Chapter 11 - Part 6 - Zorya, Evelina and Bonds

????

Ignia

God dammit, who the fuck are these assholes?

Don! Boom! Fwshh!!

I had gone out of the universe my father was in, and had been traveling the multiverse, but I had come across these weird dark-shadowy assholes that wouldn't stop trying to attack me! I'm stronger than them, but they're just relentless since they keep pursuing me!

Gathering flames around my hand, I throw it towards them and incinerate them! But like usual, they were killed, but even more showed up. This is fucking stupid! Did I fuck up? Am I going to die this way? Hell no! I won't die a shitty death!

"I'll fucking kill you all—"

Zwop ~

"…I had them!"

"Sure you did ~ they're our new friends, Ignia-chan! Don't start antagonizing them!"

"Friends?"

Lapis opened a portal behind me and pulled me through it. I was back at our base. But what the fuck did she mean by new friends? Are they from a different universe? Are they like the Mechanical Gods of ExE? If so, father needs to find out about this…

"They're called the Crepuscule Phantasma, and they're going to be helping us with daddy ~"

"Explain."

She put a finger on her chin and nodded.

"They are two of the new friends we made. Rize-chan and Hades-chan assisted with it, huhu ~ buuut, Melvazoa-chan is being a meanie and is being unreasonable with his demands! He wants to wipe out the Etouldes first before coming to this world and helping conquer it. But we said that we'd help kill the Etouldes when they finish with this world first!"

"Ah, if you don't know, the Evies are the Mechanical life forms of Evie Etoulde, and Melvazoa-chan leads them ~ anyway, I'm leaving the negotiations to them, the one leading the Crepuscule Phantasma iiiissss, drum roll please ~"

I did not do such a thing and she huffed at me.

"You're no fun! Anyway, she's called Phumera, and she has a right-hand woman called Yve ~ you won't see them any time soon though… Buuut Regalzeva, the older brother of Melvazoa-chan is planning to try to come here soon. He said he'd try to go through the Dimension Gap, but I advised against it because daddy's shadows are there ~ so if he dies it won't be on us. I've told them about this, but Regalzeva-chan is confident he can kill them."

Lapis smirked evilly.

"Let's see how well the Fierce God and Invincible Devastator do against daddy's monsters ~"

If I remember correctly, Godzilla, Mothra, Kamish and Bellion are in the Dimensional Gap… I really don't see that guy winning, but…

"How strong is he?"

"Hmm ~? Are you interested in fighting him ~? Well too bad, you can't! He's at least Universal now. He was formally at the same power as a True Dragon or Dragon God, buuuut since mommy helped them rise in power years ago, they're much stronger ~"

Lapis lost her cheerful attitude and looked at me seriously.

"It makes you wonder how fucking incompetent they are, if they can't even defeat the Etouldes led by Resetoras… If those high-ranked Spirit Gods can still keep up with them, then the Evies are as useless as the Crepuscule Phantasma."

She sighed one more time and reverted back to being cheerful.

"Buuut ~ we'll just have to play along, don't we ~? Hehe ~ I wonder if daddy has found out about them yet ~? Phumera did say they sent scouts to this world already, huhuhuhu ~"

They already did? Shit, then there's a high chance that father already came into contact with them. I'll contact him soon then; I need to play my part since I've been absent for quite some time. But… Lapis is strangely intimidating when she stops being the cheerful yandere towards father…

Is that why I feel uneasy around here from time to time?

"Oh by the way ~ the Crepuscule Phantasma was helped by an Outer God like mother at one point in time ~ they were called… Magnum Tenebrosum or Uncle Darkness ~!"

"Another Outer God, huh? Are they awake?"

"No ~ buuut Phumera and the rest of the Crepuscule Phantasma are trying to wake him up ~ if they succeed it'll be very interesting, don't you think? Huhu ~"

"Well, it certainly would be…"

I don't think father would like that though. Lapis then twirled around before skipping away. Alright, let's play the role of being a leader for the next few days or even a week before I contact father. I can't have Lapis be suspicious of me, also where the fuck did Meruem go?

