cbman's Note: Well what can I really say right now... I guess I
should warn you readers ahead of time that updates are gonna be slower
than usual since school's starting for us. The other authors on
Team KOS-MOS are going to focus on their efforts in school for the
time being, so I'm afraid I'll probably be the only author for this fic
for a while. I don't mind really, it was originally my idea to write
this and a captain must go down with his ship. Don't fret though, it's
not like they're totally abandoning me; ChaosDreamer will still work on
the fic's artwork and Shi Maxwell will still help me write when she's
free. Anyway, putting that aside, for this chapter we're going to
start things off differently, we'll start by showing some of Albedo's
past to show why he acts the way he does in the present, along with a
bit more history on the U.R.T.V.'s, Ziggy (from "Xenosaga: Pied
Piper"), and chaos. Also worth noting, some of the content in this
chapter contains the implication of child molestation, but then again,
this story's rated "R" for a good reason, you should've already known
it would contain adult subject matter after reading "Bound."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
One of Many
(Albedo's POV)
"You stupid little brat!"
It was another one of those times, a strike to the face, it was the
first of many. Immediately I found myself falling to the ground, my
nose meeting with the concrete surface. Crimson rivers begin to run
down my face through the newly opened crater on the bridge of my
nose, the wound disappearing in seconds, only to return soon after as
another force meets with the back of my skull. His foot begins to bury
itself further in my head, the toes pushing downward in an attempt to
grind my face further into the ground.
"How dare you question my actions!" he continued, his voice as
relentless as ever. "You're a weakling, Albedo, a pathetic weakling,
one not worthy enough to be one of the Variants, no, the U.R.T.V.'s in
general."
"...that's a lie," I rebut the first time in my entire life.
"What...?!"
"I said that's a lie!" I say once again. "I question your actions not
as a member of the U.R.T.V. Forces, but as another human being. No, I
don't question them, I'm repulsed by them! What you were doing to
Citrine just wasn't right! I saw how much she was hurting, and you
still...!"
"Silence!" his foot pushed forward once again, my face once again
smashing into the ground. "You have some nerve to say such a thing to
me, Albedo, me, the one responsible for your creation!"
"Yuriev, what are you...?" another voice began to enter the vicinity.
"This is none of your business, Citrine," he said, his voice returning
to its usual cool composure. "I'm just giving the rightful punishment
to this weakling."
"Weakling?" she said, the word leaving her confused.
"Yes, weakling," he repeated. "He's such a weakling, talking about
morals and other things U.R.T.V.'s shouldn't be concerned about. It's
truly pathetic."
"Pathetic..."
"No, Citrine, don't listen to him!" I try to tell her. "What he's
doing to you isn't right, regardless of..."
"Enough!" my face once again meets with the concrete. "You've said
enough already, Albedo, how much more punishment do you think you can
take. You should consider yourself lucky, if you weren't the Variant
with regenerative powers, you would be dead now."
"It hurts...," are the only words I can say.
"Look at you, the look of anguish on your face, that sensation, can you
feel it?" he taunts. "It's the feeling of pain; your wounds may heal,
but your body will always remember the agony, it's vital to one's
existence, is it not? Nigredo, Rubedo," he calls in the other two
Variants. "Watch him, make sure he doesn't leave this room."
"But sir...," Rubedo tries to speak.
"But nothing!" Yuriev interrupts. "Or do you also wish to receive the
same treatment as Albedo?"
"...no sir."
"Come along, Citrine, let's leave this weakling to wallow in his own
weakness."
My eyes begin to blur now, the scenery becoming engulfed in black. My
eyes are open, yet I see nothing but darkness. My back is lying on
something, my temple throbbing. Bah, stupid dream, why must I remember
such rubbish from many years back?
Ugh, curse that boy, how was he able to defeat me so easily?
Everything I did, it was as if he was just toying me. I couldn't even
land a single blow, how was that possible, unless... Oooohooo, is he
the one that "he" mentioned? Perhaps I should pay more attention
during those meetings, maybe then I'll...
"He's in here, sir," I hear a voice on the other side of the wall.
"Excellent, let me enter."
One of the walls begins to come apart now, my eyes temporarily blinded
by the bright light on the other side. Three figures stand on the
other side, the ones to the sides dressed gaudily in plain gray
clothing and the one in the center is dressed very formally. A black
suit and jacket, with a mix of colors on the emblem above his breast
pocket, there isn't a single crease or wrinkle on his clothing. His
shoes have been shined to a perfect finish, I can see my own self on
the soles of his feet in this darkness. A faint light begins to glow
within the room, revealing to me the face of the one who has come to
visit me.
"Nigredo," I seethe. "What do you want?"
"I've come to have a word with you," he answers.
"Is it peace talks you want?" I mock. "Do you really think your dogs
can keep me inside this box for long? You of all people should know
what I'm capable of, or must I remind you again by drowning you in a
pool of your own blood?"
"Oh I'd like to see you try," his face suddenly smirks.
"Mr. Tough Guy I see, let's see how tough you are when...!"
His fist suddenly knocks me backward, my back once again lying against
the surface I woke up on. Another force follows, this time with his
foot planting itself into my sternum. My hands take hold of his leg,
my nails burying deep into his ankle, but the impaling doesn't even
cause him to wince. His foot buries deeper and deeper into my body,
the heel of his shoe beginning to break my skin. This is definitely
getting more interesting, I had no idea that Nigredo...
"As weak as ever, Albedo," Nigredo says, his voice becoming more raspy.
"What?!"
"Even after linking with U-DO, you're still as pathetic as ever."
"Yuriev!" I notice his black hair now turning into a golden blond.
"Things really have gotten more..."
"I never liked the sound of your voice!" he stomps his foot once again.
"You've gotten even more annoying ever since I last saw you."
"You son of a...!" I try to bury my fingers deeper. "What the...?" I
find my body releasing him instead.
"Did I ever mention the fail-safe device to you when you were still a
child?" he asks. "I explained it to Rubedo just a few minutes ago.
There are nanomachines inside each of you Variants; when you four met
again recently, the nanomachines activated, allowing me to take control
of any of you whenever I want. At the moment I'm using Nigredo's body
as my own, but I can still manipulate some of your nerves and muscles
while still in his."
I feel myself beginning to burn, as if the air in my lungs were eating
away at them like acid. The feeling only intensifies, the inside of my
skin feeling the sensation as well. My insides, they feel as if
they're about to burst. This searing sensation, this heat, the agony,
it burns, burns like nothing I have ever felt before.
He releases his grasp from me now, allowing me to fall to the concrete
below the bench I lay on. His foot begins to step on my head just as
it did many years ago, puddles of crimson running down my face as he
buries it further into my skull.
"You remember this feeling?" he taunts. "Do you remember that
expression on your face back then, it was something like this. But
don't worry, you're the only one who can regenerate, you may be able to
live forever, but I can make sure that you can feel this sensation for
the rest of eternity. I'll never die, not now, not ever, as long as
one of you Variants exist."
He begins to leave now, the doors opening once more but the sensation
inside me still burning. He turns back to me once again, that same
simper still on his face.
