Author Note: Yes, i know, i blueballed you all. Believe me when i say that none of you is as pissed as i am for that. I've had some shit that had to be taken care of. Graduated highschool like a few months ago, i ever tell you? Life fucking sucks  and i feel like it's taking me with my pants down every day. This adult thing aint pretty. But enough of that. 

Because it had been such a long time, and i already have pretty shitty memory, i feel like i forgot stuff. So if you find anything that contradicts any of my previous words, feel free to point them out. For example I recall someone mentioning something about Fenris not being able to talk while in animal form, and he's right, but i cant see where in that chapter she was talking in that form. Again, not dropping this. Hate starting shit and just leaving it. I dont think i'll have any long hiatus anymore, but at least i cant see myself canceling this story anytime soon.

Maybe no one bothers reading this anymore. Got tired of waiting and just went, "fuck it, i quit" . Wouldn't blame you, i'd do it too. So im really just making this for my sake. If anyone  still reads this story, woohoo. But if not, it's cool, i'll continue regardless.

*******************

The sun was a bright golden orb in the sky by the time Roland arrived. 

In tow was Grace, who simply wanted to spend as much time with her father as she could, and Mercury, who just had nothing better to do and so decided to tag along for the hell of it. 

A great battle was raging across a large plain, the air thick with the metallic, coppery scent of blood.

Roland looked at Aries, who was also hovering above it all.

"Explain." He said pointedly.

"I came, saved some beauties, got the leader of that city worked up a bit, and he started this shit later on."

Only the bare minimum was said.

"Who're the ones fighting?"

"Who knows? I didn't pay attention. But see those two silver-clad bastards? I'm pretty sure that they're the enemy of the city down there, the leaders of the opposing army. Ah, it seems like they're going about conquering lands in the name of Brighid."

"Brighid?" Roland raised a brow.

Mercury groaned. "Please tell me that bitch isn't on the planet too." Mercury never got the full details of what happened, she just ran across Aries when she was sneaking out of the ship for some fun earlier. He then asked her to fetch Roland, wo which she agreed after some urging, though she didn't know why he didn't simply call him.

Maybe because he thought the man would only come if asked directly by someone.

 As for himself, he waited for them at this spot, a bottle of spirits in hand as he munched on a sandwhich. It annoyed her watching the guy just laze about when as he asked her for a small favor, but as magnanimous as she was, she ignored it.  

That aside, back to the topic at hand, Mercury disliked the power-hungry woman. Or, actually, it could just be called an irritation in response to the woman's stuck-up nature.  In reality it was Brighid who hated her. Not really the other way around. They had a lukewarm relationship at best, if it had to be said.   

"No, probably not." Aries answered. "And, well, to be fair I doubt she would actually tell them to pull shit like this. I think they're acting by themselves." He said dismissively. "Anyway, so, what do you wanna do?"

"Obviously we have to stop them. Anyone infected by your unique and damn troublesome energies will only grow worse as time goes on, and may even affect others if left unchecked." 

Some people of the Lower Planes were more easily susceptible to Aries' aura of violence, especially if they were in positions of power and in the midst of a siege or other war-like event that made one more stressed out than usual. 

Roland also knew the only reason Aries called him here was because he himself didn't especially care about there being a war, but understood that Roland might sense some of his energies running rampant. Since Roland was fairly good at sensing things, it was a possibility.

So thinking that Roland would notice and be mad with him at accidentally starting a war because he came down to have some fun...

Aries likely thought it better to just ask what, if anything, Roland wanted to do about it. 

And Roland did want to stop it. Why? Because this particular war was an indirect result of Aries, and one of the people involved was infected by his divine energy. Meaning that in the worst-case scenario, that infection would spread until this entire world became a war-torn husk of it's former self.

This is part of why Aries was never well-recieved by his kind. The man was the cause of not a few conflicts that wouldn't have even happened if not for his presence. 

As for this instance, maybe the other gods would protect the planet, maybe not. Who knew. Roland understood that as a God of War, Aries cared little for whatever might happen to those involved. But Roland couldn't, in good conscience, let that worst-case scenario even potentially play out.

People of this world should not have to suffer due to Aries' carelessness. 

As for himself, the only reason Roland likes to step in and stop a war is for self-satisfaction since he hates the things people do during wars. They were unsightly to his eyes, so he would stop them if he saw them happen in front of him. 

Because Aries didn't care, but he did, Roland had to stop wars several times before now due to Aries starting something. But he couldn't blamed, really, since what else could you expect from a guy like that?**

Roland felt like a maid. Always cleaning up people's messes. Or, more specifically, the messes of his friends. Though now that seemed to extend to those kids too since he decided to help them out. Ah, whatever, it's not like it was something he couldn't refuse to do.  

" Daddy, are we going to fight?" Grace was smiling. Fighting was something she was good at. She wanted to show off how strong she was... 

Perhaps if was selfish, but she wanted to be praised by her father...

"No." Her face fell at the words. "Something like this can't be considered a fight. We're here to break this up, not add to it. Alright. let's go, then."

"Where?" Aries started to follow.

Mercury answered for him, speaking like he was an idiot. "Do you really have to ask?"

**********

"Little slut, acting better than me simply because you're going to be Lord Aries' new toy! We'll see how much he favors you after I ruin that whore face of yours!"

Davron screamed at the top of his lungs while two scared-looking women cowered next to him.

Another woman, with a bag at her side, was struck down onto the floor by the man with a flick of his wrist. She felt pain blossoming on her cheek, knowing that this was just a teaser for the real torment to come...

She prepared herself for the worst, not saying or doing anything that may set him off any more.

He glared at the two behind him. " And you two! Daring to try telling me what to do, iny my own city! I should tear the flesh from your bone! Just watch how I deal with you!"

He was foaming at the mouth, his eyes flashing red every now and then as he rampaged. 

A heavy, oppressive aura surrouned him that was going wild, lashing out at everything in his path. The walls cracked with the force of his power. He looked menacing, a terrible look upon his red face 

"You can try something, if you'd like, but then I'd be forced to step in. Tell me, how would you feel about having your bones ripped from your body? Because that's likely what will happen if you tried hurting someone in front of me."

Roland spoke in a glib tone, as if he truly cared not about doing such a thing.

The other, older man turned a snarl towards him, saying, " Who the fuck are you!"

But he didn't care for the answer, just pounced and clad his hands in a sharp energy that appeared as if it could cut through anything.

...Obviously it was just a pathetic excuse for an attack in front of a person like Roland.

He didn't have to dodge at all, just let it hit him.

The man's hand, his fingers, twisted horribly upon contact. 

"You bitch!" He cried out in pain, howling like a wounded dog, ready to strike again with his other hand. It looked like he already lost all sense. Little better than an animal.

Roland never gave him the chance to strike again. 

"Bitch?" He snorted coldly. "Please. Let's not bring your mother into this"

Roland wasn't above making comments like that every now and again.  

Taking the man by his collar, he lifted him up and injected a trace amount of his spirit energy into the man's body, forcing the malignant, destructive force outside of him.

The older man spasmed, a reddish mist coming out of his every pore as his eyes rolled back into his head.

Aries' energy when it entered a person like this was not something that ordinary people were capable of expelling. It required having it purged from every cell of the body, and if you didn't have a good control of spiritual energy then you couldn't even attempt it.

Not only that, you had to reach deep down, straight to the "core" of a person's body, and make their own energies circulate throughout their bodies so that the forceful injection of two foreign--Aries' own and the one from the person doing the curing-- energies didn't tear them up from the inside out.

It sounded easy, but it wasn't. Where could you find someone who could even touch the divine energies of a god in such a way and not be infected by it as well, or get incinerated?

If a god bestowed you some of their power, then nothing would happen. But this? This was like a poison. Or a disease. Either way, it was very dangerous to approach. And would take you at least half an hour to be sucessful in purging even if you had the ability.

Roland took just a few seconds, but that was just because he was way too powerful and skilled at manipulating energies to ever have trouble dealing with something like this. Hm, and it also helped that he got here before it got really bad. 

One of the women widened their eyes at the sudden appearance of the four.

"Lord Aries, you're here!" The youngest-looking one seemed to be very much put more at east.

"W-what did that man do to him? My brother...is he...is he..." The apparent sister of the man glanced at her brother with a complicated expression. Mixed with lingering fear, worry and relief. 

"Don't fret, hot stuff. My friend here just helped him get back to his usual self." Mercury chimed in.

It took a moment before the woman was able to reply, pausing at the words used to describe her.

"...I see. Thank goodness. My brother, something went wrong with him. Just now, before you all came, I thought...I thought that he would really have..." She couldn't go on.

Nearly being killed by your own family would have that affect on anyone.

Not to mention the younger one, who currently had a tear-streaked face while clinging to the woman.

Aries ignored them, walking towards the other young woman on the ground.

"Are you alright?" He asked, holding out a hand to help her up.

Fuck, he thought, shoulda never have left the girl here. I didn't think he would be so wildly affected by my energies, though...it should have taken a much longer time to make him this crazed. This is weird. I don't think I was that careless either, how could my energy have escaped and infected the man? Maybe he would be more bloodthirst by being near me, but only if it was for a prolonged period of time. This is too drastic a change, isn't it?