…

Prawia

Jin Skyward

"Are they okay?"

I asked only slightly worried.

When they arrived Perun was very drunk. He was basically being carried by both Mokosh and Dodola, and the other Gods obviously reeked of alcohol. Honestly, I expected something like this from the Irish Gods, but geez, these guys really took it up to eleven, didn't they?

"We'll be heading home for the night, Middleman. Until tomorrow… Oh yes, about those documents…"

"Ah, right… I'll teleport them to the table in that room before I set out tomorrow."

Mokosh smiled and nodded before leaving with the drunk Perun. Meanwhile the other Gods were awake, although they weren't any better off than him, so they stumbled away…

"We'll be fine, right?"

"Yes they will, Sir Jin. I will help them back…"

Ollopa replied and started with Dazhbog. The other Gods sat down on the pavement and waited for them. I guess this is normal for them, huh? I shrugged and looked at the rest of the girls, and we made our way back to the inn.

"How was it after I left?"

"They got even wilder, they nearly destroyed the place but Lavinia-sama created a barrier to prevent it, although the Goddesses suspect her to be stronger than them…"

Ravel answered, although she looked exhausted. So I decided to pick her up and carry her. She didn't have the energy to be embarrassed or protest, so she just thanked me. However, so what if they know? They can't exactly do anything about it.

We finally made it to our room. The girls immediately changed into their nightwear. All of them wore some sort of pajama. Nia on the other hand wore some very sexy lingerie. But I sat down in a chair instead of joining them.

"I spoke to Valerie about this earlier, so I want to tell you guys now."

They looked at Valerie who smiled back at them and then back at me. So I told them what had happened before I met up with them again in Sustroma. After my explanation they all fell silent and thought about it.

"If you don't want to partake, then you can come with me, but I hope you do."

That's all I said to them. I mean, if they don't want to then I can't really fault them. But they all agreed in the end so it all worked out.

"I'm fine with it. I think finding out more about her during tomorrow's visit will benefit us. After that we can probably try helping her and proceed with Cúntóir's suggestion if all else fails."

Lavinia said, and the others agreed.

"I can give her my accounts from a noble family."

"I'm from a normal human home, so I can tell her about that."

"I have my own too… Even if vampires are a bit weird."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god they're all on board with this. Otherwise, it would have been a bit awkward if I didn't get anything done.

[Would you have resorted to changing her fundamentally, Partner?]

It's tough to say, but… Maybe, even if my moral compass might not align with it.

"Anyway! Aaron!"

Pat ~ Pat ~ Pat ~

"Come her, now!"

Lavinia demanded and I laughed at her, so I stripped down to my underwear and joined them. Ravel was still quite unaccustomed to it, so she blushed when she joined the rest of them.

…

Jin's Soul

"Hmm? Which part of my soul am I in now…?"

"Jin, can we talk?"

Turning around, I saw Rudra seated in a chair. He gestured for me to join him and so I did. He seemed quite serious, so I switched mindsets for this.

"What did you want to talk about?"

I asked him, but he looked at the table for quite some time before looking back up at me and speaking.

"I've been thinking, what will you do once you go to mine and Velgrynd's world?"

"…What will I do? …I mean, see what it's like? Does it differ from Canon, or is it the same? I mean, since you two are involved with me, then it certainly can't be normal, right? Since it's part of this multiverse… I wonder if the ExE, or CxP have invaded it since you two left?"

I told him.

"I've been wondering that since I found out about the CxP. More questions started popping up. If this multiverse was connected to a bunch of other universes that I may potentially know, what's stopping those guys from eradicating them, and or brain-washing potentially powerful characters to do their bidding? What if they travel to another alternate reality of your world, mind control the True Dragons there, the Primordial Demons, and Heroes and bring them over here? What about other powerful characters?"