"It's ironic, isn't it?" he asks. "The most 'moral' of the U.R.T.V.'s
has become the bane of their existence by linking with U-DO. I always
knew you were trouble, back then and now."
He leaves after that, the doors closing afterward and the darkness
consuming my vision once more. The acidic feel inside me begins to
disappear now, my arms beginning to push me off the floor. My, my, he
certainly does have a lot of tricks up his sleeve, even after all these
years.
"Scary, scary...," I find a smile now on my face. "I had no idea you
had such things implanted inside me and the others. At least I didn't
back then. Did you like my act, Yuriev, or should I say, Dear Old Dad?
As I told Nigredo, I have a job to do here, and now is not the time to
do it. I'll play along with your game just a bit longer until the time
is right. Eh hehehehehe, aha hahahahaha, AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Shion's POV)
"Let's get going. You, the Vector employee, come with us."
"Wait, why do I...?"
"Don't ask questions, just move! All of you, stay with the Elsa, make
sure none of the crew tries anything, understood?"
"Yes ma'am!"
Miltia, I never thought I would return home like this, never as a
hostage to a rebel force. The city looks just like how it did that
night fourteen years ago, the night when Jin and I boarded the
evacuation flight to Second Miltia. I feel a sudden chill traveling
down my spine, but it isn't the evening breeze that's causing me to do
this. Memories, so many memories begin to fill my mind as I look
around, both good and bad. I remember times I would walk down these
streets with my father when we would go visit Mom in the hospital, but
then I also remembered times when I got lost in the crowds of people.
"This isn't the time for sight-seeing," Citrine says impatiently,
"we've got a job to do."
It's strange how Citrine is the only one watching each of us for this
mission, but despite being our only guard, none of us can afford to try
anything. The fact that the entire Kukai Foundation is at the mercy of
her forces is one thing, but then her power to control Jr. is another
factor. There's no way we can easily get out of this one, for now all
we can do is follow her orders.
"We're here," my brother's voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
I look up to find ourselves standing in front of the base of a
skyscraper. Large pieces of rubble are scattered throughout the entire
area, it looks like the part of the building that broke off. An old
A.M.W.S. Unit lies near the rubble, the entire thing nearly rusted
over. We walk up closer to the base of the building, finding the
inside entirely blocked off by more rubble. Citrine points her gun at
Ziggy, signaling him to move up there so that he may move some of the
scrap. The cyborg does as asked, prying open the broken doors and
quickly moving in to remove the debris. After just moving several
pieces though, we find the rest of the structure inside almost empty.
"That's strange," my brother comments. "I could've sworn fourteen
years ago that..."
"In fourteen years, U-DO must have reconfigured the entire interior
somehow," Jr. explains. "The power of alteration not only applies to
biological creatures, but it can also reshape anything if given enough
time, kind of like how some nanomachines will alter the interior of a
house on their own if left unchecked for a few years."
"It's here," Citrine suddenly says, "can you feel it, Rubedo? The
purpose of our existence, it lies in here."
I begin to step inside now, my heart skipping a beat the moment I
enter. Something is definitely strange about this, not just the fact
that there is no debris inside, but something doesn't feel right. I
feel my body being lifted a little, returning to its normal position a
second later. The lift returns again, settling in the same manner. I
hear something faint in my ears, I can't tell what it is. Thump,
thump, thump, it sounds like a faint heartbeat. The sound of grumbling
begins to echo over the beating, whistling whooshes also take
precedence over it as well. The air feels so heavy, the atmosphere
warm, and the smell of something rotting, all of it is making my
stomach unsettled.
"Ugh...!" I find myself kneeling to the floor, trying to prevent the
contents within my abdomen from going up my throat.
"Shion, what's wrong?!" my brother hurries over to my side.
"...I don't know," I answer. "Something about this place, it just..."
"This feeling, I sense...," MOMO begins to speak.
"Gnosis now?" Ziggy asks. "That doesn't seem possible."
"It's not that," MOMO answers, "it's this place... My sensors are
telling me that a large creature is housed inside this building,
but..."
"This building is that creature," chaos explains. "As Jr. said, U-DO
has reconfigured this entire complex, but I think a more appropriate
saying would be that U-DO has become this entire complex."
"Fascinating," Canaan speaks. "Maybe if we destroy this complex, we
might be able to destroy U-DO with it, but something tells me it won't
be that simple."
"We're wasting time," Citrine interrupts. "Let's move on."
Jin helps me return to my feet, my palm covering my mouth and nose in
an attempt to prevent the smell from returning to my nostrils.
Everyone begins to walk again, but something suddenly stops me. The
faint sound of metal ringing begins to find itself in my ear. The
ringing begins to grow louder with every passing second, echoing in
both my ears in equal volume. I turn around in an attempt to find the
source, but I find nothing. I turn forward once again, there still
isn't any sign of what's causing the noise. I turn to right and then
my left, I still can't find anything. The noise has become the only
thing I can hear now, but no matter where I turn, I can't find what's
causing it.
The scenery starts to coalesce into itself at this time, my entire
surroundings disappearing. I find the surface beneath my feet suddenly
being stripped away, but I do not find my body falling, instead I find
my entire self floating, almost like that time we were in the Cathedral
Ship. The ringing grows louder and louder, its source coming from
above me. I look up to find the color of gold, the bright-colored
object that it colors slowly drifting toward me. It is the size of a
skyscraper, its form almost in the shape of a cross. There's no doubt
about it, it's the Zohar, but why is it here, and what happened to the
others?
"So you have finally come," a powerful voice suddenly booms in my ears.
"The 'Inheritor of True Will,' the 'Mother of Destiny.'"
"'Inheritor of True Will?'" the title puzzles me. "'Mother of
Destiny?'"
"Hey didn't you hear me, move!" a force quickly meets with my back.
I find myself almost stumbling forward at this point, my feet once
again stepping on a surface. I turn around to find Citrine with a
disgruntled look on her face, as well as the entrance of the building
behind her. I look forward once again to find all my friends looking
at me strangely, some of them with worried looks on their faces.
Without saying a word, I continue to move forward as asked, not wanting
to anger Citrine any further.
'What was that just now?' I wonder. ''Inheritor of True Will,' 'Mother
of Destiny,' what in the world?'
"Your answers... Lie with the Zohar and with KOS-MOS...," Nephilim's
words echo in my mind once again.
What did she mean by that? I know that Febronia's sisters are supposed
to be here, that's what Nephilim said, but what does the Zohar have to
do with me? And KOS-MOS, who did she mean, Elly or Miang? Elly, where
are you? Miang, what are you up to? This whole situation is getting
me flustered, why is all of this happening to me all of a sudden?
"It looks like we've arrived at the center," Ziggy informs all of us.
The entire area we stand in now is in the form of a hexagon with a
large circular hole in the center. The floor itself is some sort of
metal mesh in the form of a beehive. The pulsing from earlier is even
stronger here, the putrid air and heat has also grown more intense.
The grumbling sound has also grown louder, it nearly rivals the sound
of our voices. The walls here are a bit different from the ones in the
previous hallway; several lines protrude from the surface, these
indentations pulsing in the same manner as the ground.
