Author's note: an unusual long chapter to end this arc :). Leave a comment if you like it.
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“What? The machine is already fixed?” shouted Fiora before covering her mouth, realizing that Alastor was still sleeping in the next room. To her surprise, her grandpa has come in the middle of the night, bearing wonderful news of his accomplishment. But it wasn’t something Fiora wanted to hear, not now.
“Yes. It has been difficult but I finally did it. So the moment I confirmed that it’s functional, I rushed here immediately. But… he still hasn’t woke up yet?” asked Vincent.
“No….” she gave out a long tired sigh.
Two days have passed since the Monochrome’s invasion on Europia. People have begun to go back to their daily life as reconstructions were on the way. Fortunately, no attack has been made since, allowing for a speedy recovery. But not everything could just go back to the way it was. This attack was unlike any others, correlating at a total different scale of its own compared to those in the past. The military could no longer conceal the truth like they did before. Right now, protests and manifestations have occupied government buildings as the people were demanding an answer for what exactly has happened. But so far, no public response has been given yet. They no longer had the option to give a pathetic excuse like before as thousands of videos about the unknown creatures have been spread among the public. Everyone knew about the existence of the Monochromes now. There was no denying it. And they demanded the truth.
But none of that was of concern for the Esper Fiora. What has occupied her mind the recent days was Alastor; he still hasn’t woken up since then. Even more worrying was that she couldn’t give an explanation to why he stayed that way. His health and physical condition were perfectly fine. There was nothing wrong with his body so why he hasn’t woke up yet? Could it be some kind of magical phenomenon that technologies of this world were unable to detect? If then, how was she supposed to help him?
Little did she know, this was a natural symptom for Alastor as this happened every time he absorbed a God’ soul. This overload of exuberance and power would have killed any normal man. But Alastor was no man nor was he normal. Still, it left him paralyzed and inert as his body was trying to regulate this sudden surge of power. Like the prophet Nyx once said, Alastor has gone through some abnormal states, growing in power too quick and too unnatural for his body to keep up. It was already a miracle that he didn’t die from the shock if not because of his lineage and Lilith’s blood that helped subside the side-effects. But it made one wonder how long could this body of an eleven years-old continue to endure?
However, the poor girl didn’t know that. All she could see was an unconscious Alastor who could not wake up for some reasons. She did her best to stay awake the whole time, just in case he could wake up anytime. The girl was afraid, afraid that if she was not there and something happened, he might just…drift away, just like her parents did. Because of that, she hasn’t stepped out of her room even once since then, barely had a decent meal for the last two days, surviving with only what she had in her small apartment. A needless, illogical hardship but somehow perfectly understandable. For humans were creatures who were the very embodiments of irrationality. Because we were ruled, driven by our emotions. We could do things we would never normally do in the name of love, for our family, for our loved ones. Would you sacrifice the life of the person you loved to save the lives of an entire country? One live in exchange for millions. Some would, gladly. But there were those who wouldn’t. A small percentage perhaps, considering how that choice could affect not just you but the entire race. Perhaps, we could reform the question: how many would hesitate when confronted with such a choice?
Did you see a difference? Indeed, many would choose to save millions of lives instead of one. But among those people, a lot would hesitate before they could make that choice. Why? If such a choice was the utmost logical response that rationality drove us to choose, then why would we hesitate? Because emotions were still there, our irrationality still there. It tried to fight back, to no avail. But that was not important, which side won. What was important was there was still irrationality living inside us even though many claimed that we were logical beings. It was not the final choice that made us logical but our way of thinking, how we ended up with that choice, defined who we were. And such was what drove Fiora to behave this way. For she was suffering from the ultimate condition of irrationality: love. What pushed one to love another? Could we simplify love to only a question of physical attraction? A question of compatibility? Or the primitive drive to reproduce or simply pleasure? To leave behind healthy offspring for the next generation as an instinct of survival of our race? Who knew?
“I see…What about you, Fiora? You look so thin…Have you been eating properly?” asked Vincent out of concern. He already had an idea about what she did. Just the look she had when Alastor fell to the ground, how she constantly checked on him….it was so obvious to him.
“I am alright. But Alastor, he still…” sobbed Fiora.
“Now, now, don’t cry! I am sure he is fine. We checked everything we could. He is just sleeping. I am sure he will wake up soon.” He comforted her.
“ *hic hic* I hope so.” She wept.
“I brought you some food. Do try to eat them! You have to take care of yourself too.”
“I will..”
“Alright, I guess I will leave you to it then. When Alastor wakes up, can you relay my message to him?” asked Vincent.
“….Yeah. What about you? What are you going to do now, grandpa?”
“Oh…just some research. That’s all. Anyway, take care of yourself!” The old man moved to the door. His robot assistant was already outside has opened it for him.
“I see. Good bye, gramps! You take care too.”
Now sitting all alone by his side, Fiora caressed the boy’s face, fixed his hair so he would not be bothered by it.
She was so tired now she could sleep with her eyes opened. But something brought her back to the waking world.