Rudra's face grew with concern and he looked back down at the table. I wish it wasn't this overly complicated, and I do hope they don't attack this universe with, I don't know, one hundred Madara's powered up to Dragon God levels with, or an army of Anos, Rimuru, Urek, Jin Woo, Gojo, and Saitama's as their henchmen or something, like fuck, that would be annoying to deal with…

Although that's a worst-case scenario, I doubt they could control powerful people like them, but it's still a very small possibility. I mean, the CxP aren't trying to re-awaken Magnum Tenebrosum, are they? That would be impossible… Probably.

"What do you think is most likely to happen, J— Aaron?"

I chuckled and told him my thoughts just now, and he sighed.

"While I don't think that's out of the realm of possibilities, think more logically, please."

"Logically, huh? Okay, let's start with your world. When I go there, honestly it will depend on where I am in the timeline. If it's at the start, honestly, I won't do much... Maybe help Rimuru gain power quicker? Build his monster empire? Go over to your empire? Kick Michael's ass? Fuck up Heaven over there?"

Furthermore, it depends on whether I've evolved or not. So… I can't really say. But if it's towards the end or middle, I might just start my own small settlement, since I am building a food empire here after all. Maybe even incorporate my restaurant there?"

Rudra looked at me and sighed again.

"What if you show up hundreds of years beforehand? What then?"

"…Save Veldanava? I mean, I wish that both of them were alive and with Millim. It makes me wonder how she would be if she had her parents, you know? If Velgrynd is already missing, then befriend Velzard, Veldora and have dragons as back up man-power if those ExE and CxP Gods come knocking."

"I mean… Isn't he like your father-in-law or whatever because of Velgrynd? Cause you know, Lucia…"

"…Aaron, is this the reason you are so hesitant with Velgrynd? Are you planning on resurrecting me after you evolve?"

"…"

"It's obvious you like her, I mean, just looking through your memorie—"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!! Stop!!!"

I waved my hands frantically in front of me and I blushed furiously. I don't want to hear it! Shit! Dammit! Rudra was stunned for a moment before laughing.

"Why are you embarrassed? It was already obvious from the start."

"…Ugh, even if I do, I can't do it. Look… I'll definitely find a way to bring you back. Like how I'll save Azathoth, so just—"

"I don't want to be brought back, Aaron."

I stared at him stunned. W-What the fuck do you mean you don't want to?! Velgrynd wants it! She knows that it's a possibility because when I evol—

"Wasn't your rule that you would let the soul choose? Or are you deviating from that rule of yours?"

"I mean, yeah, but—"

"Then please respect my wishes to disappear. Perhaps I wish to die as a human, even if I am probably long past being such a thing... I can leave the rest to you, I know you'll be able to do it much better than me."

I sighed and put my head on the table… I'm not just thinking of you, I'm doing it for the both of you…

"I know what you're thinking, Toole. You're doing it for me and her, aren't you? I'll admit that I still love her, and I'm sure Velgrynd still feels the same way, but I've been slowly trying to hand her over to you. Hey, maybe in some other alternate reality I do get that ending, but not here, and I'm fine with that."

He said calmly. When I looked back at him, he just gave me a smug look, fuck you too… He got up and stood beside me, so I got up too.

"Look, Aaron… I have my own plans. Once we reach my world, I will take over, spend some time with some former friends, and I may take the liberty of using your powers to speak to... Deceased ones. I have others, but it's better to keep them a secret."

He holds his fist up for a fist bump. God dammit man… You're killing me here.

"Do not hesitate. You will be the ruler in the future. Now bump your fist with me."

I sighed and relented.

"Fine…"

I bumped my fist with him and I started to fade away. Rudra just gave me a sad look as I faded away. I don't even know what kind of expression I was showing him right now, but he did look like he was pitying me.

Rudra… I've spent a total of 20 years with you along with everyone in my harem and soul. I look up to you as a veteran leader of an empire, and as an older brother I never had. The times I spent being taught by you in my soul during my time in the [Pocket Dimension], I won't forget them…

You mean as much to me as Ddraig, Albion and the girls. Saying goodbye to you in the future will be as difficult as seeing the girls die or those two stupid dragons.