"Brings back old memories, eh Rubedo?" Citrine asks in a mocking tone.
"The floor directly below this one, it was the spot where you severed
the link from the rest of us and it was the very spot you denied me of
my existence!" she begins to raise her voice.
"And I'd do it again for the sake of..."
"Bold words, 'Great Leader!'"
The two of them draw their firearms again, the barrels pointed at one
another. Citrine begins to push her palm forward, her hand once again
glowing a bright orange. The glow causes the red-haired U.R.T.V. to
kneel to the ground, but his weapons remain pointed at the female
Variant. My brother prepares to draw his sword, but Citrine changes
the direction of her weapon to Jin.
"Hm hm hm hm hm," a barely audible chuckle begins to echo throughout
the vicinity. "Well this is certainly something I didn't expect to
see," a voice I don't recognize begins to speak. "The U.R.T.V. forces
fighting amongst each other like little children, I thought they were
better raised than this."
"That voice...," Ziggy begins to speak, "it can't be!"
"It's been a long time, Ziggurat 8, or should I say, Jan Sauer?"
We all look up to find a black-cloaked man on a ledge. That garb, it
looks exactly the same as those men in cloaks we encountered in the
Song of Nephilim and the Kukai Foundation, but this one doesn't wear a
mask. His face is somewhat round, his head showing not a sign of hair.
He doesn't look very menacing at first, but then I see his eyes; dark
red crimson irises and pupils as black as night, the exact same color
of blood. The perimeter surrounding those scarlet orbs runs with
countless webs of the same color, the space in between a dull luster of
yellow. He begins to smirk now, the simper causing his eyes to narrow
and baring his fang-like teeth. Just his appearance almost makes me
fall to the floor, my nerves shot with terror.
"It's you...!" the mechanical man speaks, his voice showing indignation
for the first time. "You! VOYAGER!!!!!!!!!!!"
His rocket launcher appears in his left hand now, each of the
projectiles immediately being fired upward at our foe. The man simply
stands there with the same dark smile plastered on his face, his body
entirely unmoving. The missiles disappear the moment they're supposed
to strike his body, only to somehow reappear behind the cyborg. Each
of the rockets strike at his body instead, first with his legs and then
his upper body.
"ZIGGY!!!!!!!!!!!" MOMO screams as he falls to the floor.
I equip my M.W.S. at this point and aim it at the man, immediately
begin to open fire afterwards. Jr. and Citrine turn their weapons away
from one another at this point and redirect their fire at the
black-cloaked man. None of the projectiles seem to have any effect, so
MOMO tries to jump into the fray as she begins to fire her bow.
"Pathetic!" the man says, the word somehow knocking the rest of us to
our feet. "I have no time to deal with the likes of you, I have other
business to intend to."
"You bastard!" Ziggy curses as he drags himself back to his feet.
"You'll pay..."
"Ziggy...?" a frightened look appears on MOMO's face.
"Michael... Bagus... Sharon... Joaquin... All of them were such
good people, and yet you... I swear... I swear Voyager..., I will
defeat you, I will kill you for taking the lives of many and taking
away those I've cared about!"
"Bold words, Jan, but I gave you that chance nearly a century ago when
I offered you my power," the man scoffs. "You have no chance of
defeating me whatsoever, no matter how much you upgrade that relic of a
body of yours. Now if you'll excuse me...," the man suddenly
disappears.
"Wait, Voyager! Elrich, come back here!"
Another cloaked man, that makes three of them. This one was just as
powerful as the other two, and not only that, he knows Ziggy as well.
Who exactly are these men, and what do they want with us?
"Ziggy, are you all right?" MOMO asks the cyborg. "Ziggy...?"
"I...I'm all right, MOMO," he stutters for the first time.
"Who the hell was that?" Jr. asks next. "He seems to know you pretty
well, cyborg, just how do you...?"
His question is soon interrupted by another sound. I can hear
footsteps beginning to echo above the sound of the throbbing of this
room; the sound of heels clicking against the floor seems to have
caught all of our attention. I can see a figure beginning to appear
from the hallway in which we entered, its form engulfed in darkness but
slowly making its way into the light. Long gloves are the first thing
I notice, the palms colored black while the rest of the arm is colored
in a very light blue. Long boots of the same color follow next, as
well as a one piece swimsuit-like clothing. Fair white skin, almost
the color of snow is revealed between the pieces of scant clothing, as
well as long blue hair that flows down to the lower back.
"Elly...?" I barely call.
She stops the moment I say her name, my face immediately beaming the
moment I recognize her face. The smile slowly melts away however,
disappearing after I see the expression on her face. Not a hint of
emotion; there is no smile nor frown on her lips, her cheek bones
perfectly straight, and her crimson red eyes staring blankly into my
own. Her hand begins to reach for the blaster on her side, the weapon
immediately leaving its holster and the barrel pointed forward, aimed
directly at us.
"Disabling auto-safety," she speaks in a monotone voice, "destroy all
targets."
A beam of light escapes the barrel of her weapon after she speaks, the
beam aimed directly at us. Everyone immediately jumps away from the
blast, jumping to the sides in order to avoid it. I turn back to Elly
to find her now running forward, her figure quickly catching up with
us. She runs to my brother first, her fist connecting with his jaw
before he gets a chance to draw his blade. Citrine quickly begins to
open fire after she knocks my brother to the ground, but each of the
shots has no effect on her. Elly begins to charge again, this time
running to Citrine.
"Charging," she says as she runs, her right arm beginning to glow with
a white light, "R-HAMMER!"
Her hand suddenly transforms into a mallet-like device, the object
catching a lot of air as it swings upward. A splash of crimson escapes
Citrine's lip the moment it strikes her face, the force behind the
swing knocking her body backward. Another swing follows, this one
swinging down with an overhead smash, striking the back of her head.
Citrine quickly falls to the ground after being struck, but Elly
continues her assault by grabbing her by the hair, lifting her off
the ground.
This coldness, this disregard for her actions, this isn't Elly. The
monotone face, the crimson eyes, all of it may look like hers a month
ago, but... She was never like this, never so merciless against
others, never so cold, never... No, this is her, this is how she was
back then, but during that time, she only fought the Gnosis, and it was
done exactly like this. What I'm seeing now is not the current Elly,
this is...
MOMO tries to open fire with her bow as Jr. tries to do the same with
his pistols, but just like Citrine's attempts, they have no effect. In
a quick flick of her wrist, she sends Citrine away, tossing her toward
the hole in the center of the area. I try to run in at this point,
running to the center of the vicinity so that I may prevent Citrine
from falling. Her body begins to sink through the floor's level, my
body quickly diving to the ground with my arm outstretched so that I
may catch her hand in time.
"Hold on, I've got you," I assure her.
"Funny how you're trying to help me," she smirks, "I thought I was your
enemy."
"That may be true after all the things you've done so far, but if the
Kukai Foundation is under your forces then..."
Before I can say anything further, I notice the sound of boots clacking
against the floor has begun to echo above the other sounds of the room.