“I…..” a tiny voice uttered softly.
“Alastor? Are you awake? It’s me, Fiora! Can you hear me?” the girl hustled.
“Ik…” Alastor still hasn’t waked up yet. He was just talking in his sleep. But still, hearing his voice was reassuring for Fiora. She approached her eyes to his face in order to hear him better. “Ik..Ikarus”
Stunned by the name, Fiora dropped down to the ground in dismay. Alastor has once told her about the person called Ikarus among the many things he divulged to her about his life. He didn’t say anything specifically but Fiora could see the ecstatic, the calming, and the happiness he showed on his face whenever he talked about Ikarus. Alastor loved that woman, her and her only. Not Fiora.
The two were people of the same world. They have known each other for quite a long time, at least much longer than the few days Fiora has spent with him. Together, they have surmounted challenges and obstacles, defeating Gods and monsters. It was inevitable that the two would fell in love with each other. Fiora understood that. But as irrationality dictated, understanding and accepting it were two very different things. The problem was, sometimes, refusing to accept reality could lead to disastrous consequences.
At that moment, a thought came to the blank mind of the poor girl. What if Alastor never woke up? He wouldn’t go anywhere. Instead, he would be here, by her side. They would be together, forever….
“NO NO NO NO! I can’t think like that” She screamed at herself. “I am a terrible person. Please forgive me, Alastor! For having that thought for even one second. I must…I must not be the chain that shackles you. I must…let you go! But it’s so hard *cry*. “ Fiora wailed in despair.
The cries of the young woman resounded in this small dark room, breaking the enduring reticence of night. Sitting on the ground, she pushed her face between her bending knees. Her tears were pouring out of her red dark eyes, trailing from her rosy cheeks down to her legs. Her hands covering her head were pulling on her hair, straining them, hurting her, making her feeling the pain. But right now, that pain was the only thing that still held Fiora to the real world. For as long as there was pain, it meant we were alive and helped us distinguish the fain barrier between dreams and reality, which sometimes might not be that different from each other. Life in itself could be called a dream…but also in many cases, a nightmare, one that we could not wake up from.
What was she supposed to do, aside from holding back her feelings? She had no right to intrude between them. What if he hated her for it? What if….or so she thought. The feelings of guilt, for all the things that didn’t even take place yet but might happen if she did so, were killing her from inside. The woman just didn’t know what to do, how to suppress her emotions anymore.
And such, such was the tragic fate that killed so many Espers before her. Having this incredible power and survive the first stage was already a miracle in itself. But that didn’t mean that an Esper was safe for the rest of their lives. For being an Esper equalled having an unstable mind and psychological state. Like a switch or a coin, they might flip at any second. The only difference was that instead of changing to another face or state where they could simply revert back, there was no way back once the boundary was crossed as only one thing awaited at that end: death. After all, the mind was what gave them the power in the first place. And what ruled the mind? One’s emotions. If your emotions went berserk, so would the mind. And what happened when the mind went berserk? The power went out of control. What happened when the power went out of control? Two possible scenarios: in their luckiest day, only the Esper died. In their worst day, they took down everything around with them. Right now, Fiora was right on the verge of crossing that point of no return. Just one more little push, like a cup of water on the verge of overflowing, that was all it would take. The mind would shut down and she would simply drift away.
…..
“I am sorry!” A gentle voice echoed in the mind plunging in darkness as a pair of hands lifted the woman’s face up. “It’s my fault that you end up like this.”
“A…A…” Fiora could barely speak. Her throat was badly hurt from all the cries earlier. Her hands were trembling, even pinching herself to see if she was dreaming. Did she die from an Overload? Was this heavens perhaps? Was it why she could see Alastor all awake and well right now? If that was true, perhaps dying was not that bad at all…or so she thought.
“I am here. So don’t cry anymore or I will be very sad!” Gently embracing her, he laid her head for it to rest on his chest. “Shhh now now! Just stay like this for a while, okay?”
Fiora nodded.
…..
“Have you calmed down?” asked Alastor. It has been an hour since he was in this position without moving. He didn’t mind at all. The boy has noticed her feelings for a while now but he didn’t want to say anything. He didn’t think it was this serious and thought that when he went back to Astora, she would be fine again. Only now, Alastor realized how wrong it was. So he waited, patiently for her to stop crying as he lightly brushed her hair and patted her head like a child. The scene was kind of funny but heart-warming at the same time, to see such a small boy comforting an adult like that.
“I..I am sorry for showing you this ugly side of mine.” She sobbed.
“You don’t have to be sorry about anything. It’s me who should have make thing clear from the start. I am sorry for everything I put you through, Fiora. But I already…”
“No, don’t say it. I already knew what you want to say. I know that you will have to go back to your world one day…. All these times, I have been running away from it …But you don’t have to worry about me anymore. I am fine.” Fiora forced a smile.
“I know a fake smile when I see one.” He gave a soft smile at her. “You are really bad at lying, Fiora! Honestly, I don’t even know what you see in me. If I have to say, you have a bad taste in men” Alastor jested.