Aries had an aura of violence around him at all times, and it made people want to fight, to battle. But it isn't like people would instantly want to kill whoever was closest to them at the time. 

Only if they were around him for a long time, and multiple times a day, that it would truly start to mess with them. Assuming, of course, that he didn't deliberately make it drive a person to their tipping point.

So he found it a bit odd this would happen. 

Plus, that guy was about to strike out against his own flesh and blood. After only being infected for like half a day or whatever, this shouldn't happen. One would have resistance to killing their own kin like this unless they already had a deep-seated hate for them.

...Well whatever. He wouldn't think much about it. Strange shit happens all the time.

He didn't care much about the man, but he saved those two women and didn't want them ending up killed after he made the effort to help them. And he was interested in this other woman right here.

So their lives kinda mattered to him, even if just a bit. He even told this Maris girl to be ready to leave with him. And she was nearly killed. He probably should have just taken her right away.

 Wait. Thinking about it more, maybe instead of calling Roland, he should have just handled this himself. The looming war mattered little to him, they probably would have attacked each other later on anyways and by that time the defending side would have been weaker than it was now. 

But at least stopping the matter with that Drake guy was something he should have done, no? He did see signs of the man being "infected", even though he didn't think there would be such big effect on him so soon. 

...But even as he thought this, he wondered, Is this even something that would have been worth it for me to take responsibility for?

To be perfectly honest, the only reason he cared at all about this matter was because it involved the two he saved and the girl--Maris--who he took interest in. If they were not involved, why should Aries give any fucks at all about accidentally starting something like this?

Even if his actions indirectly cause millions to die...could he really say that it would matter to him? No, he was not evil, he would not cause so much death himself if the other people didn't piss him off. 

But Aries was a God of War. Causing war was part of the job description. And death was not final. People would go to the afterlife. Gods were pretty much forces of nature, and at their heart they were careless. To an extent, at least, if nothing else. 

It had been a long time since Aries had last truly cared about a mortal and what went on in their lives... What things might affect them, might hurt them...

Maris stared at the outstretched hand, unsure, before Aries got impatient and pulled her up.

She stood, muttering, "Thanks you, Lord Aries, for helping me stand."

"Don't worry about it."

Meanwhile, the other women were staring at Mercury. They knew her from somewhere, but they couldn't exactly remember where...

Suddenly it came to them.

Lady Mercury!

Mercury, seeing their awed looks, grinned. "Yo." She greeted. "And how are you fine beauties doin' this morning?" Mercury went and took their hands into one of her own, giving both a kiss one at a time. She let out a dazzling smile. 

Though it was all for show. She wasn't interested in women, typically. Not that she never had a woman, just that she had her own preference. Hm, they had their own charms, though, had to admit. 

Still, Mercury liked waking up next to a hard, sexy man more than a warm, tender woman. Just the way she was.  

As for the two women, they were having a hard time believing this was happening. Not just Lord Aries, but even Lady Mercury was here with them... Was this a dream?

They turned towards the young girl next. Again, that face of her's reminded them of someone. Other than that feeling, they also had an overwhelming desire to reach out and pinch the girl's cheeks.  

Finally they paid attention to the other man in the room.

To have the power to do that to Dakrin, and so quickly, he must be strong. He didn't even flinch when attacked. 

But they could not for the life of them figure out who he was. They were certain they had never seen a man like him before. 

Was he the girl's older brother? That had the same eyes and hair... But they didn't jump to conclusions, they knew full well that powerful men and women didn't age like normal folk. It was very possible the man was much, much older than his appearance let on. 

Surely the two man and child must be related in some way, but it was just as likely that they were father and daughter.

 "Aries, this guy'll be passed out for awhile. Is the girl alright?" Roland didn't wait for the answer, just went and healed her.

Maris and the other two were shocked. 

Addressing Lord Aries like that, so intimately! 

What's more, Maris brought a hand to her cheek and realized that it was fully healed. 

...She had never had any sort of magic worked on her before. It felt...warm. Comfortable.

How wonderous...

"Daddy, the people outside..." Grace tugged on her father's sleeves and reminded him. To her they were of no consequence. She didn't know them and her mother was a death goddess, after all. But she knew her father cared, so she would too. 

"I know. Aries, come on, let's get this done then. We'll pay a visit to those two leaders of the army." 

"Very well then." Aries shrugged. "Maris, take my arm. We're leaving." 

Maris spluttered. "Y-your arm? L-Lord Aries, something like that, I...I daren't!" She blushed. Taking the arm of someone like him, she wasn't worthy!

"Did I ask?" Aries inquired. His eyes bore into her.

"...E-excuse me then, Lord Aries..." She had no other choice but to do so after being stared at by him like this.

As this interaction was going on, Roland gazed at Mercury. "So are you coming or are you going to be too busy seducing these poor ladies into your bed?" He asked mildly.

Mercury put on an innocent look. "Who, me? Seduce? Why, I would never!" She exclaimed, as if offended. A pause. "Okay, maybe I would. But them? Nah. They look pretty yummy, can't lie, but If i had a choice I'd rather seduce you."

Grace bristled at the words, instantly looking at the woman as if she were an enemy. In place of her mother, she had to proctect her daddy from women like this... These sort of loose, morally-lacking women of which her mother told her about, they were no-good! 

She shifted a bit, positioning her body more in front of her father so that she would be ready to ward off any suspcious actions the other woman might make.

"You seriously overestimate your abilities." He shook his head. 

"Eh. Agree to disagree, my handsome friend. I probably could. It would be something we would both enjoy, i'm sure. It'd get me killed by that woman of yours, though. Maybe worse." She peered at him, looking sad. "You just wouldn't understand my struggles, ah..." A sigh, " Really, having a delicious treat placed right in front of you, yet unable to take even a single bite, that's just too cruel...!" She lamented.

Roland wouldn't waste time on her anymore. "Whatever. If you're coming then make yourself useful and get us there. Let's go, Grace. Remember to stay next to me at all times." He put a hand on his daughter's back, who nodded obediantly.

Without another word, he and the rest disappeared in a flash. Literally. Mercury teleported them out.

They left a very stunned couple behind. Having heard the conversation between the mysterious young man and Lady Mercury, they could only wonder what sort of relationship they had... And how that child fit into all of it...

***

"Dakrin! Open up, lower your barriers! Do you care not for the lives of your soldiers? Do you want their blood on your hands? Make this easy on yourself!"

 A tall, muscled man with a thick beard and silvery armor shouted. His voice boomed, echoing throughout the battlefield like thunder as he stood at the top of a siege tower.

Another, more slim man was standing beside him. 

Both men was clad in fierce auras like fire. The space around them was hot, scorching. At their sides were broadswords of a very gaudy design, full of numerous patterns on their hilts and blade. 

There was an arrogance in their eyes, an unwavering belief in their own power.

"He won't give in. He doesn't care about them. Kill them all. We'll claim this land for Lady Brighid, though the honor is more than these dogs deserve."

The other man spoke slowly, not at all ruffled with what was happening around him.

Truthfully, neither of them wanted it to come to this. They sent a team inside the city hours ago to kidnap Dakrin's family so that they can be used as a bargaining chip. But they hadn't reported in.

Not long ago Dakrin, the only man, sent out his forces and attacked. Kallen could only assume the team they sent inside failed and that Dakrin became angered enough to lash out like this. It was odd, since he should be smarted than to strike and get his soldiers killed needlessly.

But they supposed it wasn't a wrong move. A siege like this one would weaken you the longer it went on. Trying to break it at the start was the best way to deal with it. But that was a hard thing to do, and most couldn't pull it off. 

Too many complications rose. Not to mention that a siege would have you surrounded on all side with enemies. There were few ways to get out of it, especially if you waited till you were rung dry.

They were strong, but that barrier was as well. They could not break through it in a short amount of time, it was the barrier which protected the city for many years and would not budge an inch even if they went all-out. 

However, eventually they would have to come out....If they didn't want to stave to death, that is.

" Fine. Let's end this then." Decher raised his voice once more. " Men, listen up--!"

Suddenly a bright flash of light stopped his words in their tracks.

It was blinding, making Decher and Kallen has to shield their eyes. They felt an overwhelming force press down on them like the eyes of a snake. 

Appearing to come into existence from out of the ether, five figures made themselves present. 

A tall, muscled man with fiery eyes, menacing to behold. He gave out a very frightful aura, his presence making the two men feel as if their knees would give out. In his arms was a pretty, but very scared and embarrassed-looking, woman.  

After her was another woman, an enchanting dark-haired one with a seemingly ever-present smirk. Humming a tune, she stretched her arms like she was tired and about to yawn, very careless.

A small girl, also dark-haired. With a pair of large, deep blue eyes, she was equisite to behold from any angle.

Then, finally, another man which held the same eyes as the previous girl. He looked around and his face got slightly darker with every second. Even the clouds above looked like they were gathering and snuffing out the light...

Neither man recognized the latter two, but the first two were obviously known to them."Lord Aries! Lady Mercury!" Kallen exclaimed. 

Both men were beyond surprised, dropping to their knees instantly in worship.

"My Lord and Lady, what brings your illustrious figures before us today, if I may ask?"

Kallen, the more eloquent speaker of the two, inquired humbly.

