“What are you talking about?!” Xard couldn’t stop himself from questioning the demigod, even though he didn’t have the strength to pick himself up and face her. “Phon was there when Drim was born! Eleen is undeniably his mother.”
“Hmph, I suppose you could call her a surrogate at most,” Rathe corrected him. “It is true that she carried and birthed him, and the basics of his parents genetics were used to make it look as if he belonged to them, but it was I who propagated his conception! I sacrificed a small portion of my own divinity to forge his existence. So by comparison, far more of me went into his creation, he is more my child than anyone else's!”
“To what end?!” Now Mallea had to wonder as the one who had raised him. “I do not doubt your words. It makes far too much sense as to why he is so different from the others, so unlike his family, a special and unique existence. I am more grateful for him than anything else in this world. But why? What was the point of it all?”
“I wanted to ruin Eleen’s life, of course,” the demigod snickered. “To get back at her for betraying me. I’d caught wind of their little rebellion, their plot to turn against me once they’d conquered the world. If I’d simply smited her, it would have given away my existence and ruined my long-term commitment, and besides, she didn’t deserve a swift death. Rather, I wanted her to live a long, miserable life.”
“What better torture than to have a child that would despise her every waking moment? That was also part of his conception. I indwelled in him the ability to sense the morality of others, based on my own judgment, of course. That meant he would come to hate his mother from the moment he was born. It was his sole purpose to make her days a living hell, fraught with worry and despair.”
“So wait,” Phon finally had to interject, positively flummoxed by the revelation. “You’re saying that he’s not actually my brother…? That… might change some things. Yes? No? I don’t know. It’s too confusing to think about right now. No, no matter what, he’ll always be my family!”
“Hardly,” the giant stone woman scoffed. “You’d do well to not compare yourself to him. He’s about as much your family as any else in this room. In fact, he could hardly be called even a human or Fiend. No, he is so much more, can be so much more.”
“When he killed his mother, I felt a sense of pride that I hadn’t experienced since the dawn of this second world. Something I’d created and written off as nothing more than a simple tool had surprised me. That was the moment I knew he was special, and from then on, he’s had my persistent interest.”
“Still, one great act did not define him, truly prove he was worthy, but he only went and did so much more. He’s grown quite a bit, and now even has the gall to challenge me with his ideals. As his real mother, it is the biggest slight and disrespect for my son to question me about the path of this world. Yet at the same time, I have to admire his ambition. He just needs refinement.”
“So that’s just what I’ll do. When he comes, I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse. I will train him, guide him, show him what it means to be a part of the divine and help him grow his powers. And then when he is ready, we shall reveal ourselves to the world together. Then as mother and son, he and I will change this world for the better, just as he wishes.”
“Some of his current ideals may be foolish, and certainly his ‘Project Fiendless’ will have to be scrapped. But there are the makings of good ideas, roots that we can grow together, guide them properly. You could almost say it will be the dawn of the third world, without having to erase your society and start from scratch again. You’re rather lucky in that regard.”
“Lucky, right,” Chorus spouted sarcastically. “What a boring and cliche villain you’ve turned out to be. How am I supposed to air this? It’ll feel like a bad script. Let me guess, next you’ll hold us all hostage if Drim doesn’t agree to your terms.”
“Ha, you think of me as the villain?” Rathe had to laugh. “I am the ruler of this world. What I say is law. That is just how things are. It is neither good nor evil. And why would I need to resort to such underhanded tactics? The boy is smart, and he’ll understand the right course of action. It might take some convincing, and I doubt threats and slaughter would help sway him to my side.”
“But he does have to make a hard choice. When he joins me, he will have to give up all of you. His training will require rejection of influence from the outside world, at least until he understands what he is. I can’t have him thinking he is on the same level of this world’s denizens, that simply would not do. No, in time, he will come to understand and accept his place above the rest of you, and I will keep him here until he does.”
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
“If you genuinely believe that, then you haven’t been paying attention!” the producer fumed, showing rare and genuine emotion for once, caring about something more than their own amusement. “I’ve spent so long watching that boy, and if you believe he will be swayed so easily, then you are the biggest fool I’ve ever met. You’re just like the typical masses, no matter how hard you beat the audience over the head with a message, a good chunk of them still won’t get it. Our king will never be on your side!”