“Who knows? Perhaps I like younger guys like you. Hihi!”
“You bad girl!” laughed Alastor.
…..
“Grandpa wanted me to tell you that he has fixed the machine that will allow you to go back to Astora…” Fiora muttered.
“I see….”
“When will you go? It’s ready whenever you want it to be.” She asked.
“…Tomorrow.”
“…I see.”
“I am sorry for not being able to stay longer. But I must return to my world. There are just too many things I need to do. So…”
“I understand. You don’t have to explain yourselves.”
“Thank you, Fiora, for being so understanding!”
“But I want something in return... Can we stay like this till morning?”
“I don’t mind but my knees are getting sore though…”
“Then how about we continue in the bed?”
“….ehhhh”
“Don’t worry! I won’t do anything.” She grinned.
“Please don’t eat me!”
* * *
The time has finally come for Alastor to say goodbye to this strange world and to go back to Astora. Currently locating in an underground room together with Fiora, Kennedy, Jora, Edmur, Pat and doctor Vincent, Alastor was standing in front of a white spherical structure that looked like a metal ball with a small entrance. Inside there were two seats and a control panel that looked completely outlandish, accompanied with some light leds and hundreds of buttons, none of which made any sense to Alastor.
Taking a look inside, Alastor asked the doctor. “Old man, I am not sure I know how to use this thing…Looks far too complex for a simple-minded like me.”
“You won’t need to do anything. Unless you want to change the settings and parameters, which I don’t recommend, just pressing this button once you are inside would transport you back to Astora and vice versa.” Vincent explained.
“Vice versa? You mean I can return here whenever I want. This is not a one time travel?”
“Who do you take me for? My machines are top-notched in term in security and safety as well as energy consumption. I can assure you that even in a thousand years in your timeline, this thing will still work and make wonders. Also, a present!” the doctor took out a gadget which looked like one of their telephone but with only a button. “This is a radio that allows you to talk with us whenever you want. Simply hold the button and it will connect to the one we have! Fiora begged me to give you one so here it is. Just like the Orbis-Exeo, this thing’s battery will last for at least a couple of thousand years.” The doctor handed it to Alastor.
“You are too kind. Thanks, old man…and Fiora too!” he smiled at the girl.
Fiora stepped up and took Alastor’s hands before putting them on her chest “Take your time and do whatever you must! Once done, do try to visit us sometimes! Remember that you are always welcome here!” Fiora said.
“I will.” Alastor clenched his hands “I promise!”
“See you, Alastor! Do bring us something next time you come back!” said Pat.
“It has been a pleasure to make your acquaintance!” said Edmur.
“…Have a safe trip back!” said Jora.
“Alastor, you have proven yourself to be a capable soldier, much more than anyone I have met. It has been an honour to fight by your side, no matter how faint it might be!” Kennedy shook the boy’s hand. “I also have a present for you.” The veteran brought out a wooden box. As he opened the box, he revealed an unusual gun that looked like a revolver used by the police but much bigger. “This is the hand-cannon that has been passed down to me by my captain after I left the service of the military. We call it Faith. One shot is capable of piercing even tanks. Although I know that compared to your magic, this is nothing much but take this as a memento of this world!”
The weapon was almost as big as Alastor’s arm but he still managed to hold it firmly with just one hand, though it looked kind of ridiculous to see a child holding a gun the size of their limb. “WOW! This looks cool! Thanks!...Now you make me look bad. I didn’t have any time to buy any present for you guys…not all but only for one of you anyway.” Alastor looked at the surprised Fiora with her wide open eyes. She didn’t expect him to give her anything at all.
“Hahaha! No need to worry! I didn’t give you this and expect for something back. Go ahead and give her that!” Kennedy laughed out loud.
“Kennedy? You know about this?” asked Fiora.
“By coincidence, I swear. Anyway, go ahead Alastor!” the man urged.
“Alright alright! Chill down, guys! Ehem….oh…ah…well here it is!” a magic circle appeared in Alastor’s hand as he pulled out an azure necklace adorned with tiny strings made from crystal adorned with a big crystal gem in the form of an eight-petals flower. Each petal, translucent like the rest with a light colour blue, took on the shape of a triangle attached to the centre.
“Alastor!!! This is….” Fiora uttered.
“I didn’t know what you like so I kind of make it to my liking…Hope you like it.” He said.
“I LOVE IT!” she jumped at him, drowning his face in her chest. “THANK YOU!” It was only after the others saw how Alastor was being suffocated by her bosom that she finally let him go.
It was time. Stepping inside the Exeo-Orbis, Alastor sat down on the cloth chair and attached the belt from the side. With the door slowly coming down, he shouted.
“I won’t say goodbye as I promise I will go back to see you after I take care of my affairs. Rather, see you later, everyone!”
“See you later, Alastor!” the group shouted back.