But…

I'll be forced to accept it.

Fuck you! …Dammit…!

…

"Oh, you're here already, Jin? It's quite early."

"…Hey Perun, I just dropped off the documents here, and I know this may sound unreasonable, but can you try to finish it today, if not, then tomorrow will be fine too…"

I told him and gestured at the documents on the table. Along with him, Mokosh, Dodola and Yarilo were also there. He looked at it and nodded.

"Hmm. I expected them to be many, very well. We will try to read through them all by today, but if not, we will get it done by tomorrow."

"Thanks."

I started to leave the room when he called out to me again.

"You are off to Menyev today, are you not?"

"Yeah?"

"I wish you luck."

I nodded and left the room. Once I flashed stepped out of the building I sighed. The girls weren't awake yet, but after having that conversation with Rudra, I couldn't fall back to sleep, so I've stayed up for the last three hours. It's around six in the morning now.

"Haaa… What to do—"

Grip ~

"Hmm? Oh, it's you."

I began walking around the place with no destination in mind, but I was quickly stopped when Zorya grabbed my wrist again. She nodded after I acknowledged her.

"Do you need something?"

I asked but she didn't really say or do anything… So I just started to walk away, but she kept on holding my wrist. It felt weird, so I just decided to hold her hand instead, and I got a small reaction from her.

"…"

She squeezed my hand. That was the reaction. It's small, but it's something. I might as well ask about Menyev since I know nothing about it. I spotted a small bench and walked over to it. Once I sat down, she also did, although she didn't stop holding my hand.

"Can you tell me anything about Menyev? Apart from what I already know from Anisimov."

She squeezed my hand twice. I don't know what that means, but I'll assume that it's a yes. So I waited for her to speak, and I waited for around five minutes, but she did eventually speak.

"…Zimadevushka…you…know…it…in…Japanese…as…Yuki…Onna…"

Zimadevushka? So its equivalent is the Yuki Onna, or snow woman. One lives over there?

"…Snow…elves, wyverns…snow serpents…more…fairy…variants…"

Snow elves, wyverns and snow serpents…? I didn't know there were variants of elves… I thought there were only high-elves and dark-elves, but alright then, you learn something new every day… Also, more of those Leshy variants? Then nighttime should be dangerous over there…

"Okay… So which ones will I have to look out for? Do you know what kind of request Evelina will ask me to do?"

She looked at me and nodded, so I was made to wait another five minutes.

"Shabunina…strong…Zimadevushka…she…lives…far…in…the…mountains…but…kidnaps…and…kills…people…Evelina wants you to kill her."

I stared at her a little surprised. I didn't think she was going to speak a full sentence without stopping every few seconds. I guess that's been bothering her too, huh? I mean it does threaten Evelina's safety, but…

"Why didn't you or the other Gods kill it?"

She just shook her head and didn't say anything. I guess they have some kind of rule or something? Anyway, whatever the case may be... I'll do it.

"Anything else?"

"…Mazen…large…serpent dragon…terrorizing…ice…elves…asked help…from Evelina…"

Okay wait, now I was confused. Are the ice elves hostile, friendly or what? She saw my confused expression and continued.

"Neutral…friendly…"

"Ah, I see… Anything else?"

But she shook her head. So that means I'll be killing a Zimadevushka and an ice serpent dragon thing. I also need to make contact with the ice elves to let them know…

Growl ~

However, suddenly I heard her stomach growl and I stared at her which made her blush. I guess she was hungry.

"Didn't you eat yet?"

She shook her head.

"I'll buy breakfast then, let's go."

Still holding hands, she leads me to a nearby restaurant/bar place. When we entered, we were greeted by the owner quite cheerfully. He was a buff middle-aged man with a goatee which I wasn't expecting…

"Oh? It's Lady Zorya, here for breakfast again? …Wait, is that the Middleman? Well color me surprised. Come in, come in, you two are the first today."