"Nohing much. Get up. I'm not the one who wanted to see you."

"Ditto." 

Aries and Mercury didn't care to speak to them. 

"Oh?" Kallen arched a brow. "Then who...?"

"That would be me." Roland, stepping forward, put on a smile. 

"Ah...My Lord, I'm sorry, forgive my ignorance, but....who are you?"

"No one important. Just a concerned citizen. "Roland smiled. "Call me Roland. Anyway, you see, I'm here because this bastard Aries caused a bit of trouble. The leader of that city you're attacking? Yeah, he got a bit out of sorts due to Aries' negligence. I already solved that, however, so you need not worry." He informed.

At the way the man refered to Lord Aries, both Kallem was put on edge. Who would speak like that to an individual like him and not get killed? This...he didn't know how to respond. 

But on second thought, maybe it was simply that Lord Aries didn't care at all. He was known to be quite different from his brethren.

"I...see." Though he didn't really. "That's good to hear, my Lord. But why are you here, exactly? Is there something you require of us?"

"Yeah....about that. It's just that I noticed this little spat you were having. I really dislike war, you see. Gets people riled up, makes people do some pretty bad things. Quite distasteful. So you're going to have to leave." 

"...What?" 

Kallen's voice got several degrees colder.

"I said leave. Leave and don't come back."

Kallen and Decher's faces went hard. " My Lord, this holy conquest is something that Lady Brighid herself wished to be done! In her name, we will convert these poor lost souls and allow them to bask in the warm embrace of Lady Brighid, living for her sake. I simply cannot do as you say!"

"Bullshit." Roland said flatly. "Brighid doesn't give a single flying fuck about anyone but herself and most certainly wouldn't care to meddle with mortals' affairs if she could help it."

" My Lord, I assure you that Lady Brighid herself had told our king of her wishes on the matter. "

"Doubtful. Look, even if she did, I don't care. I currently see something I dislike, so I'll put an end to it. Whatever petty reason you have for invading people's lands doesn't matter to me. Nearly anything your kingdom needs could be recieved if you only asked and worked something out with your neighboring nations.

It can be done, don't tell me it can't. I have no idea whether you really believe this is what Brighid wants or if you're just using that as an excuse to justify your greed. Whatever the case, I don't like what i'm currently looking at. 

So leave now. Or I'll make you. What'll it be? Because coming here and doing all this is rather annoying. I'll give you ten seconds to give the order to step away and go. Otherwise I'll force you out. And you wouldn't like my methods."

With every word, Kallen and Decher's faces got more and more twisted. 

...Such arrogance! 

"Lord Aries, Lady Mercury...what are you thoughts on this?"

Kallen asked. If they got involved, they would have to leave. They couldn't fight two gods. It was an impossibility. But If they didn't care to help this man before them...

The man couldn't be all too weak, to be here with them. But neither Decher nor Kallen felt anything extraordinay about him at first glance. They didn't recognize him at all. He can't be a great figure by any means. 

Aries shrugged. "I don't really care too much. I would just let you run wild, but this guy may not like that so I thought I should let him know. Do what you want, I won't get involved."

"As for myself, why should I care either? Eh, I'm just here for the show."

Kallen and Decher smiled. 

"So what you mean to say, my Lords, is that whatever happens, you two won't intervene?"

"Pretty much." Aries knew where this was going. Really, mortals were quite foolish. They didn't question much, running head-first into situations they knew nothing about. 

" Five seconds." Roland reminded helpfully. 

"Good sir, may I offer a third option?" Kallen asked.

"Four."

"If you can beat us, we'll happily leave." Only someone with the required power could make such ludacris demands. Did this man have that sort of strength? They didn't know, they had to find out for themselves.

Otherwise they would never accept this....

"Three."

"Agreed?"

"Two." 

"I'll just take that as a yes."

Kallen and Decher were Immortals who had both formed a Universal Core within themselves, both of them also having condensed an Elemental Orb. They were the most powerful of their kingdom, among the most powerful in the continent. 

And right now, they lashed out with everything they had. As they unleashed their full power, the tower they stood on broke apart at it's seams. Everyone was forced to either hover in the air or fall. Luckily Maris had Aries to hold onto for dear life.

Decher's body radiated an intensly cold energy, making the air around him cold. Everyone below stopped fighting in response to the sudden chill, some even being brought to their knees as the cold invaded their bodies.

He conjured a thousand, a hundred thousand, icicles. They had a deadly point, each aimed at Roland.

When he released his power, it was accompanied with a feeling of dread. To those below, it looked like they were seeing their deaths in the man's eyes.  

Ice got harder the colder they were, and these icicles were nearly at absolute zero. How could they break easily? Decher, having specialized in ice-type attackes for many years, was confident. 

Kallen also mobilized. 

The ground shook, breaking apart as thick roots were summoned almost from thin air. They were large, unbelievably so, and grew larger even still.

As each inch of wood was covered in a deep green aura, you could feel the primal force of the earth from within. Harder than steel, monstrous, rising up and hanging over all those present.  

It had all the beauty and savagery one would expect from nature. There was a reason they were the ones to lead this army. They could strategize with some competence, but more importantly, they could turn the tide of any battle with the sheer levels of power they commanded.

"Huh, those two are a bit capable, it looks like." Aries commented.

"Just a bit." Mercury agreed.

"In what way?" Grace asked in confusion. To her, something like this was very simple, wasn't it? She thought that she should be able to do the same if she tried....

Despite not using her power often other than with magical beast for fear of hurting others, she was still very talented.  At least her mother had always said so.

"..."

Maris nearly peed herself as she stared up at the enormous, wicked-looking tree. She was wide-eyed and shaking, wanting to run and hide. Though she knew this was, conversely, the best place to stay safe. By herself, she would die. This she could feel to the very marrow of her bones.

She wisely stayed put. 

Kallen and Decher didn't pay them any attention.

As one, they brought their hands down. 

The icicles were fast, each one ripping through the air.

The great roots writhed eerily, shooting out with a surprising pace towards their target.

Kallen and Decher, their blood boiled in that moment. They were high off their own power.  

The attacks came and bore down upon Roland. Each man at the scene was either shivering in the face of the cold or breathing hard as they were affected by the savage energies of the roots which had sprung forth.

The two men looked invincible just then, unreachable, every pore exuded the sort of power that you would imagine possible only in stories.

In comparison to the two, Roland's motionless stature looked meager. 

"One." A calm voice, not at all concerned. "You should've just listened to me. Oh well. I'll end it quickly, no need to drag this on.."

Roland spoke one word. 

"Break."

And the icicles broke, a force greater than their own making them explode and shatter into millions of tiny crystals.

He spoke again.

"Wilt."

And the roots that came towards him shrivled up, unwilling to touch him. The green energy that moved them flickered out like a candle. The mighty tree from before went lifeless, grey.

As this happened, a silent scream could be heard by Kallen and Decher, who were stunned.

Their attacks, just now, had been forcibly disspelled! Some great power met their own, overwhelmed it, and squashed them down! 

Their minds hurt, a pain like they had never experienced making them hiss. This was backlash, a consequence of their weakness....

"Really, how obnoxious. Do you even understand the sort of forces you tried to command? Just doing as you pleased, this world must hate you both for it. Come, let me show you what real power looks like...."

After saying so, Roland smiled lightly.

He raised a finger.

Instantly a chill could be felt, much stronger than the one from before. The wind swirled above him, lashing out wildly. A crackling sound could be heard, like thunder.

Slwoly, everything within a mile became freezing freezing. It was like they were suddenly transported to a world of that was very nearly devoid of warmth. 

Tiny particles of ice built along the clothes of the people present, making them frightful. The walls, too, were no exception.

The grass as well became hard as all the moisture within became frozen, stone-like.

This sort of change was incomparable to the one Decher had caused. His power made things colder, but that was all. Those icicles were hard, nothing more.

But right now?

Roland was making the world itself change. 

And these cold energies, they gathered around Roland with surprising swiftness but he didn't look ruffled at all.

Soon a small, intricate snowflake took form a few inches above his finger. It was beautiful, clear, dazzling to the eyes. The more you looked, the more entranced you became. It gave off a mysterious feeling, somehow almost regal.

The snowflake, seemingly fragile, emitted all the majesty and radiance of nature itself. One aspect of nature, but given physical form.

"You can dodge this, if you can, I won't mind. But you should pay attention. Your attack from before, this is how to you should have done it."

With that, he poked the snowflake ever-so-gently.

It shot out like a bullet. 

Sensing danger, Decher hastily moved. It wasn't nearly fast enough.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

As the snowflake landed upon his shoulder, he felt a harsh coldness spread throughout his body.

It was cold....no, it was more than that. It was ice-water being poured into his veins, it was standing in the midst of a blizzard naked and slowly experiencing the touch of death as all warmth drained away. 

He could already feel it, his arm becoming useless. Knowing that it would be turning a dark, nasty blue-black. Pain. It hurt. Like millions of insects tearing into his arm. Unbearable. Mins-numbing. 

Nearly everyone was stunned.

There, behind Decher's body, stretching for who knew how many miles, was a giant wall of ice....

It seperated the land in two. 

"The Laws of Nature in this world won't bend backwards for you. You tried to forcibly make it's power your own, and so you couldn't unleash even a tenth of it's true strength. 