The metallic door has closed down. Through the small glass window, Alastor could see Fiora and everyone else waving at him. His stay was short but he has made wonderful memories in this place. There were revelations ,mysteries, drama, all of those he knew that he would miss after going back to Astora. But the boy held his words: one day he would come back to see them again. Perhaps even inviting them to Astora. The two worlds both had something they could learn from the other but most importantly, it was the connection, the friendships he made with the people of this world that would stay forever.
“System online. Connection established. Commencing sequences in 5…4…3…2…1...Transporting!”
The sphere began to shake heavily as the Orbis-Exeo shined brightly. And then in an instant, it was gone. Where the machine used to stand was now an empty space.
“And off he goes.” Said Edmur.
“I will miss him.” Pat sneezed in a tissue.
“We will all do. He is our saviour after all.” Jora commented.
With Alastor now gone, Fiora felt a certain emptiness in her. As she thought, it wasn’t so easy after all, to forget one’s love. But it would be okay. One day, Alastor would come back. Time in Astora flew differently so that day might not be that far after all. But until then, she must change, she must strengthen herself, to face her past so that one day, she could face him again.
“Grandpa…” Fiora turned to Vincent. “Do you think I can stay at your home from now on?”
“Fiora!” Vincent uttered in shock “Of course my dear! You are always welcome here! It’s your home after all.”
“Thank you, grandpa! Hihi!” It was the brightest smile Vincent has ever seen from Fiora ever since the day her parents died. But that smile didn’t bring him comfort. Instead, it made him clenching his heart in guilt. This boy has healed the scars of his only family, ones that he could not do anything to help. And yet, he lied to him, lied to her. What he did…was unforgivable. He must correct this mistake before it was too late.
* * *
The Orbis-Exeo was now in a strange place, a cosmic universe that served as the link between countless worlds. To put it simply, it looked like a network with tunnels of light travelling across the whole system. One of such link was where Alastor was currently in, inside his machine. And he wasn’t alone. Across the many tunnels, Alastor could see, through his tiny window, many others machines travelling inside those tunnels. Some looked like the Orbis-Exeo, others slightly different, having the appearance of a boat. There were even what appeared to be strange looking creatures that looked completely outlandish and fiendish.
“What the hell is this place?” Alastor uttered as he laid his eyes on the wonders in front of him. So many colours, creatures and machines with different shapes, it was as if he was in a strange dream.
Suddenly, a strange sensation came over him. What was this feeling he have? This feeling of…familiarity. Suspecting something was up, he tried to look outside the other window to look for this source of power he was sensing. Right next to the tunnel he was in, there was another that seemed to align itself to his, at least much closer than the one the Orbis-Exeo he was in was using. To his surprise, an exact copy of the Orbis-Exeo was also inside that tunnel. This presence…no these two presences he was sensing since earlier came from that sphere. One of them, he definitely has seen or felt before. The other… gave off an inexplicable mixture of familiarity and freshness, a weird feeling. What was this feeling, this desire to meet that person? To whom did the second presence belong to? He must know. He must see the person. But he couldn’t. Alastor was stuck in this machine. He couldn’t go out, out of fear that he might end up somewhere without a point of return.
And so, Alastor helplessly watched as he drifted away from the other tunnel. His irrational behaviors, he couldn’t find a single shred of reason to explain it. Why was it that he felt this way? This nervousness? This…urge?
In this place where time and space were convoluted, where the past, the present, the future were mixed as one, what could possibly be the thing that Alastor has seen? An echo of the past? One of the many possible presents? Or a foreshadowing of the future? In the end, he never knew. That was it until much, much, much later.
* * *
That evening in the Other World, Fiora has moved back to the mansion of her grandfather. Needless to say, the old man was more than happy to hear it. With Kennedy and the others helping her moving her stuff, it was over in just a few hours. The girl never had that many things in the first place so it was quick to gather her stuff.
After a welcome-back party with the others already leaving the house, Fiora was currently tidying up by herself in the kitchen. For some reasons, her grandpa has asked to leave the party early as he said he was a bit tired and there was something he needed to do. But Fiora didn’t think much of it. Vincent was a genius even among his peers. It was no wonders that he didn’t like loud parties such as this. It was already fortunate that he was willing to participate for the first half. Or so she thought.
“All done! Time to go to sleep!” she told herself. But then, Fiora noticed that the doctor hasn’t eaten a piece of the cake she baked as he was gone by the time she brought it out. Perhaps she should bring him a piece. The old man usually stayed up late so some sweet would do the trick for a busy mind such as him.
Cutting a part of the cake, she put it on a silver plate then proceeded to go down to his personal lab. Usually, he forbad everyone aside from himself to go there but surely his granddaughter, after all those years deciding to come back, would be more than welcome. And so she went down, knowing not what awaited her down there, the thing that would change her life forever.
Passing through the dim hallway, Fiora now found herself in a dim corridor. It was her first time coming down here after all these years so she had a bit of trouble to re-orientate herself. In addition, a certain fear has taken over her. This was after all where the accident that cost her parents their lives took place. It was for this reason she decided to leave in the first place. Too many memories of them still haunted this place. But that was years ago. Now she was no longer the child she once was. She shall not be taken by this fear again. Embracing her courage, she walked through this obscure corridor.