He gestured us up to the counter so we went over there. He looked at us holding hands and grinned.

"Hmm-hmm, so he's the one you've been talking about since you first saw him?"

The owner teasingly said to her and Zorya turned completely red, let go of my hand and started to flail her arms at the owner who just laughed. She was just making a weird sound while sounding completely livid at him. He just laughed at her again and gave me a menu.

I read it and recognized a few items, but the majority was unfamiliar to me. Therefore, being adventurous, I chose at random and ordered it.

"Oh, I'll be paying by the way."

I told the owner which made him look at Zorya with a massive grin. I'm not sure if what I was doing was helping her or not, but… This time she aimed her very light flailing at me instead. I didn't move, obviously, so I just took it all.

[I've been wondering, is this selective mutism? Or is she just shy?]

I dunno, Ddraig. It doesn't really bother me, since she still speaks, you know? Ddraig just gave me a grunt in response. The owner finally left after Zorya wouldn't stop hitting me. Man it makes me think that all Gods are weird and unique as hell. Especially this one…

I finally looked around the building and there were a lot of pictures of Perun, and the other Gods. There were also a few of a few landmarks in this city, and some of Russia, I think... I mean I haven't been there so I just assumed.

Zorya finally stopped hitting me and was just staring at the counter while blushing. During this time, I felt one of the girls finally wake up, and… It was Ravel.

[Aaron-sama? Where are you…?]

She asked through the [Communication Function], and I told her where I was, so she quickly got dressed, and came over here.

"Morning Ravel, sleep well?"

"Y-Yes, I did, Aa— Jin-sama. Um, are we having an early breakfast?"

"Yeah, I might as well. Do you want to order?"

She nodded and sat on my other side, so I called out for the owner and he came back, saw Ravel and handed her a menu. She picked the same dish as me and he went back to make an extra plate. I glanced at Ravel and she seemed nervous.

"Nervous about the task you need done?"

"No, well… Not entirely. I was just thinking about how I, or how we, should approach this. There are many ways, but since we're essentially strangers, we have to be a bit more delicate about the situation… Although, Zorya-sama is going to be there, right?"

She said and looked at me then at Zorya, who was also staring right back at her. Zorya nodded, but kept staring at Ravel. Ravel then noticed us holding hands, and so… She grabbed my other one. Why do I feel like some kind of silent war was happening…?

The personification of dawn/ Goddess of Dawn vs …Uh, essentially a phoenix? The owner popped his head out, saw the scene and just laughed loudly.

"Problems of a harem king, huh?"

[He said the line, Partner!]

"…"

I sighed and waited for the food and let these two silently glare at each other.

…

"It sure is lively here!"

The owner, whose name is Yurievich laughed quite loudly. Why, you may ask? Because…

"Kanami-chan, I get to sit here."

"One lap for each of us, Lavinia!"

The other girls had woken up and joined us. Currently, Zorya was to my left, Ravel to my right, Nia sitting on my left lap and Kanami on my right. Valerie just dragged a chair behind me and sat there eating. Yurievich didn't have any problems with that since at this time of day there weren't any customers.

"Haaa… You guys need to tone it down. What if customers start to come in?"

Valerie's attempts to reason with them fell on deaf ears as they kept bickering with each other. But Yurievich didn't really mind and said he enjoyed the lively atmosphere whether it was at day or night.

…

"Alright, let's get started then. Zorya we'll be following you again."

We had finished eating an early breakfast, and were about to head out. Since we were starting early, we could get a lot of things done today. Especially on my end, I don't know how long each of these will take, since I have to track down the Zimadevushka and the ice dragon serpent thing. But hopefully the ice elves can point me in the right direction.

Zorya nodded and flew up followed by the rest of us. Yurievich saw us off since there weren't that many customers still.

"…East."

So Menyev is east, huh? Without saying anything else, Zorya then flew east and we followed her.