And the way you shape it...really unimaginative. You're just limiting it further. Don't you know, ice wants spread? Like fire wants to consume, so does ice. All the elements do, this is why they counter one another, because there has to be a balance. Condensing ice into one point, then releasing everything all at once, like an explosion,  that's what you should have done. This would have been in tune with what it wants, what it needs. You not doing so, not letting it, made your ice weak. "

He told this to a few of his students once not too long ago. A few sentences, nothing more. They, too, used ice-type attacks and battle techniques. Those casual words, they gained quite a bit of insight from them. He still wasn't satisfied with that, though. Words can only do so much.

Decher, as he struggled to move his power throughout his body in an effort to restore feeling in his arm, had his mouth agap when he saw what was behind him.

That could have been him, frozen, killed in an instant with no ability to fight back....

It was then that Grace felt her heart race, skipping a beat. Her breath halted, the air turning thick.

And then everything just...stopped....

Every sound, every object in the vicinity, halted.

The sky opened up, every cloud mysteriously gone from sight. Only an endless, all-encompassing blue remained...

"Such a dreadful energy...what is this?" Mercury marveled.

To her mind it was like something was invading her body and holding her in place. Or tried to. A weight like she had never felt before came crashing into her. 

And the smell, his smell, was everywhere. She felt like she was being watched, like his eyes were looking at her from every direction and could see right through to her core. 

It was extremely uncomfortable, made her feel small and insignificant. She, who had lived for countless years, seen and experienced things that normal folk could never even conceive of, possesed power which made many envious, felt helpless.

In this moment, for just an instant, she wanted to flee from this place. To be somewhere, anywhere, but here. She, right now, was....scared? 

How odd... What was this?  

"Grace, take note of what's happening." Aries said at the young girl. "This is the reason not many who know him would ever wanna get on your dad's bad side. The power he holds, this is still a mere fraction of it. That move from before was him manipulating the one of the Laws of the world. 

But this right here, this feeling of suffocation, is just the force of his will.  And it's making both me and Mercury quicken our breaths. Gods of our level, very few things in the Mortal Plane can do this to us. If he were to fully release his power, do you believe that to most people, even many within the Higher Planes, his word will essentially become law?"

This was no exaggeration. 

Aries knew that when he, that guy, imposed his will, it took a form that was impossible for lower beings to resist. He "ruled" any space he was currently at.

And if you had not the strength to fight back, you could only "obey" him. Because his power, it would make you know. Know that no matter what you did, no matter how much your struggled, it was all useless. 

Would make you believe without a shadow of a doubt; I can't win. 

It was more terrifying than anything, understanding that you were no more than a bug in the face of something you had no hope of opposing. It hit you deep, down to your very being, was an utterly dreadful feeling that haunted you for life.

You'd never be able to escape it, no amount of time would ease this dark feeling that would spring forth in response. 

Before he even made a move, you would have already lost the will to fight. 

People strong enough to fight this feeling of helplessness, even still, would understand they shouldn't underestimate the man before them. Back then, when Aries and Mephisto fought him with all they had, an entire realm was destroyed.

At their base power levels, he was probably stronger. When Aries and Mephisto didn't hold back, however, the three were pretty much equal.  Yet just with Aries and Mephisto, they would not be able to destroy a realm. Not even if they fought Zeus himself, or Apophis, or probaby anyone else they could think of.

A realm was such a thing, a space that was firm, part of the universe as a whole. A black hole could suck in everything within a realm, but not the realm itself.

Similar to a hole in glass. The liquid inside would be gone, but the glass itself would remain, the space inside the glass would also remain.

Why was it that the realm was now gone, then? It's because Roland's power, at that time, ripped the space of that realm down to it's roots. It warped it in and out, became almost corporeal, and the space was then torn asunder as the energies of the three reached their peak.

It destroyed everything. It made it so that it appear to never had existed in the first place, just an empty area with no...creation...inside. A clean slate, a piece of blank paper. 

Had it not been for the effect Roland's power had, the realm would still exist. And that incident is what really made Zeus and all them wary of Roland. They became scared. 

He didn't cause it only by himself, but to warp a realm until it's very foundations were brittle enough to just break down...that was terrifying. It was a type of power that was unlike any they had seen, maybe it was even unique to him.

A person who was previously unknown suddenly showing up with that kind of firepower, that wasn't normal by any means. Someone who could be a King of his own Pantheon, no one wanted to mess with that sort of person if they could help it.

"You know, I've heard some rumours, but to think it was like this... Exactly what is this guy made of?" 

Mercury then glanced down at the girl, who was starry-eyed as she looked at her father.

Mercry understood by Aries' words just how strong Roland was. A King indeed.... So this was why he was treated the way he was by their peers. Honestly, she had never believed much of those rumours. Not until she felt his power herself.

And this was still a small part? The thought really was depressing. Fuck, who else but Loki and his little gang of misfits would be able to befriend a guy like that?

As she looked at the girl, Mercury wondered what sort of little monster would she, Grace, grow up into then. Even if she wasn't as powerful as her father, she would still be able to shake the Higher Planes considerably. A child of the Morrigan and a person like this, it would be odd if she wasn't a force to be reckoned with.

....And Fenris was besties with her! Well done, daughter!

Mercury thought this, giving her daughter a thumbs up in her mind.

Hell, maybe Mercury should have a kid with him, too! She'd be able to do whatever she wanted then! With Fenris and little...Hm, Ema? Maybe ....by her side, she'd totally be able to be as overbearing as she wanted! 

Mercury was already thinking about all the things she'd be able to do to mess with people. This fantasy was likely impossible, but she didn't bother considering such things.

Meanwhile, Kallen and Decher, along with the soldiers present, were still frozen in awe at the display of might.

"You two are a little decent, but you shouldn't overestimate your abilities when only at this level. I trust you don't need another show of the gap between us. Leave." A command.

Aries cut in. "Yeah, I suggest you listen to the man. This guy, you don't want to get on his bad side. Trust me. He'd beat you within an inch of your life, heal you, then do it again and again until you beg for death. Which he wouldn't be kind enough to give. It's one of his favorite ways to pass the time, that. Does it all the time. A sadistic fuck if ever there was one. "

"Sorry, do you want to die?"

A short laugh. "See what I mean?"

"I will cut you. Don't think I won't."

"You're really messed up, then." Aries drawled. "Is this one of your sick fetishes? Cutting people? I wonder how many women you've done that to. A bit of pain and pleasure, is it?"

"Oh!" Mercury's eye brightened. "That sounds like fun. I wanna try!" Her inner masochist erupted forth!

"Daddy, you can't cheat on mommy..."

Grace's deep, soulful eyes locked onto Roland's face.

"The conversation's getting derailed, stop." Try to be serious for even a moment and these two idiots(Aries and Mercury) would ruin it. Good to know.

"...God..."

Right at that moment Kallen and Decher both let out amazed voices.

"He has to be a god, with power like that, how can he not be!"

"That last attack, it was so overwhelming... We made a mistake. We can't beat him. We should leave..."

As for the soldiers.

"A real god, here...."

"I never thought I'd see something like this in my lifetime, such strength! It's on a totally different level from even those two! Look at that wall, stunning!"

"S-should we kneel?"

" Fool, if you have time to ask, hurry and do it! Why aren't you already on your knees!"

As one, every person fighting laid down their weapons and kneeled down, reverence written all over their faces Some were injured, few dead, but regardless, they all dropped and kneeled in their direction.

Roland paused, thinking, Did they see Aries or Mercury? 

But no. 

He saw Mercury quickly look away, while Aries hid part of his face behind Maris--who was of a mind to follow the others' actions, and would have if she was not currently unable to.

...Being recognized by so many people all at once would be annoying, the two gods silently agreed...

"Daddy, I think that they mean you." Grace, always happy to help, spoke up.

Roland momentarily turned away from the two men and instead had his sights set on the people below.

"What? Shit." Roland muttered.   

"Oh-ho? The Church of Roland is gonna make a comeback, me thinks!" Aries chuckled. "Wonder how many women you'll have to take in this time!"

"Daddy, what's he talking about? Church?" Grace inquired innocently. Then, "Wait, what does he mean, take in women?"

"..."

A headache. He was having a headache. A large one. 

Him. A god. No, that wasn't...

...It was his fault. He showed off too much. He should've just pounded the two into the ground and have been done with it. 

What's more, Grace was asking about something that would be a bit complicated to explain....

***

"I'm going to be leaving a Ward on the city walls. If you come back, it'll summon something that you won't want to mess with."

This is what Roland notified the two leaders after everything was settled.

"....It won't really end here, you know." Aries said as they watched the army leaving. He, like the rest, hovered in the air, but he had to hold up Maris. No, well, he could have made her flot by herself. 

It's simply that she may be terrified if he did. And an opportunity to embrace a pretty woman wasn't something he ever gave up if he could help it.

"Yeah, I do." Roland replied. 

"You could stop everything if you just took over the kingdom they came from. Or actually, you could stop all the wars here if if you just took over the planet."

"If I wanted to get in trouble with the other Pantheons, yeah." Roland said dryly. "Loki said this was like a vacation spot for them, right? It's not really worth it. But anyway, I don't even have the time for that. Nor the motivation."

