123 The Hands Drenched In The Blood Of Comrades

(A/N: This chapter contains HEAVY SPOILERS regarding the game of FGO. If you play it and haven't completed part 1, you may want to skip this.)

Two days. It has been two days since Seth arrived on the island. After the little scare he gave those children, his recovery rate did nothing but increase. He had to admit it, hearing their shocked voices was something truly pleasant.

Following his little game, and conversing with them a little more, mainly about what they would do from now on, he told them to let him rest for a while. As much as he enjoyed using their negative emotions to help him, he didn't want them to be around much longer than they needed to.

He didn't have to tell them twice, as they readily exited the dungeon with a speed that matched his own. It was a comic sight to behold, that's for sure. With some time alone, he could reorganize his thoughts about the most recent events, beginning with his fight against his student.

'That damned guy. His last attack...anti-evil and anti-divine combined? Talk about something overpowered.' For the brief moment Thutmose's attack connected with him, he felt with his own flesh the nature of the strike. Whatever he did in the end, it didn't just give him a slight boost in his abilities.

"I was afraid you would be disappointed in me; I feared that the most, but now...I can finally go with peace of mind." Those were his words in his last's moments. Even as tears fell from where his eyes used to be, the happiness they contained was genuine. Even when he was dying again, earning his peaceful and deserved rest, which meant he wouldn't be able to see his teacher ever again, he still smiled with happiness.

The Egyptian God should be feeling happy for it as well. His student was able to keep his promise, although not fully so. He would be able to reunite with his wife in the afterlife, to be freed from the task he imparted on him. And yet...

'And yet...why is it that it hurts this much...?' Seth slowly but surely moved his hand and clutched his chest where his heart should be. His eyes, now hazy due to the mysterious blindness, should contain joy for such an outcome, but grief was the only thing found in them.

This feeling...he hated it. How could he not? After all, it only appeared when he lost something, or rather someone, precious to him. And to Seth, who didn't have many of those to begin with, it hurt more.

No matter the number of times he told himself he was too old for this sentimentalism shit, he couldn't erase that undesirable feeling.

'Another one...another one...by my hands...!' No amount of words could describe the sensation that plagued his heart. Apophis...Anjed...Thor...and now Thutmose. It was starting to get tiring. Again and again, the process repeated like a broken record.

The level of self-loathing was only comparable to the impotence he felt for not being able to change anything. But this was nothing new to him. At this point, the situation was something he was already used to.

"How long are you planning to be like that? Don't tell me you survived your encounter only to die of depression now." A voice came from Seth's side, much to his surprise. It was one that he already knew who it belonged, but it did nothing to hide his confusion.

"What are you doing in the outside world, Stargazer? Just so you know, I'm not in the mood for your jokes." Although his vision was failing him at the moment, that didn't mean his ears were. He could recognize that irritating voice anywhere.

"I discovered I could do this not long ago, so I decided to try it out. Sadly, it's a mere projection, but that's beside the point. Do I have to remind you that your emotions affect my little house? As we speak, Olga is cleaning the floor because water somehow managed to get inside the throne room. I would appreciate it if you could act your age for once." Paying no mind to Seth's previous words, Stargazer berated him in a joking manner.

"Is that all?" The frown on his face was enough indication of how little it amused him what he said. In normal circumstances, he would tolerate the clown behavior of his, but now it was different. Even if the only thing he could do like before was speaking, he would make sure to make him regret it.

"Geez, calm down. No need to be like a teenager who discovered her crush had a girlfriend." He said humorously before suddenly turning serious. "Actually...I came for something else."

Seth's animosity decreased, albeit slightly. If he decided to stop and talk about something else then he would at least listen. "What do you want?"

"Before that. What do you plan to do about the upcoming battle? Seeing as you ignored my advice and did exactly what I told you not to, I assume you have a backup plan or something along those lines." Stargazer questioned him with crossed arms. As much as he wanted to insult him many times over for not listening to him, the Demonic Figure knew now was not appropriate. He wasn't as heartless as one might think.

Seth pondered about something for a few seconds before answering. "I haven't thought of a plan yet. I immediately went unconscious after the battle, and when I woke up I spent my time speaking with the cat and the father of the slacker. After that, I dedicated all my hours to recuperate, so I haven't bothered with my next moves."

An audible groan escaped Stargazer's mouth. "Why am I not surprised? Well, what's done is done. There is no point in complaining about it now. That said, I didn't expect our little doc to be that man. That dog nose of yours sure comes in handy in the most unexpected situations." He nodded to himself repeatedly, as if wanting to emphasize his point.

There was a visible twitch in Seth's eyebrows, but otherwise, he didn't show any changes in his expression. "You talk like you didn't know it already."

Stargazer merely shrugged his shoulders, neither confirming nor denying his statement. "We will have to address that topic later, especially considering that those tentacles with eyes are related to Solomon. But more importantly, did you notice? Our objective is here, on this island."