I feel my heart beating as strong as a sledgehammer, my breath becoming
very deep and slow. The clacking of boots begins to grow louder, I
can't help but turn to the source, only to find a pair of crimson
pupils staring directly at me.
"Charging," her right hand begins to glow once again.
"No, Elly, wait!" I plead.
"R-BLADE!"
"Chief!"
I find my left hand suddenly being pulled by another, but the sudden
jerk loosens the grip on my right hand. In an instant the feel of
Citrine's fingers quickly leaves mine, a quick jolt of pain running up
my spine soon after. I turn to my side to find Allen lying next to me,
his right hand grasping my left, but his other hand holding a wound on
his shoulder. I look back up in front of me to find Elly still
standing there, her arm at her side as the blade on her hand glows a
bright red. My body instinctively begins to back away at this point,
trying to crawl back as she continues to walk toward me. Her arm
begins to swing down again, but her attack misses, instead finding
another target. Allen has jumped in again, only this time the weapon
strikes his back. He screams as the tempered edge slices into him, his
cries only worsening after it is extracted a second later.
"ALLEN!!!!!!!" I cry.
The others try to run in at this time, all of them trying to rush
forward as the younger ones fire their weapons. None of the
projectiles have an effect on her, and she does nothing to fight off
the others as they rush at her. Her left arm begins to move now,
swinging it to the side, creating a wave of Ether. The Ether wave
knocks everyone back against a wall, allowing her to turn her attention
toward me once more.
"Primary target obtained," I turn back to Elly, her voice as cold as
ever, "commencing..."
A flash of metal suddenly appears before my eyes before she can finish,
the flash lasting only for a second. Elly continues to stand there,
her entire body not moving at all. After several seconds, a single
strand of hair falls from her head, the rest of it from the neck down
quickly falling to the floor after. She begins to turn around now to
reveal the one who saved me. Sky blue hair, cerulean blue eyes,
black-framed glasses, and a tattered dress, it's...
"Elly...?"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Miang's POV)
My palm begins to move forward, stopping before the empty glass
container before me. My fingers begin to run down its smooth surface;
I should feel sad, but I don't. The mass-produced KOS-MOS units,
they're supposed to carry copies of my data, I suppose I can call them
my children to a degree. I feel nothing though; it's strange, I
thought that all mothers are supposed to feel some kind of emptiness
when their children leave them, but I feel as if nothing has left me,
nothing has changed.
'These aren't my children,' I think to myself as I look into the
endless rows of myself, 'they are merely copies. They have no bearing
to me whatsoever, but I want them to. No matter how I look at it,
they're just machines, they have no emotional attachment whatsoever to
me or anyone else.'
Mother... Is this how a mother thinks? Does Mother think like this
about me? The child that was neglected, that's what I was. Only
Father came to visit me when I had my own body, but he died by my hand,
and Mother... Mother said she loved me regardless of what I did when I
was still inside my sister, but after what I've been doing lately, I
don't know if she still feels the same way. I've already done so much
to my sister, but I know I've been pushing both of their limits more
and more with what I've been doing lately.
When did I start thinking like this? Ever since I saw that boy on the
Foundation, I... That boy, I feel a sudden warmth come over my entire
body whenever I think of him. I don't know how to describe this
feeling, it makes my entire body tingle, but I feel so at ease. Abel,
what is it about that boy that...
"So you're six months in?" a soft and relaxing voice enters my ear.
"Yes," I hear my own voice next, but my mouth does not move.
The scenery around me begins to lift now, the cold metallic room
disappearing from my vision. I find myself sitting now, my back
resting against a chair, my body slowly rocking back and forth with the
furniture as the wind blows. I look in front of me to find an endless
field of dandelions, the bright yellow flowers bringing a smile to my
lips. I feel a small push inside my swollen abdomen, my palm beginning
to glide against it so that I may calm the one within.
"Have you decided on a name yet?" I turn to my side to find an old
friend, his silver hair shimmering as bright as ever.
"Yes I have," I nod. "If it's a boy, it'll be 'Abel.' If it's a
girl..., well, I don't know yet to be honest."
"Abel, that sounds like a nice name," he says. "Are you sure about
this though?" he suddenly asks. "You know what 'he' wants of that
child, correct? Once you've made up your mind, you know that 'he' will
see through it to the very end, even at the cost of..."
"I know what the consequences are," I interrupt, getting out of my
seat. "I've always known what they were. Unless you intend on taking
advantage of my kindness and try to stop me here. Would that happen to
be the case, Yeshua?"
"No, of course not," he answers. "I have no intention of ending a life
that hasn't even started yet."
"I know," I tell him. "You're such a kind soul. Even though you have
fallen out of grace with us, it's still nice that you come by and visit
me every now and then."
"Of course, it's always a pleasure, Ne..."
"I don't go by that name right now," I remind him. "My name is
'Elhaym' for now."
"Oh, right, my apologies, Elhaym."
"Are you daydreaming, KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-0?" a raspy voice
suddenly enters my ear.
I find myself once again staring into the empty glass container, my
palm still running down its surface. I turn around to find the
Patriarch standing behind me, his face in its usual serious expression.
"My apologies, Your Holiness," I tell him, "it won't happen again."
"It is of no matter," the Patriarch tells me. "In any case, are you
sure of the location where KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-1 is headed?"
"Yes sir," I answer. "If she has already come here in an attempt to
sabotage our current operation, it would only be natural for her to
head in the direction of the next step in Old Miltia."
"Very well, I will trust your judgement for this situation," the elder
man begins to leave the room now. "Oh yes, did something happen
between you and Inquisitor Orgulla?" he asks, the name causing my
fingers to ball into a fist. "She seemed very upset when I mentioned
your name when I visited her in the infirmary."
"No sir, nothing happened," I lie.
"Very well, I'll leave it at that."
The old man leaves the room now, leaving me alone once again with my
thoughts. That vision I saw just now, what exactly was that? It was
just like that time I came in contact with Abel. Mother, he called me
"Mother" back then. Why is it that he called me such a thing, and why
am I starting to have these visions? Could it be a malfunction, or...?
No, is that even possible; when Elly and I split back then, was it
possible that...?
Nephilim, is your curse still with me, even now?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Elly's POV)
It's a miracle, I barely made it in time. The automated controls from
the E.S. Dinah made this trip longer than need be. This woman in front
of me, the dull blue hair, the blank expression, and the scarlet eyes,
there's no doubt about it, this has to be one of the mass-produced
KOS-MOS units.
"Two Elly's?" MOMO says, baffled by the current situation. "Or is one
of them Miang?"
"How did you fall out of our ranks?" my opponent asks in a monotone
expression.
"Fall out? I was never part of your ranks to begin with!" I explain,
my grip tightening around my sword.
"Identifying..." the color in her eyes flashes for a second. "KOS-MOS
Unit 00-00-00-00-1," she says, "a defective product. KOS-MOS Unit
00-00-00-11-4 aborting current mission, switching to secondary
objective, commencing termination."
"Defective product...?" the words leave Shion baffled.
"Termination...? Elly, what is...?"
"Shion, everybody, stay out of this," I order, "I'll deal with her,
it's me she wants right now."