Not to say he didn't have ways or forcing people to behave. It's merely that... Well, in the end, he was preoccupied right now with other things. Had it only been himself, he may have done something.

But with the kids he was watching over, and Morrigan and Grace here with him, he couldn't just go out and waste time on something that was happening far away and had nothing to do with him. 

Perhaps after he went to go see Sol, but before that? No.  

"So this was all handled quickly." Mercury, to Roland's left, said with a bored look on her face.

" What were you hoping for, exactly?"

"Hoping for, you say? Well I was hoping that after a lightshow full of cool explosions, and a dashing display of might,  you'd send those insects to Hell. Then you and me would have a little battle of the sexes in front of their rotting corpses, since i'm kinky like that.  Maybe have a little 69 action. 

But that particular fantasy'll never play out, I understand, so I was actually thinking that at least I would get some entertainment. Alas, it was ended rather fast. Wasn't able to enjoy it. All that build-up, wasted. A bit anti-climactic, to be honest."

Roland had covered Grace's ear near the beginning of the third sentence, suddenly having a bad feeling her words were going to become decidedly less PG-13. He was right, unfortunately.

Maris, the woman Aries brought along, coughed and blushed fiercly, dumbstruck. Which was perfectly understandable.

"Fuck, woman, do you ever have anything other than sex on the brain?" Aries rolled his eyes.

"Hm....I don't know. Probably not." She seriously considered for a second before replying in such a way. "Oh. But don't worry, my pretty, I'm more interested in this guy right now. Though I can't do shit about it without gettin' offed later if that wife of his ever finds out. Hm, and I actually kinda wanna give him to that daughter of mine, let her grow up into the promiscuous woman I know she can be. Because of that, I'm truly at a loss as to what to do about my own current cravings...."

A sigh.

"I thought so before, but you're.... quite a unique character, Mercury." Roland stated, disturbed by her words. 

"Thanks, hon."

"...No, that wasn't a compliment..."

He'd ignore the latter half of the woman's musings. Her seeming to think of him as a new toy to be passed around was fairly insulting, but if he let it get to him, he'd lose. 

When dealing with a woman such as this, that would be fatal. 

"Anyway, we're done. Let's go. The Delphi looks to have already gotten a bit ahead of us."

***

"....I think we should be getting back. Mother and father won't like us staying away very long. Mother, especially, is a worrywort..."

Lilith told this to Reina and Charlotte, mainly just not wanting to stay here in the company of people like Fenris and Morrigan much longer.

Somehow, they made her uneasy. Morrigan most of all. It was very odd to her, sitting with goddesses like this.

It gave a sense of... surrealism, if she had to say. Maybe that wasn't the right word.

They didn't look at all to be the sort of goddesses Lilith always picture. Probably because she always pictured them bathed in light and accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of awe.

Well, the last one was there, but overall Lilith felt this was wrong somehow. She never expected to actually meet such strong, famous individuals. They were both, as far as she knew, very high-ranking within their own pantheons.

Or at least some of the more recognizable.

They did give off very regal auras, it had to be said. In Morrigan's case, there was also a dread that gave Lilith chills. As for Fenris, she was more primal. Like, wild. 

It was very stifling to her, and likely Reina as well.

Speaking of, her sister had appeared out of sorts for some time now. Her actions a while ago indicated this. Her eyes which has faint bags under them, her pale face a sign of lacking sleep, the way she avoided looking at Morrigan--though this one was understandable, it was a bit weird in how she did it, like embarrassed--and other things Lilith noticed.

Lilith was fairly concerned for her.

As soon as Lilith was done talking, she rose. 

....And so did Morrigan.

"I'll escort you."

"Ah... Lady Morrigan, such a thing isn't needed." Lilith kept her tone even.

"Did I ask whether it was needed or not, girl?" Morrigan asked back, staring indifferently at her.

"Well, no..."

"I thought so. Don't mind me, however, it's simply that my husband would be troubled if someone accosted you three on your way back. I trust that he already placed some protection spells around you in case of such an event, but taking you back myself would be best to make sure you lot are safe and sound."

"I think I can handle any troubles we may face, so bothering to do this would merely be a waste of your time. My Lady." She added that last part. In all honesty, she didn't know exacly what the proper etiquette was when facing a person like Morrigan and Fenris.

The corner of the other woman's face raised slightly as she heard Lilith's words. 

"Most of the people here would be able to snap you and your sisters in half like you were twigs. Your father was watching you, I felt his presence not long ago before you arrived. But again, me going personally would ensure you're all in one piece no matter who may choose to confront you."

Both girls blinked. Their father followed them? What? 

"Though I personally don't care if you all do run into trouble, my husband would. As I said, you're likely already under protection by him, and you have your father to look after you--since i'm sure he's skulking about somewhere nearby--but I feel obligated to take you back myself regardless.

And I have nothing else to do at the moment anyway. May as well score some--what are they called? Brownie points?--with that husband by making sure his young wards are completely taken care of."

"..."

"..."

Lilith and Reina both were unable to say no.  The woman said she would go, so how could either of them say she can't?

"Hm. Guess I'll tag along too then. Nothin' for me to do here by myself, really, now that Grace is gone. Come on, Char, I'll show you how to do that trick again on our way to your place."

Fenris stood energetically, pulling on the young girl's frail hand. 

Charlotte, that girl, was the personification of languidness. She was slow, and did things at her own pace. Fenris was the exact opposite. So Charlotte felt a touch of tiredness every time the older woman moved.

Really, it would be better to just lay down and rest. Why did they have to leave? Grace wasn't back, weren't they going to play more?

....And walking was really just exhausting....

After some time, the small band of five left the building.

***

Naturally the group of theirs had attracted quite a bit of attention by men and women alike. As they walked, with the three younger ones in front and the two goddesses a few steps behind, people stopped and stared for a moment. Fenris had only just now fallen in beside the death goddess, choosing to engage in some light conversation.

While they did so a few enterprising individuals started walking towards them with some obvious intentions.  But they were stopped immediately and all but frozen in place with a mere look from Morrigan. Understandable, really, since the woman wasn't exactly the "easily approachable" type. 

"Filthy creatures." She spoke with a quiet disdain.

"Weren't you similar to them once upon a time, Morrigan? You and your Pantheon were mortal before becoming gods. Why such despise?"

Fenris was younger than Morrigan and her ilk, but she knew this much about them. Even if not how they became so strong despite their limitations of being born pure mortals.

" You misunderstand. I don't despise mortals. Not as much anymore, anyway." Her husband was mortal, after all. Even if he was light-years from being normal by any definition of the word. "I merely dislike dealing with them. Especially those like these lot who think they can simply walk up to me and start wasting their breathes on what they believe to be wooing. It's tiresome."

Despite her words, Fenris felt they were wrong. To an extent, if nothing more. Morrigan, she felt, disliked mortals more than she let on. Maybe it was an inherent arrogance of some sort. Although that, too, was understandable.

Fenris, for example, didn't hate mortals. But even she didn't exactly want to go through the effort of striking up a conversation with one. Not many mortals interested her enough for that.

"Wooing, huh. Hm. Even if you did allow them to speak, I doubt any amount of wooing would work on you at all." A sudden thought came to her. " Come to think of it, while we're on the topic of wooing...That husband of yours, how did that come about anyway?"

Never before had Fenris really thought about it. Exactly how did such an unusual pairing come to be? Because as she said, she doubted any amount of wooing would do anything to make Morrigan warm up to a person. 

Morrigan never showed even the faintest interest in any man or woman as far as Fenris knew.

The story of this particular courtship was one that Fenris was quite eager to hear about. It was a curiosity that grew and grew until, finally, she really couldn't help but ask when given such a perfect opportunity. 

"How?" Morrigan repeated. Her eyes narrowed. "Why do you care?"

"It's interesting." An exceedingly simple response was provided.

" I see. Sadly I'll have to disappoint you."

"What, is it some big secret?"

"Yes." A surprising reply came from the woman's lips. "The history between me and my husband, the memories we built together, times we shared, are ours alone." A firm assertion.

She closed the book on the conversation.

Fenris had the strangest feeling of being left out. It was an odd feeling, too. She'd lost count of the years she'd known Morrigan. Yet what with Morrigan being so unlike her usual self these days, it gave Fenris the feeling that she barely knew the woman at all.

If Morrigan was truly her usual self, talking about things like her past would not affect her in the slightest. To her, things such as those were unimportant, perhaps even meaningless. 

Most gods, Fenris supposed, were like that too. Times were fleeting, only they were eternal. As such, just talking about their past experiences, what would they care about it? They weren't exactly open people, just that speaking about memories were of such little consequence to them that they didn't usually feel at all concerned with sharing them. 

It was something they were not likely to avoid if it was brought up, but otherwise they would just not bother to think about it. This is just how things were.

But obviously these particular memories were ones that the woman held dear. Else why would she not wish to speak of them? Something precious must be kept close to the heart, was that not so? 

Fenris didn't push the matter.  

Instead, she asked, "And how's that working out? Roland, I mean. This whole...marriage thing....it was pretty sudden. You know we've heard about his circumstances, right? So he must not have known about you or Grace, or this husband and wife thing between you two. Think he's gotten used to it?" 