Among all the doors, only one was left slightly opened and there was light coming from there. It must be where the old man was sitting. Step by step, she moved toward the light. Her heart was beating unusually fast, as if her instincts were telling her: something was behind that door, something…unexpected.
With her hand pushing against the door, Fiora entered the unknown room. The contrast between the bright white light and the gloom atmosphere of the corridor she just went through almost left her blind.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
…..
Nothing. The old man wasn’t inside nor was this the laboratory she was looking for. In fact, this was the Disposing room, where failed experiments would be incinerated, destroyed. Why would the light be on here? Has Vincent just been here? What for? Did one of his experiments or prototypes fail? Fiora pondered before she spotted something on the table in the middle of the room: some kind of glass cylinder that held a red vial in the middle of it. Upon laying her eyes on it, she immediately recognized the thing. It was a special container designed for preserving biological substance for years up to even centuries. But these were so rare and hard to make that not many people could have access to them. That was not to say that someone with a reputation like doctor Vincent would have any trouble to get one. The problem was what it was containing that interested Fiora. Could it be a sample of a Monochrome? That would explain why Vincent has been kind of odd these days. Perhaps he found something that could help them.
Holding the container in her hands, Fiora rotated it around, trying to find the stamp where the information on this mysterious substance could be. And she found it, sticking on the top of the cylinder. Putting the heavy thing on the table again, she read it out loud:
“Blood sample of an Astorian progeny. Subject’s name: Alastor”
“What?” Fiora uttered in disbelief, letting the containing fall down, activating the voice recording message that was registered into it. The voice belonged to Vincent.
“This is entry number forty-two. After a careful analysis of the blood sample, combined with the hair strand, I was able to retrieve the full DNA of the subject named Alastor. I have tried to replicate it through our cloning process but so far, there hasn’t been any success. I theorize this is because of the presence of mana residing in these samples that somehow prevented the cells to replicate due to the lack of mana in our world. It’s possible that, ‘mana’ is not just a simple energy like we thought it was but perhaps the true element of life. In any case, cloning method has proven so far to be ineffective.
Numerous others tests have also been done. Only one showed a promising result. By injecting a female DNA sequence, the mana didn’t reject the fusion and would form a completely new strand of DNA. Could it be possible that only a natural procreation would work? If that is the case, then only by impregnating a female subject with Alastor’s DNA, could we obtain what we want: the child of a God, one that will release us from the curse of the Monochrome. End of entry!”
Fiora could not believe what she was hearing. Alastor’s DNA? Child of God? When did Vincent manage to take a sample of his blood? It was at that moment that his strange behaviours recently, how she found him next to the boy back at district Z, finally made sense to her. The old man stole his blood so he could create a weapon against the Monochromes.
And the man in question has shown up. Upon seeing Fiora, he was shocked to find her here.
“Fiora? How did you…?”
“Why? Why did you do it?” the girl shouted in anger.
“What? What are you talking about? ….That’s….” Seeing the cylinder in her hands, Vincent immediately understood what she meant. What he feared most has finally been uncovered.
“You took Alastor’s blood? Without him even knowing? For what reason, grandpa???”
“I…I…” Vincent clenched his fist. His hands were trembling. “It was on a mere impulse that I did it. I swear. That’s why I was on my way to destroy it. I didn’t want you to know that…that…”
“That you lied to him? To me? How could you do this?” Fiora fumed.
“I am sorry…I only wanted to get rid of the Monochromes. Without Alastor, if something like that happens again, we won’t be able to survive.”
“So you want to his child to be born to kill those monsters for you? You don’t care how it could kill them or how they would feel when they find out that their entire life is a lie, exist only to be a weapon?” the girl raged. “Did you see how the government treated us Greymen? Let me tell you: like disposable garbage. They don’t care about us as long as we do the fighting for them. If we die, then they just have to find another to replace us. Do you want that kind of life for his child? After all he did for you, for us???”
“I…I am sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Vincent confessed.
“Just…just what were you thinking, grandpa?” Fiora grunted. She wanted to shout more, to scream more at her grandfather. She had so much more things to say. But then, something came to her. An idea, a thought.
“Please…let me destroy it! I can still fix this.” The old man pled, raising his hands to her.
Indeed, he has only taken the blood and nothing has come out of his experiments yet. If he destroyed his research and this sample, things could still go back to the way it was. However, his granddaughter had a very different opinion.
“No...We can’t destroy it.” She muttered. Gazing at the blood vial inside the glass cylinder she spoke. “Grandpa, is what you said in the record true?”
“Yes….well the procreation part is still debatable but the proofs are there so…but why do you ask?” he said.
“Let me do it!”
“What?”
“Let me…bear his child!” Fiora spoke.
“WHAT? Have you gone completely out of your mind? You just criticized me for what I did and now you want to have his child?” Vincent spoke violently.
“I will raise the child like a normal person. I won’t let him or her do anything dangerous.”