The exact second after I finish my words, I find my enemy's R-BLADE
swinging forward. The sheath of my weapon barely catches the strike of
her blade, but my arm is quickly forced downward because of the power
behind her attack. She tries to swing again, trying to go for a lunge
attack this time. I manage to step to the side so that I may avoid it,
my right arm quickly swinging my sword afterwards in an attempt to
retaliate. The weapon slides across the left half of her face, easily
tearing through artificial skin and revealing the metal plating and
wires underneath. The attack obviously had no real effect on her, her
body quickly reacting after my slice by returning the favor with a
backhand.
The force behind the strike pushes me backward, my entire jaw aching
and a warm streak of blood traveling down my lip. I spit out the
contents of the crimson liquid that seeped into my mouth, but it does
nothing to relieve the pain of her blow. She begins to rush at me
again, her right arm beginning to illuminate in white and the shape of
her arm changing.
"Charging... R-DRAGON!"
The device quickly lunges at me, its mouth wide open. I dodge the
first lunge, my sword trying to deflect the second, only to be caught
by the weapon's prongs as it shuts. I release the hold I have on my
sheath at this point, putting both of my hands on the hilt of my
weapon. The strength in both of my arms is unable to match the level
of strength in the mass-produced KOS-MOS unit, the strength in her
right arm is enough to push me to the ground. She lunges again
afterwards, but this time I jump into her lunge with my weapon leading
the way. The edge of the sword travels into the mouth of the weapon,
but the end of the mouth is unable to stop the blade. The edge of my
sword begins to tear away the material of the R-DRAGON, tearing away at
the whole thing until she only holds half of it in her arm. She looks
at the broken weapon for a second, its remains quickly disappearing
afterward. Her hands begin to move toward her belly now, her fingers
impaling straight into her abdomen. This next attack, there's no doubt
about it, she's going to use...
"X-BUSTER?!" I quickly recognize the attack.
The area that opened within her stomach begins to glow now, the glowing
light transforming into energy as it begins to crackle. The
electricity that escapes begins to grow unstable, her entire body
beginning to tremble as it grows stronger. Beams of light begin to
absorb into the crater, its center glowing a bright blue. I can't risk
running toward her with my current weapon, and I lost my blaster back
in the Ormus Sect. The only thing to do is...
The energy that was collected within her abdomen begins to escape now,
creating a large blast that can easily destroy the base of this
building. Wasting little time, I point my left palm forward, my hand
beginning to collect as much energy as possible. Within seconds I have
collected a sufficient amount of force, the power quickly being
discharged afterwards.
"La so lu te ve ta!"
The beam of aura quickly breaks through the stream of energy my enemy
has created. My own attack absorbs every particle of the blast, taking
that energy to strengthen my own. In a single second, the stream of
Ether pushes itself into the abdomen of my opponent. The Ether settles
into the crater in her stomach, the center glowing brighter than ever.
I quickly find myself rushing toward her after, quickly grabbing my
sheath off the floor as I do so. The Ether inside her begins to grow
erratic once again, ready to burst at any moment.
Both of my arms swing inward at this point, my the flat edge of my
sword and my sheath striking the flaps of her opened abdomen with all
my strength, forcing it to shut. Both of my arms swing again, swinging
in the same direction this time to the right. The force causes her to
stagger toward the hole in the center of the room, but she does not
fall. The power inside her stomach begins to leak through the gaps
between the flaps, it could burst in any second. A loud bang sound
echoes in my ear, the KOS-MOS unit suddenly falling into the breach
after. Another bang follows, this one coming from inside the whole,
along with a bright blue flash that follows after.
"That was a close one," I turn to the source of the shot to find Jr.
lying against the wall with a smoking pistol in his right hand.
"Was this supposed to be an attempted 'dramatic entrance?'" the
military realian asks in a blank tone. "If it is, I'm not impressed."
I can't help but focus my eyes on the realian. I have seen him on the
Durandal several times, but I've never been this close to him before.
There's something about this man that makes me feel uneasy, something
that makes me want to cut him in two at this very moment. I don't know
why though, it's not that I'm angered by his last remark, but...
"Don't be so hard on her, Canaan," the silver-haired boy tells him as
he uses a medica Ether on Allen's wounds. "That should do it, does it
feel any better?"
"For the most part, yeah," Allen answers, "but you know...," his voice
begins to fade away in my ears.
'Canaan...,' the name immediately begins to replay through my head..
'No, it can't be! Have they already...?!'
"Elly...?" another voice interrupts my thoughts.
"Shion," I turn around to find my lover almost in tears.
"How can you be so inconsiderate?!" she yells at me. "Leaving us so
suddenly, talking about solving your problems all yourself, you're so
immature!"
"...I'm sorry," I try apologize.
"In this past week alone you've made me worry so much more than you
ever have!" she continues. "Why won't you open to us and tell us
what's wrong, I'm here to help you, can't you even see that?! And why
did you wait so long to act, if you had gotten here sooner then
Citrine...! The people in the Kukai Foundation, now they're...!"
"Shion, calm down," her brother tells her, wrapping his arm around her.
"Elly, your clothes are a mess and there are a few cuts on your body,"
MOMO points out. "What happened to you?"
"A lot has happened in the past...," I try to explain, "things that
have occurred long before I was created. As a former product of the
avatar of these events, it is my sworn duty that I make sure that what
is planned for the universe is never brought into fruition."
"What?" my words leave everyone puzzled.
"The events that have happened so far... All of them have been planned
several millennia ago. The evacuation of Lost Jerusalem, the Miltian
Conflict, the Gnosis coming into this world, the destruction of the
Woglinde, even now with Yuriev's private forces taking over the Kukai
Foundation, all of it was manipulated into being."
"Wait, how do you know all of this?" Jr. asks.
"...I can't tell you right now," I say uneasily. "All I can say is
that we have to get to the Zohar as quickly as possible before 'they'
get it."
"Who do you refer to when you say 'they?'" the cyborg asks.
"...I believe we've ran into them several times in the past," I
explain. "The men in colored cloaks. They're called 'Testaments,'
they work directly under those who are manipulating the events thus
far."
"And just what is their goal exactly?" Jin questions.
"I thought I knew myself at first," I admit, "but I recently found out
that the events that happened between Miang and I were also staged, so
a majority of the information I was given prior to being activated has
been altered to a degree, even I had no idea about the KOS-MOS Project
being mass-produced. I do know this though, the ones behind these
events are going to use the Zohar to kill millions, if not billions or
trillions, of people in the universe. I'm sorry, Shion," I apologize
again, "I should have told you and everyone else about this sooner."
"...you're always so selfish, Elly," she sniffles. "You always only
think about yourself. You never... think about how I feel, how all of
us feel. But my words don't have total truth to them. What you told
all of us just now, the reasons for why you ran away, it wasn't
selfish, in fact, it was noble to a degree. You could've run away from
all of this if you wanted to, you could have tried to live a different
life, but instead, you tried to go and fix things yourself. I can't be
angry with you because of that," she begins to smile. "It was very
brave of you to tell us what you just said, Elly, and I'm glad that you
told us. Really, I am. After what you've said, I have a better
understanding as to why we have to find the Zohar before the Testaments
reach it."