" No, he hasn't. And as for the first question? Horribly." A reply even more shocking than the last. 

"What? But...how? Seeing the way you two talk so intimately to each other, I thought..." And by the way you two smell so strongly of each other....Fenris wisely didn't mention this thought aloud.

"Oh, yes. He talks to me intimately, indeed. He calls things like love, or honey, or dearest...but they're just words. He doesn't mean them."  She talked about it like it was nothing, yet Fenris could see that the woman was unhappy.  

It was in the slight tightening of her eyes. Subtle, but there.

"What do you mean by that, doesn't mean them?"

"Exactly what I said.  That husband of mine, for all that he tries to hide it, he doesn't care much about me. Or rather, he does, but only because of who I am to Grace. I think it hurts him that I'm here, actually. So him saying those kinds of things, it's annoying. I like them, but hate it too. Hard to explain, really. Although I suppose it doesn't really matter in the end."

"Why? Seems pretty important to me." 

"Well it's simple, isn't it? Even if he doesn't care much about me, as long as he's still with me, nothing else should matter at all. I hate that he isn't like how I remember, that he doesn't look at me the same way he used to, as if I was supremely special to him, but as long as he and Grace are by my side then I'll be happy. And as long as I have one, I'll have the other. That husband of mine, he really is a sentimental person. He won't abandon his daughter, or her mother, so...." 

She caught Fenris staring at her. "...What?"

"No, nothing." The girl frowned. " But the more I hear about it, the more I can't help but wonder if something's wrong?" 

"...Wrong?" She mused. "Of course something's "wrong". Do you think anything about this could be right?" 

Fenris instantly knew she chose the wrong words, because Morrigan's smile became sharper than she'd seen it in quite some time. 

Fenris went cold, knowing that something bad was working it's way up. She stopped her words, coughing lightly. "Morrigan...Let's just calm down. I was just kind of surprised, that's all. I mean you keep saying you love him, but like, from what I've seen it looks a bit different? "

"Different, is it? In what way is it different, then?" 

 The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. "I don't know. You say you love him, and that you don't really mind him not returning it as long as he and your daughter are with you...but from they way you put it, it just feels as if you're using his own love for Grace to manipulate him into--" She froze. And it was only at this time that she realized what she was about to say. 

"Into what?"  The other woman asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously. " To guilt him into staying with me, or something to that effect? Is that what you were going to say?"

"What? No! I never said--I didn't mean--" Although Fenris tried to explain, tried to take back her careless words, it was already too late.

"Shut up." The woman snapped, cutting her off.  " What would you understand anyway? A person like yourself, who's never loved nor been loved, shouldn't presume to even speak about the word with anyone. " 

Fenris's eyes darkened. "Okay. Look, I understand why you're upset... but even so you're going a bit far." 

" Far? Please. It isn't as if what I say is wrong, it's merely the truth, is it not? Fenris, tell me, given that your own family wants you dead, that you don't even understand what it means to have a proper one, do you really think you have the room to speak about mine in any way?" 

"...Morrigan, that's enough."

"I should think it is." She smiled. "Fenris, as because you know neither the warmth of family nor what it means to love and have the love of another, I would suggest that you stop making baseless accusations towards someone like me who had both yet had to give one up. Because it really is quite rude. You should think about the feelings of others before you speak instead of spewing nonsense like that which stems purely from a place of envy."***

Fenris didn't know at all how to respond. Each word out of the woman's mouth was sharp and vicious, completely without mercy, and Fenris understood well that they were meant to be.

"...You know, Morrigan... you really are an unreasonably vindictive person." 

Saying nothing more, she sped up her steps to catch up with the others. 

Leaving Morrigan by herself. 

***

"...Do it again, I didn't see too well. This time for sure I'll do it right..."

Charlotte, her face showing rarely-seen concentration, urged Fenris to perform the trick once more.

They walked for quite some time, and as promised, Fenris began to teach the girl the "trick".

It was an exceedingly easy trick. One that was had stood the test of time. Something that required not a drop of magic at all: Passing a coin through your hand.

"Alright, watch closely."

Fenris proceeeded to once more "find the soft spot" of her hand. Acting, nothing more.

She tapped the coin on the "soft spot" a few times, then, miracluously, it passed through her hand and was caught by a mysterous force before it hit the ground.

The young girl's eyes lit up, as they always did upon seeing it, and again examined the coin. 

No magic was used during the trick, only after to catch it. This she knew. But as for how it passed through in the first place...she was stumped.

"What sorcery is this..." She wondered aloud for the tenth time. "Gimme. I can do it this time. Probably..."

Fenris laughed, enjoying seeing the girl try so hard. She almost felt bad. 

There was a perfectly good explanation for the trick. See, there was not one coin, but two!

With just a little sleight of hand performing the trick was simple. Just hold the coin in in the crease of your thumb and forefinger, angle it to hide it from view, and make the audience's eyes follow the other coin. 

The part of finding the soft spot was to accomplish this, that way they'd stay focused on the visible coin and never notice the other one. 

Then all you had to do was position your fingers around the visible coin so that it built a sort of wall, and as you tapped the coin on your hand the third time, just to push the visible coin up the hand you're holding it in and drop the unseen coin at the same time. One coin going up and behind the "wall", while the other fell down.

Of course, she didn't tell this to the young girl at all. Hence the reason she felt a bit guilty. But watching her try so hard to re-enact the trick, well, it was just too adorable. 

Fenris always loved kids. Even if she disliked most adults, she had a special sort of affection for children. 

Which is why she got along with Grace so well. That girl, she was too cute, Fenris had to resist the urge to just pinch her cheeks every time she saw her.

It was one of the most gruelling of challenges, but she persisted. However Charotte was, right now, testing her endurance. Grace and Char, was it not a sin to be so damn...pinchable? This wasn't fair. At all.

Fenris took a deep breath. 

It was too hard, ah...

Her eyes drifted to the two other girls by her side, who looked at the whole thing with peculiar faces.

"What?"

Lilith coughed, a little embarrassed. "No, it's nothing, Lady Fenris, it's just... You get along so well with kids. It's a little surprising." 

"Is it? I don't know. Kids are great. Small ones, like Char, they're so innocent, you know? Not like adults. Adults lie to you, and can be very mean. But children aren't like that. Not without outside influences. "

Children are more pure than adults.

They only become less so when exposed to those "outside influences". Which came from adults. 

Fenris herself had a certain animosity towards adults in general. Never had she really met an adult that she truly admired. Most were either scared of her or hated her.

When growing up Fenris didn't recieve much care from her own family: Quite the opposite. Therefore, in her mind, "adults" were always figures to be a bit wary around. 

Because she'd never met a child she didn't like. But she'd met many adults she didn't like. The former happened because wasn't around many children when growing up, children were just not too common where she lived.

As she herself became an adult, though, she'd traveled many places and met many children. Most all of them, at least the very young ones like Charlotte and Grace, were great. 

They had no real prejudice for her, no fear, because they didn't know her and couldn't sense anything wrong with her.

But the adults, almost always, knew her or what she was on some level or another. Which brought fear. Reverence, at times, but mostly fear. She was like a ticking time bomb to their eyes. 

Then there was her own family, like her uncle Thor, who made it a point to treat her with utmost disdain at every chance they got. This is where that "hate" part came into play. 

Fenris remembered the time when her uncle had backhanded her across the face when he saw her in the royal gardens of Asgard's Palace. 

She was digging around, hungry, wanting to eat the large root that came from a certain plant that grew there. It took no less than two hundred years for the plant to mature, and it's root was a much-desired delicacy that made many mouths water.

Fenris didn't know any of that, though, she only smelled something tasty and went looking for it. 

Unfortunately her uncle was also searching for it, but the gardens of Asgard's Palace were so vast they were like a small world all on it's own.

So he spotted Fenris, hot on the trail of the root, and he'd followed her out of curiosity or whatever it was that made him do it. Then once he saw that she dug up the root, he'd stepped in and took it. 

When she tried to take it back, he'd struck her, hard, and she landed on the ground. When she got back up he struck her once more and that was the end of it. Before she lost consciousness she heard him laughing, mocking her.

She woke up sore, face stinging and her arm dislocated from her shoulder, full of frustration and anger. At that time she was too young to be able to use the power that made her as strong as she was today. 

She had never been weak, but how could she take two strikes from one of most powerful of Asgardians, Thor himself, at an age when she'd only just stopped wetting her bed?

It was such a petty reason for him to act, too. Something that was just so...so childish and stupid. He did it to be cruel, nothing more. He, an adult, a person much older and stronger than she had been, beat her. Her own uncle. Her family. 

And this whole event wasn't even the end of it, not at all. She was picked on many other times too, and by the people who should've been the ones taking care of her. 

Her father, Loki, wasn't around much at all during this. Another reason she'd disliked her father. Had he been around more, had he really cared, he'd have been there. 

She didn't understand why he wasn't there, either, but eventually she stopped wondering. Stopped caring. 

It continued like this until Fenris was able to leave that place, where she was old enough--strong enough--to do what she wanted and none of them could do anything to hurt her anymore. 

And then after that, for a time, she lived among a pack of wolves from a certain realm within the Higher Planes that she eventually came to lead.  

They'd treated her much better than most of her family ever had, honestly. Although she never was able to really feel part of them, either. How could she? 