“You’d be surprised what people are capable of, how much they can change,” Rathe argued. “But I am no fool to think it will go smoothly at first. I guess you could say my plan is to trap him, but he needs not be a hostage, and I would rather not treat him as such. He might challenge me, fight against me, but he will fail. And that’s alright. If need be, I will break him down so that he can be built back up.”
“And that is why I’m allowing you all to leave. I have no need for hostages. He will come here eventually, no matter what you do or say. Even if you leave and warn him, he will find his way to me. And if I’m wrong, then I’ll just take matters into my own hands. I should thank you all, I suppose, because you’ve opened the door.”
“That was the punishment I bestowed upon myself after the death of the last world. Or rather, it was a gesture so that my father would believe my repentance genuine. I would remain here in isolation, trapped within these walls until someone discovered this place and opened the door.”
“When Eleen visited me, I guided her to one of the side holes where the debris I regularly recover washes ashore since she wouldn’t have been able to enter herself. But I suppose you all didn’t think to look for an alternate entrance, especially since the key was already in your possession. Now the seal has been undone, and the exit is wide open, for both you and me. If Drim doesn’t come to find me, I will chase him down and drag him here, back to where he belongs, his true home.”
“Now go. I once more tire of your presence. My good faith has run out, and I will not humor any further questions. If you’re smart, you’ll stay away from this place for good. Return to your compound and lick your wounds, learn from this, and understand your place. You may continue your efforts of betterment, but know that you answer to me now. And if you want to make yourself useful then go find Drim and bring him to me.”
“Or… you may continue to suffer your current predicament of being rubbish on my floor. At the very least that serves as bait to lure him, so I suppose you all still have some use after all. Ah, I see at least one of you has the sense to leave.”
Eyes from all over darted around, trying to figure out who the demigod was referring to. And they found Itsy, straining herself to stand up straight. “Nah, I ain’t leaving,” the giantess grumbled her heavy words, taking hard breaths with each as if she was suffocating.
“I can’t leave. Wouldn’t be right. Not after what you’ve said. Got some issues with it. What you wanna do with Drim don’t sit well with me, but I’d be lying if I said that’s the main reason. Naw, it’s what you plan to do.”
“We thank ya for making this world, for making us, giving us a chance to make our own lives. But it seems to me you wanna change that. I believe in Drim, but I don’t got much faith in you. Since you destroyed that other world before, who says you won’t do the same if things don’t go your way again? I got people I care about, family to protect, and I can’t trust their lives to a loony bin like you!”
With each further sentence, the woman took a slow, hampered step towards Rathe. “Looks like you made it so they can’t hardly use their Curses. But let me tell you what, I don’t even know what my Curse is. Even without it, though, I’m strong. Always have been.”
“Don’t know if you had a hand in making me this way, or if I’m just some freak of nature. But it’s who I am. It’s all I got. And it’ll do. Because I don’t need some stinkin power to hit you in the freakin face!”
Itsy stopped right at the demigod’s feet and raised her hand, showing what she’d been holding. It was her car keys, with her fingers already pressing down a unique button. In the distance, they heard the roar of an engine and the screech of tires. Before making their trip, she’d stored something important aboard The Salvation.
“Yall got weapons, dontcha?!” The Wrecking Ball called back to the rest of the members. “What did we do all that training in draining cuffs for if not this exact moment? You might feel weak, but that’s just cus you’re used to being Fiends. We’re basically back to humans now, and you may not be able to use your powers, but you don’t need ‘em. All you need is enough strength to stand up…”
The monster truck screeched straight through the main entrance and swerved around those still on the floor. It drove straight for Itsy, not slowing down, and the woman made no attempts to move out of the way. Instead, she turned to face it and when it was in reach, she grabbed the front fender.
With all of her strength, dwindling as it may be, she was still powerful enough to make a big move. Carrying the truck’s momentum, she hoisted it, straining every muscle as she had as she lifted into the air, swinging it through an arc, right towards the sitting demigod.
“And fight!” Itsy slammed the truck forward, the rear hitting Rathe right in the face, and then it plummeted downard, cresting through her entire being. The stone body blasted to pieces, entirely destroyed in one motion, along with the throne she was sitting on until the truck collided with the floor—entirely obliterated.