“But….We don’t even know if there might be some side-effects...Alastor is not just a Traveller but a God-like existence. Even this tiny amount of blood is radiating with power. What if…what if something happens to you?”
“I don’t care. I want to do it. Alastor is no longer here anymore. Who knows when he will come back? I don’t want his only legacy in this world to be this necklace. I want something for me and me alone.”
“But…”
All of the sudden, Fiora crouched down to the ground, bending her knees as she bowed her head to him. “Grandpa, I have never asked you for anything in my life. So please! Grant me this selfish wish! Let me bear his child!”
“You…Are you sure of yourself? If you want to have a child, you can just get married. You are still young. There are many people out there. One day, you might fall in love with another and….” Vincent conveyed.
“NO….I will never marry. So please! If I cannot have Alastor, at least let me have a child of his!”
“…You are really adamant about this…Why would you go to such extent?” the old man asked.
“Because I love him. Him and him only.”
“Such irrational thinking….Just like your grandmother…Very well! I will help you with that wish. But I hope that you know what you are doing. There is no turning back after this.”
“Don’t worry, grandpa! I am sure that I will never regret this decision. Alastor’s child will be born. His legacy will live on in this world.”
It was on that day something incredible happened. A decision was made that would change the world, or perhaps worlds. Perhaps it would be better to describe it as a new branch of possibilities across the multitude parallel world. And the only difference all came down to one tiny little soul that would be born as a result, one that would inherit the unfathomable power of a God-like being and the wondrous gift of the Espers.
* * *
The scream came from behind Luna. Realizing what it meant, the moon goddess quickly turned back. The giant creature which couldn’t come out of the rift has passed its arm through. Reaching toward Solana’s barrier, it melted into a black and white liquid mixture and engulfed the Goddess of the Sun inside it.
“SISTER!!!” Luna screamed as she ran toward her sister.
However, seemingly driven by an endless hunger, devouring a Goddess wasn’t enough for it. Reaching its second arm through the crack, its fingers transformed into tentacles, catching both Alastor and Luna off guard. Then it pulled them back to it, beyond the dimensional crack as the rift closed itself.
“DAMN IT!”
…..
“Hum, he is still not back yet? Guess I will have to wait for a bit then…Oh here it is!” a womanly voice spoke.
A bright light illuminated the palace drowning in a dark mist as a spherical structure began to manifest itself in the middle of the room. The Orbis-Exeo has finally reached its destination: Alastor was finally back to his world. His mind was still a bit preoccupied with what he saw in the tunnel but in the end, he couldn’t do anything about it and there was no way to know what it was now. He had no choice but to put it away, for now.
Slowly climbing out of the machine, Alastor was suffering from a light headache. Perhaps it was just one of the side-effects of multi-worlds travelling, which seemed very minor for such accomplishment. But what should he do with the Orbis-Exeo now that he has come back? Stocking it away until the next time he used it? Of course he would but he needed to take a break first. This world travelling thing was quite exhausting compared to what he expected. But he didn’t have a time for a breaker before he noticed a figure standing right in front of him. Wearing a white garb with golden laces, the curves shown through the dress suggested the person to be female. In addition, she wore a golden sun-like helmet with seven pointy spikes as it covered half of her frontal head, leaving only her inky pair of lips and smooth skin to be shown.
Upon seeing that Alastor has noticed her presence, the woman slowly bended her knees to him.
“My dear lord Alastor, welcome back to Astora!”
“I can see that I am back where I first left. But lord? Dear??? How about you present yourself first, love?” Alastor spoke as he prepared himself for battle.
“There is no need for caution, milord! Master Sullivan has already informed me of your arrival. As a proof, please gaze your eyes upon this!” The woman stood up and lifted her arms to her shoulders, making Alastor almost jump back in defence, out of fear that she was about to do something. And indeed she was, just not what he was expecting. Casually undressing herself, the woman slowly revealed her naked body as she took off her garb from her shoulder, letting them fall down to the ground.
“What? Wait just a minute! My heart is not prepared… Just what kind of battle tactic is this?” almost chocking himself by his own words, Alastor quickly covered his eyes with his hands. Still, he could not betray his male instinct, leading him to occasionally take a peek through those tiny gaps in his hand. To his defence, this was his first time ever to lay eyes on the naked body of a woman, if you didn’t take in account the numerous times he has taken a bath with Alice years ago. It was no wonder why he would behave this way when a woman out of nowhere started to exhibit her naked body to him. Through the tiny cracks of his hands, Alastor could see every inch of her body. She had such smooth white skin. Combined with the inky lips and silky short silver hair, the woman could be said to be a beauty, perhaps to the same level as Ikarus in Alastor’s personal tastes… or opinions, especially if he took her alluring bosom into consideration.