"We cannot allow you to do that," another monotone voice echoes in the
area.
I look back to the entrance of the area to find three more
mass-produced KOS-MOS units. The one in the center is equipped with an
F-SCYTHE, the one on the right with two F-SHOT mini guns, and the one
on the left with an R-DRILL. It was already difficult fighting one of
them, I don't know if I can handle three more. Even if we were to get
out of this predicament somehow, there's still that Canaan realian
along with the Zohar.
"Everybody, go on ahead," the silver-haired boy suddenly orders us. "I
can handle this."
"Are you insane?!" Allen exclaims. "We all know what Elly did back on
the Elsa, and I saw how you handled that Gnosis as well, but this is
just too much, you can't...!"
"It will be all right," chaos assures us. "Please, go on ahead, I
don't know how long I can keep them at bay with everyone here."
"Don't be ridiculous, chaos," Shion tells him. "We'll fight too, we
can't leave you!"
"I have no intention of dying," he says calmly. "Now please, go."
"We'll see you later then," Canaan says and begins to run in the
opposite direction.
"Elly, take care of Shion," chaos orders me. "And Shion..., your
answers lie ahead," he continues.
"I will!" I tell chaos.
"...all right," Shion says uneasily.
Without saying another word, each of us begins to make our escape in
the opposite direction, running into the next corridor and down the
stairs it contains. I can hear the sound of gunshots and blades
striking metal as we run, but as I listen to these noises, I don't hear
a single cry of pain or sadness. I had my doubts in the past about
that boy, but after the events that happened recently, I know now that
he is the one that I was warned about in my orders when I was first
activated, he is the one that has fallen from grace, so to speak.
"...chaos," my lover suddenly stops in her tracks to look back.
"He'll be all right," I assure her, "that boy won't die. He can't
die."
The moment I begin to step forward again, I find my body suddenly
coming to a stop. The floor beneath my feet begins to tremble
slightly, I seem to be the only one to notice it. I wait several
seconds for the tiny shake to occur once again, but it never comes.
Clouds of dust fall from the ceiling the moment I believe it's over.
Shion and Ziggy notice this, stopping in their tracks as the others
continue forward. The ground begins to shake again, this one slightly
stronger than the first. Everyone notices this and comes to a stop
now, waiting for an inevitable third. Another occurrence of shaking
occurs, this one strong enough to send MOMO to the ground. I turn to
the walls to find the vein-like devices starting to swell and shrink
violently, their red exterior turning a darker crimson. My feet begin
to push me backward upon seeing this, disobeying the impulses of my
legs. The trembling in the building begins to worsen, the ground
before us moving upward quickly, knocking the rest of us to our feet.
"What's happening?!" my lover asks, nearly panicking.
"...it's reacting...," Jr. says. "U-DO... It was never this bad
fourteen years ago, but..."
Another tremble, this one pushing us into the ground further. The
atmosphere begins to hiss afterward, a fifth violent quake soon
following afterward. This quake continues longer than the last, the
tremors not showing any signs of stopping. I turn to the others who
lie on the steps below me, noticing a web of cracks starting to form on
their half of the staircase.
"Everyone, move away from there, now!" I order.
The moment they hear my words, the steps begin to part with the
tremors. Canaan and Allen ignore my pleads however, running down
further down the flight of stairs, quickly brushing past the others as
quickly as they can. The others struggle back toward me, but their
half begins to break once again in the center. Before any of them
cannot react to this, Jr., Ziggy, and MOMO find themselves cut off
between Jin, who stands in the lowest section of the stairs, and Shion,
who stands on the top half of the stairs. The support beneath their
section begins to part soon after.
"Jr., Ziggy, I'm scared!" MOMO panics, clinging onto the Durandal's
captain.
"Hang on!" Jin tries to hurry over to their section.
The raven-haired samurai runs to the end of his flight, his hand
reaching out to the trio. At this point, I just barely notice that web
of cracks has already fallen upon Jin's section, this web more spread
than the trio's. Jr. walks over to the ledge of his section with MOMO
in hand, the young realian's fingers reaching for Jin's. The two's
hands are within a centimeter's reach, but a second after, Jin's hand
suddenly falls downward.
"JIN!!!!!!!" Shion screams.
His body begins to fall into the abyss below suddenly, the surface
beneath his feet crumbling in seconds. MOMO screams the moment after
his body disappears from sight, the young captain quickly rushing back
upward as fast as he can. It is too late however, as the cyborg
already noticed long ago that the gap between their section and ours
is too great.
"MOMO, Jr., Ziggy, over here, hurry!" my lover holds out her hand as
far as she can.
"...it's no use," Ziggy says uneasily. "Everyone, grab onto me," he
orders the two young ones.
"No, what are you doing?!" Shion cries as Ziggy takes hold of the two.
"I couldn't..." the cyborg begin to speak, "save the ones I loved back
then. I couldn't even get my revenge on the one who killed them. If I
can at least save the one I care about now, then maybe my second death
will not be pointless. Jr., I know you have nothing in your heart but
contempt for me," he turns to the Durandal's captain, "but despite
that, I know that you would do anything for MOMO, that you would always
run to her side whenever she needed you."
"Cyborg...?"
"And MOMO, I... I'm glad that I met you. In the last one-hundred years
ever since my resurrection, you were the first and only thing that ever
really mattered to me. I care for you, MOMO, I care for you very
dearly, as if you were my own daughter."
"Ziggy, I care for you too," the young realian says, her hold on him
growing tighter, "I care for you as if you were my own father. You
were always there for me, Ziggy, always doing your best to make me
happy. I want to thank you for that, it had nothing to do with your
job, but despite that, I'm glad you did whatever you could to make me
happy."
"Elly, Shion, I found you and the others to be great comrades," he
turns to us next. "I'm glad to have worked and got to know each and
everyone of you. I don't know if I'll be able to make it out of this
one, Elrich has won again. ...I have one last request," he begins to
pause. "MOMO, please take care of her if she survives this, she is
like a daughter to me, please, make sure Elrich or any of his comrades
don't get to her."
"...all right," I find myself feeling unsettled by his speech, "I
promise."
"Elly...?" my lover looks at me with her eyes watering. "Ziggy...?"
"Goodbye..."
Their fraction of the stairs begin to break now. The cyborg does
nothing in an attempt to jump toward my lover, instead he simply stands
there with his arms tightly wrapped around MOMO and Jr., his eyes
closed. The floor beneath him crumbles away, his body sinking into the
dark abyss, his back leading his plummet as he places the young ones in
front of his chest. My lover begins to cry their names as they sink,
her screams echoing above the sound of the tremors. I find my own eyes
beginning to burn at this point, my eyes virtually melting and entire
body twittering.
At this point I begin to notice the case that my lover and I stand on
beginning to break apart. It crumbles quickly, but my lover doesn't
notice right away. By the time she notices it, the newly formed halves
begin to part from one another. I begin to run toward her column now,
jumping past the growing gap between us. She catches me in her arms,
the two of us falling toward the newly crumbling ground. Her hold on
me is tight, my cheek slowly brushing against hers to assure her that
I'm all right. I can feel the ground beneath us starting to break now,
but neither of us move from this very spot. We simply lie here,
holding one another in each other's arms, the tears on her cheeks
melding with one another. My body tries to move away out of impulse,
but Shion's arms tighten their hold around me.