Morrigan's earlier words had touched a raw nerve in Fenris. Brought up memories she'd rather not remember. 

A few of her kin probably did want her dead. How could she say otherwise? Even if she did, it wouldn't be true. 

She knew not all adults were bad people, though. Just that she didn't like most of them. Mortal or otherwise. 

Lilith shook her head in wonder, smiling. "Judging from how you got Char to like you so quickly, I'd could see you as a great mother..."

Her eyes then widened, realizing what she just said and mentally kicking herself for it. 

She became extremely awkward as she apologised. "Lady Fenris, I'm sorry, I...I  spoke too much." Dammit, saying something like that to a person like Lady Fenris, stupid! Lilith didn't have any idea how the woman would react. 

Fenris grinned. " No need, my good woman, no offense taken."

But the grin slowly disappeared as she thought, Really, though, would someone like me even know how to properly take care of a child? I always believed I could, and yet.... 

Fenris did want a good mate, and a lot of kids.  However... Although she made the determination long ago to raise any future children better than she herself had been raised, when you got down to it, could she say that she had the qualifications to take care of another living being?

Especially a baby?

One of her fears was that if she ever found a person to love her, and they ever had children of their own, she'd be a complete mess as a mother. 

That she'd make her own children as miserable as she had been. Fenris got along well with kids, but what of her own? Could she get along well with them? 

Morrigan was right, wasn't she? Fenris knew nothing about love or family. Or rather, what she did know was a warped version of what it should be. 

...No, she'd probably be a terrible mother...

The thought saddened her.

But she shook it off quickly. It wasn't like her to focus on negative things like that. Her own insecurities were best left in a dark corner of her mind that could never see the light of day. 

That's how she dealt with most of the things she didn't want to dwell on, and that wouldn't change anytime soon. 

Sensing a change in the goddess' mood, Lilith and Reina wisely stayed quiet.

" So this is where you all got off to." A voice suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. "I was wondering what happened when I didn't find you back at the hotel." 

Roland.

"These three were about to head home, so Fenris and I decided to accompany them." Morrigan explained shortly. 

"Oh? Good idea. Though it wasn't needed, I did place some protective charms on them." 

"So he really did..." Lilith murmured. But when? Not that she wasn't grateful, but having some kind of spell worked on her without her knowledge...it just wasn't a good feeling.

And why didn't she notice? Although she didn't really practice magic, shouldn't she have felt...something? She wasn't magically inept, she did usually know when some spell was being worked...

As if reading her mind, Roland replied, " Do you really think you could sense a spell made by me?" The way he said it was like he was asking if she was touched in the head. At least that's how its ounded like to her.

And she had to admit, she didn't think she could.

"Where's Grace?" Fenris and Charlotte asked in sync.

" Not here. I told her to wait behind. Mercury's taking care of her for a bit."

Fenris blanched. "Are you stupid?" She asked, alarmed. "She'll be corrupted!" 

Morrigan expressed some concerns too. "I don't think that was wise."

"Don't worry." Roland waved off their words. "Murcury isn't a bad person, you know?" 

"..I suppose. But even so, I don't really like the thought of that woman caring for my own daughter." 

Mercury wasn't really a stranger, but she was sort of like weird aunt you didn't want around your kids for extended periods of time. Not that Morrigan considered her like an aunt to Grace, the young girl barely knew her after all, it was just to explain what kind of person she was.

" I trust you can escort them in my stead? I'm going back."

"Yes, that's fine."

She paused. " Oh, and dear?"

"Hmm?"

Her eyes went to Fenris for a moment. 

"...Actually, no, it's nothing. Hurry back."

Roland caught the look, but didn't say anything about it. Was there something going on between them? Well, even if so, if she didn't want to say right now then maybe she would be more willing in private.

"Okay, I will." And with that, the woman left.

Roland turned to Reina suddenly. "Fenris, Lilith, Charlotte, would you mind waiting here? I and Reina have to talk a bit."

Reina, who had been avoiding his eye up to now, spoke up. "What? Why?... Hey!"

Roland said nothing as he ushered her a bit aways under the curious gazes of the other three present. 

"W-What do you.." She cleared her throat. "I mean... you wanted something...?" Reina was extremely off-put. 

Seeing Roland and Lady Morrigan together brought about some images that she'd rather be rid of...

"Right. So, I'd been thinking. That problem you mentioned? Well--"

"You can fix it?!" Reina instantly got an animated look on her face, hopeful.

"What? No." 

Aaaand the hopes were dashed. 

"Oh..."

She wilted.

"Haha, don't worry. I'm not really sure how to stop you from getting the dreams, I don't want to tamper with your mind or this strange bond since it's something new to me. But I won't leave you hanging. It would be problematic in various ways if I left things like this. And I enjoy my privacy. So..."

"So...?"

"So while I can't stop you from recieving these images, these dreams, I can make you forget them. "

"You can?!" Again she became excited. Like a little lightbulb.

" Yes, it's not all that hard. Come here, give me your head for a bit."

"...What do you need to do?"

"It's fine, nothing major. Just need to touch your head a bit--" He stopped, recalling their odd reaction to each other when they made contact. "No, wait, nevermind. No head touching. Would be better if we didn't." In no way did he want to do that.

"C-can you still do it without touching?"She asked hesitantly.

"I can. Or, well, I'll just poke your forehead a bit. The spell I'm doing requires at least that." 

Some spells worked like that. Needed certain rituals or actions to activate or perform. This was one of them. 

This was a modified version of something he'd once seen elsewhere. A species of beast used it to go unnoticed through a crowded street, making people forget that they saw it as soon as they looked.

It went without saying that it ddin't work on people of certain levels of power, but it wasn't a hostile beast so he didn't do anything. What's more, the beast inspired him. 

Too bad he'd never used it till now. 

That was the thing, Roland knew so many spells and had so many abilities that he sometimes just never used them, or forgot to use them. 

"Ready? This may make your head feel tingly. Just let it pass, alright?"

"Please just hurry...." Was that a begging tone? No, she didn't think so, but could she be blamed if it was? She's seen too much....

"Right, right..."

Similar to how he'd done with James and Saren the day they arrived here, he took his indez finger and lightly poked her. Not many people were paying attention to them, no one noticed the way Reina's eyes glowed a faint blue.

...What an odd reaction. That's not supposed to happen. Is this due to some sort of resonance between this "bond" of ours and my magic entering her body? My previous spell which covered her eyes was momentarily disturbed...Her body's changing, too,  I see. She's a few hairs taller than she was when I first met her.

He didn't think anyone but his realized that, but they were bound to eventually. 

Roland really wanted to experiment on her, see what exactly this bond was and what it was doing to her. 

Hm. That sounded wrong. "Experiment", that word was a little....

In any case, it's not as if this was a bad thing. It was making her stronger, passively. Or rather, it was awakening her? Her potential was akin to his own, amazingly. While she may not ever reach his level, she could become very formidable in her own right.

But, why? For a long time now he'd thought that this wasn't natural. He was an anomaly. There shouldn't be someone else like him in existence. 

A person rivaling his physical body in terms of innate potential, even if they didn't have his strength of spirit energy or mana capacity, they would still be amazing. 

Yet his body wasn't ever...ever born. It was created from pure energy. So how could there be someone with a similar physique to him? There couldn't. Gods and higher demons could form their bodies from pure energy. 

Or, okay, demons had it harder for them, but gods were some of the only beings that could do so in a way that was similar to Roland. Roland, however, did it from "birth". 

His body was "special". Even a god, as far as he knew, didn't have a body like his own. 

So, Reina, what did that say of her? He wasn't sure, but it was suspicious. Was Lilith really her sister? If so, why didn't Lilith have that instinctive liking and trust towards him that Reina apparently did?

Plus Saren and James. At first glance there wasn't much remarkable about them, but actually their bodies were full of vitality. Of life. Of life energy. Granted, all living things had this. But they were filled to the brim with it. 

As mortals aged their life energy would slowly dwindle. Them? They had about as much as a newborn babe. Maybe more. Odd, very odd.

While Roland became lost in his thoughts, Reina could hear a very faint, almost nonexistent sound coming from the depths of her mind. It was very strange. Like...a roar. 

She couldn't explain it, but it felt familiar.

" Hey, are you two alright?" Fenris got tired of waiting and walked over.

".We're good. Reina, come on." Roland said.

"Huh? Oh...yeah...coming."

She was silent all throughout the walk from that point on, still not able to forget that mysterious sound.

***

It was many hours later, nearly dusk. 

Roland was on the top deck of the ship. A place very few would go, a place outside the cities, above the highest level.

The winds were strong, but they didn't move him even an inch.

He was sitting down on a chair right by the starboard bow, idly scanning the pages of a book. The book, too, wasn't affected by the wind. In fact, the whole area surrounding him was calm. 

" It will just take another day or two until we reach Sol's place. We've made good time. Apollo must have sped up a little."

Loki appeared in a small flash of light. His small, child-like frame floated leisurely in the air, cross-legged with a hand propping up his head.

"I see." 

"What're you doing up here?" The god asked.

"Nothing, really. Reading."

"Oh? Your wife and kid are fine with you leaving their sides?"

"I told them where I'd be. It's fine."