But nothing was perfect in this world. If the outside aspect was to be perfect, then perhaps we should consider what was actually inside. In this woman’s case, Alastor has been so infatuated with her foremost charm that only now did he notice the scars on her skin, going up to her neck. There were so many with different sizes and shapes. Based on the traces, the scars didn’t come from one weapon: some were results of a stab wound, others from whips. All of them were already healed, suggesting that they were from a long time ago. If not for the cloth and gloves she normally wore that hided all her skin, no one would know that under that light garb masked a terrible past. Alas, that was another story for another time.
“Please don’t cover your eyes! I need you to see this.” The woman said softly.
“A very tempting invitation but as much as I wanted to, I can’t…I already have someone so please! Can you…cover up a little bit?” said Alastor as he tried to look away.
“You seriously think that this horrendous body can still attract anyone?” asked the woman.
“Well you might say that but why do you think I am hiding my eyes?”
“…That’s actually very kind of you to say that… Thank you! Though I did not expect the demon lord to be this….innocent. I would have thought you were already experienced with the opposite sex, considering how many women are around you. To be honest, that’s kind of …cute.” the woman grinned mischievously. She expected anyone would be repulsed by her scars. It already happened a few times. But for some reasons, the boy didn’t. And that thought was kind of comforting. “But there is something I do need you to see on my body. Else you won’t believe what I say.”
“..Then at least can you cover your…..buns?” Alastor shied away.
“My what?” she asked.
“Your buns…or melons since they are quite big….WHAT ARE YOU MAKING ME SAYING?”
“I don’t know. I won’t understand if you can’t speak it properly.” The woman said playfully.
“Alright! You want me to say it? Fine! Please cover your TITS please! Yes, your tits, your boobs, your cleavage!” the boy shouted before muttering in silence “I hate myself for this.”
“That wasn’t so difficult, wasn’t it? All right, now look between my…melons as you said it.” The woman covered her bosom with her hands, leaving only a crack between.
It was only now that Alastor finally saw what he missed on her body. A small, tiny dark gem was etched on the woman’s chest. And Alastor knew what it meant.
“You are one of the survivors of Odium’s experiments!!!” the boy uttered in shock. Raising his eyes to her head, he saw the unusual helmet and was reminded of the story of the priestesses from chief Loo. “Priestess of Luna!!!”
“Yes, I am Cynthia, Priestess of the Moon, one of the two priestesses of Malatas! I just want to clarify something about your statement. I went through Odium’s experiments out of my own volition, not some survivor who escaped from her lab.” The priestess said as she crouched down to take her garb before redressing herself.
“A volunteer? Why?”
“It’s something rather personal, nothing you should concern yourself with. Anyway, master Sullivan has instructed me to greet you here before guiding you to your next destination.”
Alastor has learnt from Asmodeus that all the demon lords in the Abyss were aware of this coalition between Xenes and Odium and what resulted from that coalition. He was also told that there was another person like Aldol who had the power of a demon lord but not who it was. And now the second person has shown herself before, which meant that as she said, the demon lords were behind this. But unlike Aldol who was completely crazy and under Odium’s control, this person seemed very…rational. Why would such a person help Alastor or the demon lords? Whatever it was, Alastor must be careful around her.
“Sullivan sent you, you say? What for?” he asked.
“Are you forgetting something, milord? What you asked Odium to create is still down in the underground of this castle. I am here to guide you to it.” Cynthia answered.
Alastor finally remembered that one of the reasons he came here, aside from stopping Odium, was to retrieve what she created before anyone could lay their hands on it. That thing was simply too dangerous to be left alone.
“If you are involved in this then you should have known how valuable those things are. Why didn’t you take them for yourself?” Alastor raised the right question. If such a thing was in someone’s hands, it could give them tremendous power, surpassing even Alastor or the Gods, especially if that person had the consent of the demon lords like Cynthia. So whatever the reason she joined them, why not just take it for herself?
“Like you said, I could have. But you are the only one that could ever use them properly and at their maximum potential. Giving them to me is like giving diamonds to animals. Basically useless! No matter how valuable it is.” The maiden explained. “Besides, the struggle for power interests me none.”
“If power is not what you seek, then what do you gain from this?”
“Something else. I wish to join you. With me on your side, you will have the total control of the remaining elves. I have already built my reputation among the people. They already see me as their saviour from Aldol’s tyranny. With Astrea…I mean Odium and Aldol out of the picture, me and Eris will be the heads of the country, for now. But you have nothing to worry about Eris. No matter how conniving she sees herself, that woman is nothing but a pawn in my hands. I don’t have any problem with you taking all the decision as long as you see me as your ally.”
“I still don’t see what you will gain from this ….alliance.” the boy uttered. “What exactly do you want?”
“A front seat of your performance. I want to watch as you set this world on fire.” Cynthia confessed.
“What? I have no intention of destroying the world if that’s what you mean.” Alastor shouted.
“Whatever your intention may be, it matters not. The hands of fate expand across the entire world. Not even the Gods, not you could escape from it.”
“Then I will refuse what fate has for me! I will decide my own future.”
“There is no point in arguing this right now. We will see what the future holds for both of us anyway. Until that time, I am yours to command.” Cynthia slightly bowed her head.