"Don't leave me," she whispers in my ear. "Please Elly, never leave me
ever again..."
"Shion...," I find my body settling with her words.
The surface below us disappears at this very moment, but our hold that
binds us together is as strong as ever. I feel the wind quickly
blowing against the sides of our faces, but I still feel the warmth of
her body against mine. My heart is racing, but my lips are curled and
my body calm. I know we're going to die, but at least I'm going to die
in the arms I love.
I've been... so selfish and immature these past few days, I wish I was
able to tell her and everyone else what I knew sooner. I wish we could
have created more memories together; memories we could look back upon
and smile, not ones we'd look back on with contempt. I wish I could
wake up next to her once again, I wish we could have made love at least
one more time. I wish... I wish she could have said that she loved me
once more...
"Elly...," my lover's voice barely whispers. "I love you..."
"...I love you too, Shion..."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(chaos's POV)
"Nephilim?!"
What is this? I don't feel her presence anymore. No, that's not
entirely true, something's missing, I still sense her, but... A piece
of her, I feel as if a part of her is gone, but why? It can't be! The
others, what could have happened to them?!
"R-CANNON!" the voice of one of my opponents suddenly calls.
The projectile moves forward with an incredible velocity, but I make no
attempt to move. The shell explodes shortly after, filling the entire
area around me with smoke. The attack has struck me, but I find no
sensation of pain from the blast. I find my blood beginning to boil
suddenly, my teeth forcing itself onto my jaw, and my fingers wrapped
tightly by my thumb. My eyes are shut, but my eyelids do nothing to
hold their floods. I can't feel her presence, half of her is gone, and
her other half...
My entire body begins to grow warm at this moment, my blood burning
like acid and my nails drawing blood through the material of my gloves.
Another shell fires toward me, but again I do nothing to fight it. Two
more follow, but again they have no effect. A fifth follows, but this
time I find my head turning toward the projectiles and the back of my
hand swatting it to the farthest wall. The smoke from the attack fades
away shortly after, but my anger has not subsided at the very
slightest.
The mass-produced KOS-MOS unit fires again, but this time I find my
body moving forward, charging in as fast as I can. My fist quickly
connects with the abdomen of the machine, my fingers unfurling inside
and closing again so that they take hold of several wires within. The
one with the twin gatling guns begins to fires not, but each bullet
stops the moment it touches my skin, quickly falling to the floor
afterward. I extract my hand now, pulling out the innards of the
machine, causing it to short circuit and fall. I take the collection
of wires and other parts in my hand and throw them at the one shooting
at me with all of my strength, the force behind my throw breaking off
its head. The remaining one takes its scythe and swings at my neck,
but the blade shatters the moment it touches my skin. I grab the pole
of the weapon at this point, my fingers easily crushing it after
wrapping around it. The palm of my left hand points toward it now,
the machine's body quickly being pushed back by an invisible force
until it is engraved into a wall.
"I haven't seen you this angry in who knows how long," a voice I never
wanted to hear again flows into my ears. "I think I remember the last
time I saw you this angry, it was when..."
"Don't you dare speak!" I find myself losing my temper further, forcing
my will toward the source, only to find it blocked by their own. "What
is it you want from me, Pellegri?!"
"Is this how you greet an old friend?" she asks as she approaches me.
"Last we spoke, I thought we weren't exactly 'friends,'" I point out.
"True, but there's no one else around," she continues, "you needn't
call me by that name, just as I don't have to call you by yours."
"I like 'chaos' just fine," I tell her, "and I have no intention of
calling you by your real name either, nor do I have any wish to be
called by my own."
"As you wish, 'chaos,'" she corrects herself.
"Why are you here?" I ask again. "Did you come here to follow up the
work of the 'Pale Horse?' Were you responsible for bringing the Black
Testament here?"
"No, that's not why I'm here," she answers. "I simply came to give you
a message from 'him.' He says, 'your return to the stage is now at
hand. You can no longer escape in the curtain, your act begins once
again.'"
"Never!" I try to force her away again, only to have her jump her away
before it can touch. "I'll never be part of it, never again!"
"Was this belief forced upon you by the people?" she asks. "I remember
back then, you would do everything 'he' asked without question, and now
look at you. You've been poisoned, Ye..."
"I don't go by that name anymore!" I scream, my power trying to strike
at her once again.
"You can't run from it forever, you coward," Pellegri taunts. "In
fact, you never ran away from it. You were always with those who were
involved, even now as you so desperately cling on to 'her' memory, even
though one of 'her' new selves is in the arms of another. Come to
think of it, 'she' never truly left either, did she?"
"That's enough!"
"It's just so hard to see you like this," she sighs. "Fine, I'll leave
you alone for now, but keep this in mind, 'he' will be seeing you soon,
Yeshua."
She begins to disappear afterward, her entire body becoming translucent
before disappearing into the atmosphere. I find my anger beginning to
subside a little at this moment, my thoughts now locked upon the words
she had just said. I'm... a coward, I've just been running away for
the longest time. I realize now that I haven't been running away
entirely, I have been running toward my destiny all along. How I still
cling so desperately to 'her,' how I've gotten myself involved with the
others, all this time, I've been running toward my fate just as 'he'
wanted. Though it was never running away, it was running behind, never
straight on like her. Elly, I thought the two of us were very similar
when we first met, but now... Unlike you, I can't tell everyone what
is truly going on, I can't bring myself to grow close to anyone else, I
can't... It's just like how it was back then, when you and your sister
were...
No, now is not the time to reminisce. If I can't sense 'her' anymore,
then I must at least finish what the two of us planned not too long
ago...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Citrine's POV)
Frozen, everything just feels so frozen. The ceiling, not once have I
ever looked at it for so long... My head feels as if it's spinning, my
thoughts swishing around my brain endlessly over what just happened.
My entire body feels so sore, everything from above my legs is
paralyzed by a large jolt of pain. My eyes, I feel something beginning
to trickle out of them. Am I crying? No, I never cried before, I
never wanted to cry, a U.R.T.V. is never supposed to cry, never
supposed to have any emotions whatsoever.
"How are you feeling, Citrine?" a raspy voice echoes in my left ear.
I say nothing as he asks this question, but my voice choking from my
own tears. He waits for me to speak, but he leaves soon before I can
respond. Once again I focus on the ceiling, focusing on anything to
take my mind off the pain.
Yuriev, my father, I can never get used to these exclusive meetings
with me during the evening. No matter how many times he summons me, no
matter how many times I feel his hands running down my body, no matter
how many times he enters me, I can never get used to it. The pain, the
paralysis, the bleeding, I can never rid myself of these things every
time we do this. He says there is a reason why he does this with me
and only me, he says that the other female U.R.T.V.'s are easily
broken, that none of them were as strong as I am.
