Fallen Star wasted no time leading his mother through the cult facility. He’d learned after his first few attempts that heading straight for the exit put him in the path of a few higher-ranking members of the cult, so it was important to stick to the darker parts of the facility to avoid detection. Things had been quiet for now, but the hardest part was making it past the center chamber. There was no hiding there due to how open the circular chamber was. It didn’t help that there was always a shallow pool of water, making it impossible to run through the area.
“I remember in my first escape I found a big Myth outside! The Perrows said its name is Yamato-no-Orochi. It was huge!” Fallen Star had been whispering. He knew he should’ve been quiet, but talking helped calm his nerves.
“We aren’t going to have to fight it, are we?” His mother questioned.
“No, I know how to get around him now. We just have to run straight for this nearby cave! There’s these two Hellhounds and a Nuppeppou that live in there. They scared me at first, but they’re actually really nice.”
His mother let out a deep breath. “I’m glad you didn’t tell me any of this a year ago. You would’ve given me a heart attack by now.”
Fallen Star laughed. “It’s alright. Even if we do get hurt, Mr. Perrow has a Fairy that lives with him! She’ll take care of us!”
The two of them eventually made their way to the entrance of the central chamber. As always, Fallen Star made sure to step down into the spherical atrium as gently as possible to avoid making any noise. Not that it would’ve mattered, though. There was nobody here. There hadn’t been anybody anywhere, in fact. Fallen Star chalked it up to his decision to escape in the middle of the night, but even then there were usually a few night owls lounging around this late. He’d encountered them on his late returns to the cult! It was nothing to worry about, though. Surely. All he had to do was walk the perimeter of the brick wall, avoid Mr. Ares’ rune circle at the center of the room, and lead his mother up the stairs. Once he did that, they’d be home–
”I have found them!” A masculine voice called from behind Fallen Star.
His heart sank as he turned to find a cultist carrying a torch, pointing at him and his mother with his free hand. The man was accompanied by four other cultists. Perhaps the last four cultists Fallen Star would’ve possibly wanted to see.
“Hello, Horsemen!” Fallen Star tried, doing his best to hide his absolute terror. “I wanted to take my m–... birthgiver for a walk! She wasn’t feeling well, and–”
“You were trying to leave!” Ms. Thanatos hissed, her voice the same mix of mischievous and ominous as always. She appeared in front of Fallen Star and his mother in a flash, her unnaturally large black eyes staring deep into Fallen Star’s gray ones.
“This was my idea, Lady Thanatos. Please, spare him any punishment!” Fallen Star’s mother pleaded. She fell to her knees, groveling before the black-haired woman.
More cultists poured into the room as the other Horsemen made their way over to Fallen Star and his mother. The cultists all spoke at once, making it impossible to discern what they were saying. One word seemed to be repeated, though, and it was enough to make Fallen Star cry: Punishment.
“It doesn’t matter who came up with this escape attempt,” Ms. Limos began, brushing her green hair to the side. “It’s still an escape attempt, something you both should know is against the rules.”
“Escape?” Fallen Star said, ignoring his nerves. “Who uses the word ‘escape’ with family?” A year's worth of confusion and anger boiled over, spilling out of his mouth. “None of this is a family. None of you are my family! You all are just cultists who want me to be your savior, and I’m not. I’m just me! And I want to live a happy life with my mother away from you people! I don’t want to be worshipped. I just want to be normal!”
“A human life is not ‘normal’ for you, Fallen Star.” A familiar voice spoke. Mr. Zelos, Mr. Ares’ right-hand man, looked down at Fallen Star with a look of complete and utter pity. “Destroying this world and creating it anew, living in avarice, being the God of Destruction. That is your ‘normal’.”
“No, it isn’t! I don’t want to be–”
“Death by Retribution!”
The central chamber quieted after one of the cultists shouted that chant. More of the cultists joined them. Slowly, everyone was chanting it. “Death by Retribution. Death by Retribution!”. What did that even mean? Death? Did they want me to die? Fallen Star looked down at his mother, whose face matched the terror he felt. He tried to speak. To her. To them. To anyone, but words wouldn’t come out.