"Huh. A horrid place to choose for a bit of alone time."

Loki's eye went towards the side of the ship.

"You can feel it too?"

"Fuck, man, how could I not? That whole area's just full of bad juju." 

The ship was soaring high above a desolate stretch of land where little to nothing grew. The entire place, for many miles, reeked of death and unbridled bloodlust. 

It was creepy as fuck, as Loki would say.

There was more evil intent coming from the area below than what you find in a poor saleryman who just lost half his belongings to his now ex-wife. 

Yup. It was that bad. 

Or, actually, it was worse.

"Makes your blood run cold, doesn't it?" Roland commented.

"Quite. So cold, in fact, that if I took a piss I firmly believe that it'd freeze in seconds." 

"Thanks for the image."

"You're welcome, love, I live to make others uncomfortable."

"So what do think happened?"

"Who cares? I don't. Anyway, what did that wife of yours say to my daughter?"

" Don't know. I never asked, and she didn't bother to tell. Why?"

"Oh, Fenris just seemed a bit moody. Just really down. Seems worried, or something. Like she's doin' some heavy thinking. "

"What? When did you see her?"

"I'm her father. I can sense these things. A father's intuition, if you will."

"Loki..."

"...Fine. I may have sent a familiar to spy on her." 

"Bullshit. I destroyed it. Maybe not even two hours ago. She's been with us nearly all this time. Just how did you...?"

"I know. I was surprised too. You be gettin' rusty, fam. Or maybe I'm getting better? Either way, that's a win for me."

" I've gotten careless. I'll be sure to rectify that."

"Back on topic, can we? So? What do you think?"

" About Fenris and Morrigan? Don't ask me, as I said, I didn't ask and they didn't tell. But Morrigan's a hard person to get along with. Maybe she just pushed her buttons."

"Yeah, I'll bet she did. And not in the good way. 'Course, maybe the girl needs that, her buttons pushed I mean. She's way too uptight. She should be more like her mother. Mercury. Now that's a woman who knows how to have a good time. And pretty. Like, epically so. I mean just between us guys, if we weren't basically the same person, I'd fuck her. Pound her right good. Wouldn't you?"

Loki smiled, watching him closely.

Roland didn't change his expression at all as he replied. "Oh, I don't know. She seems like a dreadful bore."

"Bore!" Loki looked greatly wronged. Like he'd just did the man a personal wrong.

"Yeah. You know me, I like my women with a bit more spice, a bit more feistiness to them. Mercury? I can tell that she wouldn't be up for what I'd throw at her."

"Oh-ho!" Loki said. "And what, pray tell, would you do to her then?" 

"Well, for starters, it'd involve chains, a whip, some hot candle wax, and maybe a sturdy coffee table."

"Oooh...sounds pretty intense. And? After you got her all chained up and at your mercy? What would you do then?" Loki closed his eyes, as if imagining it.

"....Mercury, exactly how long are we going to keep pretending?"

'Loki' started coughing. " Whatever do you mean, mon cheri? Pretend? What? Speak sense, man! No, hold up, go back a minute. What would you use the candle wax for? I don't think I've ever experienced something like that...Hm, though I imagine it may feel surprisingly--Well, fuck."

Mercury, noticing her slip, pouted. 

In an instant the boyish figure was replaced with that of a rather voluptuous woman

"Okay, when'd you notice?" 

"Loki's never used the word 'love' to refer to me before." 

"Oh. Shoulda known. Ahem. Yes, well, where were we? Right, right, candle wax..." 

"No, we were discussing the little spat Fenris and Morrigan seemed to have had."

"Right. That too." She sobered." Look, honestly, I am concerned." A seriousness came to life in her eyes, which Roland didn't think possible for her until just then. "My daughter ain't exactly the most confident of people. Or mentally sound."

Roland didn't quite believe that."Really? She seems pretty confident, though. And out of all of the gods and goddesses I know, she's probably the most normal? Defintely one of the more "stable" ones. Maybe a bit arrogant, but..."

"Don't be fooled, my delicious-loookin' friend, there's a difference between arrogance and confidence. Fenris can say some pretty arrogant and downright narcissistic things, but she's not had much experience in socializing. She's very much a lone wolf, you see. She may interact with some people now and then, but she never felt part of any group, not really. Trust me, I watched her long enough to know. 

She has some very deep pyschological issues to work out. But instead of doing that she takes all the fears and insecurities in her pretty little head and throws them into a box before turning the key to ashes. Despite how it seems on the outside, Fenris is really just one giant open wound. Probably because most everyone she knew in her younger years were major dick-weeds to her. 

But because those fucking bastards kept me and her father away from her during her early life, we couldn't help at all. So I take great interest when I think something or someone hurts her. Since I doubt she'd say anything about it herself, probably she'd just leave it until it festers and starts slowly eating her up inside.

Morrigan's a real bitch, and she knows exactly how to hit where it hurts most with just a few snide comments. So if she said anything that caused my daughter pain....I will hurt her. Badly."

Mercury's eyes glittered dangerously and with each word her tone slowly grew more passionate until she was nearly spitting out venom.

Roland had long since put down his book. 

He was really very surprised. He'd not expected the woman to say so much, and to show such ferocity. She really did care for her daughter, it seems. 

And Roland would agree with her completely under different circumstances. 

But...

"Mercury. Listen to me closely...You won't make a move against Morrigan. Ever. If she said something mean to Fenris, I'll talk to her about it later. But you won't do anything. You may have the right, but you don't have my permission. Just now you all but blatantly threatened the mother of my child. I'll let it go, this time. 

However, next time I won't. And so if you do anything to her, I will come after you. Don't make me do that. Because If I attacked you, it'd be tantamount to attacking your entire pantheon. In the worst case they'd make a move as well. 

Which would end badly. For you, and them. Don't force me to act, Mercury. I'm a very patient, very easy-going man. But I give great importance to family. And Morrigan is, whether anyone likes it or not, a part of my family. You do anything to her, or you make Grace upset, sad, and I'll not even hesitate to punish you--or anyone else--accordingly. 

Am I clear?" 

His voice wasn't raised, nor was his gaze full of the same fire Mercury's had been. There was only a calm, steady manner about him. 

No matter if it was Loki, Solomon, Mephisto or Aries, when they saw him like that they all knew to tread carefully. 

But Mercury didn't back down at all. "Perfectly, love. I'm so glad we've reached an understanding." A toothy grin.

"Great." He smiled. And the tense atmosphere vanished as if it never even existed at all. 

"Okay, so now that we've gotten that outta the way, about the chains and whip thing...."

Roland promptly went back to reading his book, ignoring her.

***

It was quite some time later, night. Roland had been dragged to bed by Grace, and despite his intentions to speak to Morrigan, he settled for some sleep first.

He didn't know how long he'd been asleep before it happened.

An abrupt force, overwhelmingly powerful, stopping the ship from moving. Holding it in place with an iron grip. Which jolted everyone awake, the action causing a small quake to course all throughout the ship. 

Then a loud, booming voice that resonated within the minds of all the passengers.

"GIVE ME MY GODDAMN EGG! APOLLO, YOU FOPPISH TWAT, I WANT MY FUCKING EGG BACK NOW!!"

Roland, Loki, Aries and Mephisto all had the same thought:Sol?!

********************

**Author note: To clarify in case it wasn't already clear, Aries gives little to no fucks about letting a war play out. But he knew Roland might sense someone infected with his energy, would discover that he caused a war--which Roland dislikes--and be angry. So instead of letting him find out by himself, Aries decided to tell Roland and have him choose what to do. 

Why doesn't he stop it himself, you ask?  Because he himself was pretty neutral on the matter. He doesn't feel the need to do anything.

In his mind Roland can act if he wants to, but to Aries, why should he stop something like this? 

He's a God of War. 

If he personally witnesses something that he hates, like rape, that's a different story. If he sees, right in front of him, something that he finds distasteful, then he'd act. But if he isn't there already, why should he concern himself with it? 

This mentality...you can kind of see how careless gods inherently are, and i feel like them turning their eyes away to things like this sort of reflects what some people in real life do. Knowing what might or is happening, maybe even due to their own actions, yet not doing anything if it's not right in front of them. Sometimes not even then. 

The only difference, the difference that makes gods a bit worse, is that they have the power to change things. Easily. It's just that they dont for whatever reason that may be at the time. Not to say gods are ALL like this. Or that they are "bad".

Simply that their logic and values differ from our own. 

But I still feel that in a god's case, or any higher being's case, they also console themselves in the knowledge that there is an afterlife. And that the people who deserve it will find peace. This may be part of what makes them so careless, but i won't get into that right now.

*** Author Note: Morrigan is definitely the type to react very harshly when she feels she's being provoked in such a way. She just isnt a very nice person to most people.   

P.S. Another thing. I didn't originally intend the story to turn out this way. But i felt like this was better than what i had in mind before. The other would have taken a long time. Since i've been gone so long, i thought that they should just meet him and get it done with. 

I do know i have to work on more character interactions, especially in regards to saren and james and the other two girls. I feel they got left in the background because people like Fenris, Gehenna, Morrigan, Mercury and Roland's posse were just so much more interesting to me, and to write about. 

Going to have to work on that. 

Well, now to get started on the next chapter. I already know the direction that's going to go in.