feeling of elation, I just had to reward him.”
“So I got to work immediately, working out the divine blessing that would turn him into what you call a ‘Fiend’. However, in my haste and desire to bestow it, I worked too quickly. My wording was careless, sloppy, and I ultimately made a mistake in the edict. The conditions were far too broad. I thought nothing of it at the time, since how many people would kill someone they loved for the good of the world or to end evil?
“Turns out, quite a few. All of you are proof of that. I always expected Lessers, an acceptable side effect of the edict that would hardly change the course of your society. But for Fiends, there was only ever supposed to be one.”
“However, I had to actually apply the blessing retroactively, just by a bit, since some time had passed, making the start point a few moments before Eleen’s death. I would have held off and refined things more had I known that around that exact time you had killed your father.”
“Imagine my shock when not just one portion of my power was drained away, but two. It left me staggering, panicked, confused as to why the daughter of the woman I despised was suddenly receiving my blessing as well. Then images of what could happen, realities and futures I would despise flashed in my mind.”
“The thought of the two of you bonding over the sudden change, helping each other figure out your powers, believing that both of you were equally special. I just couldn’t have it! The thought made me ill.”
“I’ll admit, my next actions were also rash, but I could think of nothing else besides getting you away from him. And then thought crossed my mind of all the struggles he would have, how others might act after finding out about his gifts, so I chose to isolate him.”
“I decided to send him to a place where he could learn and grow, develop his powers on his own. And I provided him with what he’d need to survive early on, more than you ever did for him, that’s for sure. But again, he surprised me. I expected him to remain on that island for some time, to continue to strengthen himself until he grew into adulthood. He shocked me again when he chose to leave and travel the world helping others while still so young. Such a good boy.”
“As for you, well that should be obvious. I didn’t particularly care where you went, so I sent you to a land I thought you would be dangerous, figuring you’d die, but still giving you a chance to find your path in life. Maybe through strife, you’d become something more than I anticipated. And I didn’t keep many tabs on you after that, because frankly I didn’t care. Yet here you are after all this time, making me have to grit and smile as I tolerate your existence.”
“So that’s it then…” Phon rose from her seat. She flung each arm off to the side, catching her yo-yos in both hands. “The truth comes out. Did you hear that, everyone? It’s as I thought. Rathe never cared about any of us, and we were never supposed to become Fiends.”
“Something tells me my other instinct is right. Clearly she has some form of obsession with Drim. If you all can’t see that, then you’re mawhging blind! My gut tells me that getting us to come here was all a ploy so that she could meet him. I don’t know to what end, but we can’t trust her.”
“Stay seated if you want. If her words have swayed you, earned your trust, then you can continue to exist in your delusions. But I won’t let her do as she pleases. Just like that old world, she’ll toss us aside like it’s nothing to make herself happy. So I don’t plan to allow any more of her schemes to come to fruition. I’m so glad Drim isn’t here, because now we can stop her before she even gets her chance to hurt him! And if you feel the same, join me!”
Phon genuinely didn’t know what sort of response she’d get. Inspiring speeches were never her thing, and she’d done far less in her role of leadership to earn the loyalty of the rest as Drim had. But her worry was needless. Both Kada and Xard took to her side immediately. “We’re with you,” The Artillery assured her.
“Yeah, something’s felt wrong about her since we got here!” The Mermaid saw it too. And the rest followed suit, rising from their seats and falling in line. Weapons were drawn, footing was secured, stances were taken. They readied themselves for a fight.
“Thank you, everyone,” for the first time, The Vixen felt a bit of warmth and kinship with the others that she’d always kept at a distance. “Alright. Fiends For Hire, let’s take her down!”