“How do I know if you won’t try to sabotage everything I do just to you can see the world burns like you said?” the boy questioned.
“If you don’t trust me, you can always kill me right now. It’s a pity for me but that way, you won’t have to risk anything by eliminating off a source of doubt. In addition, no one would suspect a thing since I deliberately stayed behind for our meeting. You could easily lie how you never met me on your way here, saying that I could have been killed by the miasma. With what you did in the Whispering Forests, saving the beastmen from certain defeat, none of them will doubt your words.” Cynthia calmly spoke of her death. “Or would you rather not stain your hands with my blood? I can commit suicide but you will have to take care of disposing later just in case. Not that anyone would ever return here again, considering how the miasma has taken over the entire land.”
“…I don’t understand you at all. For what reason would you push yourself this far?”
“As I said, it’s personal.”
“….very well! I will trust you for now! Lead the way!” this woman was impossible to understand. Everything she said sounded very suspicious but at the same time honest. Even more, she had no regard to her own life, willing to die just to prove a point to Alastor. Perhaps she might not be trust-worthy but for now, Alastor would allow her to follow him….for now.
“A big risk you are taking there. If it was up to me, I wouldn’t let someone this suspicious coming this close to me, not to mention trusting them. But it’s up to you in the end. *sigh*. Follow me!”
“Wait…just give me a second!” Alastor walked up to the only body found in this giant hall. Odium’s corpse, she was still there, lying dead just like last time he saw her. A feeling of remorse came to him as he put his hand on her faceless head. The cold lifeless body just laid there. Could things have been different? The boy wondered. How Alastor wished he could rewind time, to redo his mistakes. But that would be cheating, wouldn’t it? No one had that kind of power, not even the Gods. Even Lilith’s
…..
Humid, dark, eerie. Those were the words that described the place Alastor was going through. The underground of the castle of Galahad once served as a dungeon to lock away the things undesired by the people of the surface. Murderers, rapists, traitors, all sorts of characters have been here. But criminals were not the only things that were locked here. Undesired could be referred to all kind of things: your political enemies, rivals of the throne, etc. It all fell down to the king to judge who would be sent there. You were lucky if the king was wise. If not, you might as well wish for a quick death as once you were in, there was no going out. But again, it was all in the past. However, blood has been spilled, has dissolved into the very stones of foundation of this dungeon. And today, we saw another a return of those nightmares that once haunted this place. Only instead of prisoners who were locked inside, we found monsters, hundreds of them, all dead by the miasma. They couldn’t escape these cells and so they waited for the inevitable end to claim them away. In truth, perhaps it was for the better, instead of rotting in there, they were now free from their cursed flesh. For what was the body if not a prison for the soul?
Yet among all these cells, there was only one empty. Unlike the other cells, this one was made out of glass. The walls were still deeply wet, as if it was once filled with water, but now empty. Whatever it was inside, it was gone. But there wasn’t any sign of struggle or breakout. The glass remained intact, although was descended perhaps to flush the water and open the door. Did someone free whatever was inside it? Who knew?
Finally arrived at the lowest level, the young figure could see a mauve glow coming from behind the curtain of the room. Where could this strange light come from? Alastor already had an idea of what it was.
With Cynthia walking in first, the woman swiped the curtain to a side as she waited for the boy to pass.
“Here we are! Behold: the masterpieces that Odium gave her life to create!”
In the middle of a magic circle made out of blood, nine large crystal gems similar to Alastor’s emitted a dim light as if they were alive. These were the same crystals as the one Odium shattered which caused Malatas to be plunged in miasma. And that was only one. It made one wonder what would happen if all nine others were used in a similar manner. Certain and total destruction, that was the answer, short and simple.
Stunned by their sight, Alastor slowly crouched down and touched them. All these tragedies that happened here, all those deaths, it was for creating these. Was it worth it? ….he dared not answer. If he admitted it was worth it, it would sound like he agreed with what happened here. But if he denied it, it would make Odium’s death look like she died for nothing.
“Whatever you do with it, it’s yours. I am sure that you have a much better use for them than I do. Do try to be creative! The things you are holding in your hands can throw the world into chaos. It would be a disappointment if such wonderful objects would be used the same way Odium did.” Cynthia preached.
“Don’t try to patronize me! Whatever I do with it is my business, not yours.” Alastor grunted. “For now, I will just put them away.” Opening a magic circle, he put one by one into it before closing the portal.
“It’s as you say. Now that you are done, shall we go back?” Cynthia asked.
“Yeah, I am tired of seeing this place. I need some fresh air.”
…..
And then they finally went back to the court room, where it all started. But to their dismay, something has happened during their absence. Something, or rather, a few things were missing.
“What the…Where is the Orbis-Exeo???” Alastor shouted. Where the machine once stood was now an empty space. It was gone. Furthermore, Alastor has forgot something very important inside it: the radio Vincent gave to him.
“It’s not just the machine……” Cynthia muttered as she herself was shocked to find what she found.
“Odium’s body.....WHERE IS IT?”