"...You are right. It's normal that if David is here, the Ark will be too. The question is how am I going to get it. I wouldn't be surprised if he stands guard around it from now on. Considering I'm the 'oh so terrible Satan,' he would try to keep me away from the Ark as much as possible." With him in this condition, there was bound to be obstacles in completing his mission.

"Don't forget that if he dies, the Ark will disappear with him. Even if it is frowned upon by their religion, if worse comes to worst, the possibility of him committing suicide is highly probable." Stargazer reminded him about a crucial point that he should take into account. It might seem easy at first glance, but there was more to it than just that.

"I am aware of it. However, I'm powerless in that regard. The old man and I don't get along that well, especially after I devoured one of his birds. I don't doubt he will protect David if I try to mind-control him. We will have to do it the hard way." Seth said, causing Stargazer to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, right. I'm sure you would have done so if the geezer wasn't protecting that lettuce head." Same as Stargazer did before, he neither confirmed nor denied it.

After taking a moment to think of something, the white-haired demon spoke to Seth once more. "It seems the only choice is to rely on 'him.' He proved capable of absorbing a Holy weapon like Longinus, so I don't think the Ark will pose too much trouble for him."

A sigh of defeat escaped the Egyptian God's mouth. "So in the end, we have got no alternative other than to use him, huh? I was hoping it didn't come to it, but if it's the only way then so be it."

Stargazer raised an eyebrow at that. "You are awfully cooperative. Knowing your opinion on Mr. Bones, I assumed you would offer more resistance to the idea. I am beginning to wonder if you didn't hit your head too hard or something on the way here."

Seth's expression, which had been slowly returning to normal as the conversation kept going, took a turn for the worse. "...I realized there are more important things than my pride...or my personal likings for the matter. As long as it doesn't go too far, I am willing to set aside beliefs."

'...So you have already reached that stage on your transition. That will make things easier for both of us. Although...I wonder if you will let Mr. Chaos take control if the situation requires it, Mr. Order.'

"Don't sweat the small stuff. It's not like anything bad is going to happen, so just sit back, enjoy your peaceful time, and make sure to recover." Stargazer said dismissively with a wave of his hand.

"...You just had to jinx it, didn't you?" Now it was official, a situation where he would curse everyone in the world for the events that led to it was going to happen, there was no doubt about it.

"Who knows? What's bound to happen will happen, regardless of the words that I say. When it comes to fate, we can choose the race, but once we are on the starting line, there's no going back, you would do well in remembering it." He might have said it in the spur of the moment, but Seth knew what Stargazer was talking about had a deeper meaning to it, but he didn't feel like knowing what it was, for now.

The black-haired man stayed silent for a few seconds. It might have been the still-present physical wounds...or the other ones, but he didn't feel the desire to talk anymore. Even so, he at least did the effort. "Anyway, you said you came here for something. What was it?" His voice was lazy and tired, proof that he wouldn't last much longer without falling asleep to keep recuperating without interruptions.

Stargazer didn't answer, he simply walked to him and put something in his hands. Seth was confused at first, but when he touched it and felt what it was, his face almost convulsed. "You must be joking, right? You more than anyone should know that my blindness won't get fixed by a stupid pair of spectacles!"

The Demon snorted, but there was some traces of amusement on it. "Do you think I don't know? Those ones are special, special I tell you! It can decrease your blindness up to 30%! Hurry up because it's a limited time offer that you cannot pass!"

'Why...just why...' This must be Karma, old and bitchy Karma. How else could he explain...this. It was not even sad, it was just...depressing.

Seeing the state he was in, and having already had his fun, Stargazer decided it was enough of the jokes. "Your blindness was caused by your power. I, as someone similar, can somehow offset those effects. The only problem with that is the fact you would need to absorb me, but I am not planning to die yet, so this is the best I can do." He, obviously, ommited the part that he could have made any kind of artifact with any shape, but the image of a nerdy Seth was too funny to pass on it. It was a shame he had to make them rectangular and not round, otherwise he wouldn't use them. But hey, he would be able to laugh at him nonetheless.

"Just kill me already..." He didn't have any strength left to complain. The days were going from bad to worse at this point.

"Don't be like that. It's not like it is the end of the world, is it? Well, I have nothing more to say, so I will be taking my leave. For now, go to sleep. You will receive a visit from someone to help you with unlocking the second Noble Phantasm of this Singularity. Try and be nice, bye bye!" With that, he started disappearing to return to his little home.

Seth "watched" him fade little by little from reality, even if what he saw was only a blur. "Stargazer—" He spoke his name, gaining the Demon's attention before merely shaking his head. "No...nothing, forget it."

The white-haired figure smirked. 'You are welcome, partner. It's not like I don't know how the loss of someone you considered a son is affecting you. After all, this is not the first nor the second time, is it? It's actually the fourth...'

"Sure, see you later." With those words, he left the wounded God alone to rest.