"You were created to be a very special girl, Citrine," he would always
tell me. "You are stronger than the others, the strongest out of all
of them. You are just like your mother; you know the importance of
duty, you follow my orders and mine alone. You are willing to give
your life away to me and the mission, willing to do what ever I ask.
That is what makes you special, Citrine."
"I am special," I find myself repeating the words he always tells me.
"I am special. It's because I don't question his ability to act, it's
because I know the importance of duty that I am the strongest in the
U.R.T.V. Forces."
The door to the room begins to creak now, my legs can't help but close
inward so that I may brace myself for the searing agony he places
inside me once again. I do not find him on the other side of the door
however, instead I find another, one whom does not share the same fate
as me.
"Albedo...?" I immediately recognize the white-haired boy.
"...Citrine," he weakly calls my name.
He looks at me with fluid escaping his irises, the violet orbs
practically melting. His usual smile is no longer plastered on his
face, instead his lips are curled downward and his jaw quivering. A
small whimper escapes his voice, his eyes burrowing into the mattress I
lie on. He takes my hand, his grip strong and tight. I can do nothing
but stare at him as he cries, puzzled as to why he feels this way.
"What's going on in there?!" our father's raspy voice yells from the
other side of the bathroom door.
The entrance to the levorotary swings open now, the knob slamming
against the wall next to it. Yuriev stands in the entrance, his face
scrunched and his body heaving heavily. His eyes quickly turn to the
male Variant, his feet stomping into the ground as he approaches him.
Albedo finds himself being knocked to the side, struck by the knuckles
of our creator. Another swing follows, this one from the opposite side
and knocking him to the ground. The U.R.T.V. tries to crawl away, only
to have some of his hair gathered into our father's fist. The two of
them begin to leave the room now, Albedo screaming as Yuriev drags him
outside.
"You stupid little brat!" I hear him yell from the other side, along
with the sound of more cries.
I hear the sound of crunching on the other side, along with more
whimpers. I find myself pulling against the sheets of the mattress,
pulling myself out of the bed and onto the floor. Just the feel of the
ground creates another jolt of pain to surge through my entire being.
I wrap the bed sheet around my body at this point, my legs barely
inching forward and my body nearly falling with every step. As I make
my way out the door, I hear Yuriev's yelling continuing.
"How dare you question my actions! You're a weakling, Albedo, a
pathetic weakling, one not worthy enough to be one of the Variants, no,
the U.R.T.V. Variants in general."
"...that's a lie," I hear Albedo retort.
"What...?!"
"I said that's a lie! I question your actions not as a member of the
U.R.T.V. Forces, but as another human being. No, I don't question
them, I'm repulsed by them! What you were doing to Citrine just wasn't
right! I saw how much she was hurting, and you still...!"
"Silence! You have some nerve to say such a thing to me, Albedo, me,
the one responsible for your creation!"
"Yuriev," I find myself standing in the doorway now, "what are you...?"
"This is none of your business, Citrine," he answers, his temper
suddenly disappearing. "I'm just giving the rightful punishment to
this weakling."
"Weakling?" the word puzzles me.
"Yes, weakling. He's such a weakling, talking about morals and other
things U.R.T.V.'s shouldn't be concerned about. It's truly pathetic."
"Pathetic..."
"No, Citrine, don't listen to him!" Albedo cries. "What he's doing to
you isn't right, regardless of..."
"Enough!" our father orders, his foot smashing his face into the
concrete surface. "You've said enough already, Albedo, how much more
punishment do you think you can take. You should consider yourself
lucky, if you weren't the Variant with regenerative powers, you would
be dead now."
"It hurts...," the white-haired U.R.T.V. barely speaks.
"Look at you, the look of anguish on your face, that sensation, can you
feel it?" he taunts. "It's the feeling of pain; your wounds may heal,
but your body will always remember the agony, it's vital to one's
existence, is it not? Nigredo, Rubedo," he calls in the other two
Variants. "Watch him, make sure he doesn't leave this room."
"But sir...," Rubedo tries to speak.
"But nothing!" Yuriev interrupts. "Or do you also wish to receive the
same treatment as Albedo?"
"...no sir."
"Come along, Citrine, let's leave this weakling to wallow in his own
weakness."
The images around me begin to blur at this point, molding into a single
piece of scenery and color. I feel my back lying against a cold,
metallic surface, my eyes staring into an endless black abyss above. I
begin to push my arms against the floor beneath me, my eyes drifting to
the sides so that I may observe some of my surroundings. I find
various computer terminals around me, each of their screens lit up with
a bunch of 0's and 1's. It is now that I remember what had just
happened moments ago. Damn machines, didn't think they would
actually...
"Did you have a dream of the past?" I find a figure beginning to
suddenly appear before me. "Was it a good dream?"
"That's none of your business, Voyager," I spit at the black-cloaked
individual.
"Can I ask you something?" he says as I return to my feet, patting away
the dust off my clothing.
"What?"
"Yuriev, was it he that hammered those beliefs into your head?" he
asks. "Was it because of his love for you that you dedicated your life
to his cause?"
"...I don't want to hear anything like that from you," I answer, my
eyes turned away from his. "What went on between the two of us when I
was six and then on, it wasn't love, it was..."
"A test of loyalty, do you honestly believe that?"
"And just what do you know?!" I remove my gun from its holster, its
barrel aimed directly between his eyes.
"Temper, temper, Citrine," he smiles, "it was just a question. By the
way, you took a nasty fall, don't you think?" he changes the subject.
"If it had been any other person, they would have surely died."
"I'm not any other person, keep that in mind," I tell him. "I'm sure
not any other person would be able to fire rapid shots from a .50
caliber for that matter either, their entire arm might've broken off
from the recoil after only four shots. Though I do admit, I do enjoy
these kinds of clothes more than the ones you and the others assigned
me."
"The yellow cloak," he reminds me, "it suits you well, does it now,
'Testament of Sameness?'"
"I hate that name," I tell him, the mentioned clothing appearing on my
skin. "I thought I told you back then, I preferred the title of 'Pale
Horse,' it works better than 'Yellow Testament' or 'Testament of
Sameness,' right, 'Testament of Death?'"
"My title is better than all of yours," Voyager smirks.
"Whatever. In any case, they should arrive here in any minute," I
inform him. "The 'Mother of Destiny' and her comrades have fallen for
our trap, even with the 'Great Evil' on their side, they haven't
predicted this."
Soon Rubedo, soon revenge shall be mine. I told you back then that if
you were to deny me of my reason to exist, I would do the same to you.
Once I have accomplished this, I can finally achieve our true purpose...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
cbman's Note: Well, how was it? A few revelations in this chapter, but
another question. The 'Mother of Destiny' and 'Inheritor of True
Will,' we'll get the answers for these in the next chapter. I guess
now we've hit the halfway mark for this fic now, I hope you're all
enjoying it so far. On the subject of Miang's vision in this chapter,
it's the opposite of Elly's visions. Elly has visions when she's
asleep, Miang on the other hand, has visions when she's awake. What
these visions are will be explained later on, but I'll hint at this, it
all points to Nephilim. Well reviews would be greatly appreciated,
hopefully they won't be flames. Guess that's it for now, hope to see
ya in the next chapter.
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