W-what’s… wrong with them? Why do they want us to… die?
“Fallen Star was tainted by the woman! She does not believe in the 23rd Iteration!”
“Death by Retribution! Death by Retribution!”
“N-no!” Fallen Star shouted. Nobody listened.
The Horsemen who’d been standing over them didn’t move. They didn’t stop the cultists from their chants, and they didn’t seem bothered in the least. Of the four, there was only one left who hadn’t said anything. The one who’d been like a father to Fallen Star his entire life. Fallen Star turned to Mr. Ares, who stared directly at him from the doorframe. He had that same cool smile as always, dressed im black robes that exposed his chest and the rune at the center of it that matched those in the central chamber. His hair, a brighter silver than Fallen Star and his mother's, flowed behind him as he made his way to the center of the room. With a hand, he beckoned the Horsemen to the center of the chamber who carried Fallen Star and his mother in tow.
Fallen Star hoped that Mr. Ares would be lenient. Like any other time he’d gotten in trouble, he’d get a quick smack and be sent on his way. Unfortunately, today was not one of those days. When Mr. Ares spoke again, everything changed.
“Death by Retribution.”
N-no! This can’t be real. This can’t be real!
The cultists cheered Mr. Ares as the Horsemen took a few steps back and circled Fallen Star. He was on his knees with his mother now, who looked unusually calm given the scenario.
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“I’m sorry!” Fallen Star said. “I didn’t know this would–”
“Shhh…” His mother started, quieting him with a finger. She moved closer to Fallen Star, cupping his cheeks in her hands and smiling softly even as tears gathered in her eyes. “When Sidney and I were younger, we’d always talk about our futures as we fell asleep. We’d talk about our dream weddings, countries we’d want to visit, jobs we’d want to work at. But my favorite topic was always about my children. I always wanted three; two girls and a boy. Always the boy first. He’d always be protective of his little sisters.” She cried harder now, even as the Horsemen began gathering aura around themselves. Fallen Star moved closer to protect her with his body, though they both knew it was futile.
“What was… the boy’s name?” Fallen Star asked.
His mother looked up at him and smiled through the tears. Fallen Star remembered asking himself how someone could look so sad while they smiled. Life could be truly cruel.
“His name was–”
Fallen Star’s chest ached with a burning pain as his body suddenly surged with aura. His robes fell, exposing his upper body to the world. When he looked down, though, he found one of Mr. Ares’ runes seared into his body. Fallen Star turned to find the man standing right behind him with a hand on his shoulder. On the other side, Mr. Zelos maneuvered his hands like a puppeteer. With each flick of his finger, Fallen Star’s body moved and contorted against his will.
What are they–
“Death by Retribution! Death by Retribution!” The crowd chanted.
Mr. Ares leaned close to Fallen Star’s ear, speaking directly to him for the first time. “I’ve allowed you to enjoy the outside world. I’ve allowed you to enjoy your youth. You’ve made it abundantly clear in previous iterations that you won’t cooperate with us unless this time is given to you. It’s been given to you. Now, it’s time we get back to our work.”
“W-what are you talking about?!”
Mr. Ares didn’t answer. Mr. Zelos had Fallen Star stand straight as a board as Mr. Ares gripped Fallen Star’s shoulder tighter. Even more aura surged through Fallen Star, the sensation feeling like someone was ripping his heart out of his body. As time passed, he stood taller. A bit too tall. The rune at the center of his chest burned hotter, and while he couldn’t move his body he could move his eyes. It looked like black muscle sinew with bone plating. At the center of his hand was… an eyeball? He may have had more because he saw more deeply into the room than he had before. The sensation was strange, but he used his enhanced vision to focus on his mother.
She didn’t look afraid anymore. His mother looked happy. Resigned. Defeated.
Zelos walked Fallen Star’s body closer to his mother, and Fallen Star did everything in his power to fight against it as a horrible premonition fell over him.
“S-st…op!” Fallen Star tried, fighting against Zelos’ control with all of his power.
“Stop fighting!” Zelos roared. “You’ve made your decision to betray the family, and now you must suffer the consequences! You are Fallen Star, not whatever this human convinced you to be! This is a service! Following this, you will become the Fallen Star you were meant to be!”
The crowd cheered as Ares forced Fallen Star to use even more aura. He fought against Zelos’ control. He fought as hard as he could. But he wasn’t strong enough. How could he have been? Fallen Star hadn’t fought anyone in his life, while Zelos and the other Horsemen were probably masters at aura control.
Zelos brought Fallen Star’s arm back, straightened his hand stiff, and forced Fallen Star to pierce his mother through the gut.
Only then did Zelos stop controlling Fallen Star. The crowd cheered, even as Fallen Star cried over his mother. He knelt to her side, where the woman coughed blood and smiled softly.
“No! Mother! I’m sorry! I didn’t… Zelos! He–”
“Rui Payne.” His mother said suddenly. “His name was Rui Payne. ‘Rui’ because…” She coughed, forcing Fallen Star to support her back. “I liked Azuma Saikyojin names. ‘Payne’ because I didn't understand how marriage worked.” She laughed weakly, bringing a hand to Fallen Star’s sobbing eye. When she looked at him now, she gave him the most intense, serious look she’d ever given him. Fallen Star held her hand as she spoke, doing his best to look stronger than he felt.
“Fight for your happiness, Rui Payne. Fight for your freedom. Don’t you ever stop fighting for those two things, do you understand?”
“I… do…” Fallen Star nodded through tears. “I understand.”
Anya smiled, one final time. “I love you, Rui Payne. I’m so proud of–”
“Enough prattling,” Ares groaned, shooting a beam of aura through Anya’s skull. “Your time is over.”
Fallen–... no. Rui Payne stared down at the corpse of his mother, absolutely dumbfounded. Just a day ago, he’d been eager to see the world with his mother. He wanted to help her find her sister and live the happy life she deserved to live. Now, he knelt over her corpse after having killed her by his own hand.
For a long moment, Rui felt absolutely nothing from the shock of it all. That all changed when an unfamiliar-looking scroll popped into existence beside his mother’s corpse. He shakily picked it up and read its contents.
LEVEL INCREASED
1 > 2
UTILIZATION PERCENTAGE: APPROXIMATELY (0.4% of 500)
HP: 2
STR: 2
STM: 2
A-STR: 2
A-STM: 2
“He has received his first Scroll of Destruction! Fallen Star has truly awakened!”
Rui looked around at the cultists. Every single one of them, including the Horsemen. None of this could be real. It couldn’t be real. He’d killed his mother? Ares shot her through the head while she was dying? This was all some sort of game? But it was real. That all had happened, and they cheered for his mother’s death like she hadn’t bled, sweated, and cried with these people.
Grief gave way to annoyance, then anger, then fury. They wanted a God of Destruction? Well, they’d get a God of Destruction. As he observed the corpse of his mother a final time, he followed a sudden impulse. He wasn’t sure what came over him, or how he knew to do what he was attempting, but he didn’t care anymore.
Kill them all.
An unfamiliar voice answered back. It spoke in a deep, demonic voice. The newcomer spoke with just as much venomous wrath that Rui felt.
“IN EXCHANGE FOR WHAT?”
Aura surged through Rui unprovoked as he responded to the mental voice.
Everything!
The room shook as cultists suddenly stopped their chanting. A smile tugged at Rui’s lips as jubilation was slowly being replaced by agitation and concern. Men started to convulse as women screamed. The voice in his mind laughed hard as Rui lurked towards the crowd.
“Not so fast," Ares crooned, stepping to Rui’s right side. “We can’t have you jumping the gun on us now, can we?”
Rui’s chest stopped burning now, and with that, his power came crashing down. A wave of cold passed through his body, the odd sensation enough to send him to his knees.
“You!” Rui growled. He tried to reach for Ares’ neck, but his body was too weak.
“This is all for the greater good, Fallen Star.”
“Don’t call me that! That isn’t my name!”
“Yes, Fallen Star, it is. Ignore that woman.” Ares smiled, bending to carry Rui over his shoulder. “Starting today, I’m going to turn you into the monster you were always meant to be.”