…

After about thirty minutes of travel, I hadn't yet sensed any life near us, but I did sense some further away. Below us were mostly forests, or just large pillars of ice. We would also see the occasional creature but they were few and far between. I was flying beside Zorya when she looked at me.

"Underground…ice elves…home."

"They live underground? Do you know where?"

"…Will…take…later…then…go…back…to…Evelina…"

"I see, thanks."

That takes one problem off my list, but that means I'll be tackling the ice elves' request first. I was planning on taking on the Zimadevushka first, but this is fine too.

…

After another seventeen minutes of travel, we could finally see a giant rock jutting out of the ground and over a cliff. However, there also seemed to be a town built on it. Apparently, they weren't lying about it, but there was also part of the town on the ground and a little bit below. I'm guessing the large castle at the tip is where Evelina is.

"The lake isn't frozen…"

I heard Ravel mutter, and she was right, the lake wasn't frozen even with how cold this realm was. I thought it was incredible. I wonder if they did something to it to prevent it from freezing over?

"…Magic…"

Zorya muttered to us. Well, yeah, that makes sense. After that short exchange, we sped up and arrived in the town. Once we were there, Zorya was warmly greeted by its inhabitants.

"It's Lady Zorya!"

"H-Hey, she brought the Middleman with her too!"

"Are they getting married?"

After some random person shouted that last one out, Lavinia snapped her attention to them and sort of glared and puffed up her cheeks at them. They awkwardly laughed and backed away.

"Mmm?!"

"Down girl…"

I reached over to her and patted her head. In turn, she just latched onto me. However, Zorya smiled at them, nodded and waved her hand. I guess she's used to this attention, huh? She must be loved in this town…

However, Zorya quickly started walking up and we followed after her. It felt like we were going up a hill or mountain, but there were a lot of buildings near the top of this rock. We arrived at what seemed to be the 'center' of this part of the town and there were regular businesses like restaurants, clothes shops, and the like. Although most were selling winter clothing which made sense.

After letting us check the place out for two minutes Zorya pulled on my arm and we left the area, but quickly arrived at a large gate. The guards there saw Zorya and me, so they let us through without a problem. But they did have expressions that basically said 'help us' or 'help her'. So even with Evelina hating people, they still loved her as a Mayor? Now that's an achievement in of itself.

We quickly navigated our way to the castle's doors. It automatically opened without anyone doing anything. Maybe it recognized Zorya? In any case, upon entering, the place looked rather plain, with brown floors, walls, and ceilings, as well as a very minimal amount of furniture and décor.

"Looks like she's a minimalist in a lot of things…"

I muttered while looking around the place. But we quickly reached a living room type area and Evelina herself was there. Her face brightened when she saw Zorya, but quickly changed into a somewhat scowl when she saw the rest. Geez lady at least try to hide it…

However, Zorya pulled me to her level and whispered in my ear.

"I…spoke…with…her…last…night…"

I nodded and pulled away. I know she won't shake my hand, but I'll try. I put my hand out and introduced myself.

"Jin Skyward, Middleman, Dual Dragon Emperor. I'm here to take care of your requests. Zorya told me a bit about them, but can you elaborate?"

To my surprise, and even Zorya's, she shook my hand. However, she did try to squeeze it as hard as she could. She also had a very, very strained smile on her face. But she did tell me more about it.

"Call me Evelina. Lady Zorya told me that she would take you to the ice elves village first, so I will tell you about that first. Naumenko the Elder and leader of the Ice elves and I have been friends since before I became this town's mayor, as such we have a positive relationship."

In general, the Ice Elves are neutral towards everyone, but this time we are friendly with each other. Therefore, she has asked for my assistance, and I have requested your assistance in return. Not too long ago, a crystal ice dragon had been lurking around the underground section of their home, and they tried to ask it to leave, but it did not listen and has even killed one of theirs."

"In fear of their safety, they have temporarily moved elsewhere and only two remain there, the elder and her right-hand. It's simple, kill the dragon, report back to her and then to me."

She explained and took a breath. After a few seconds to let me process it, she continued.

"The second request is to kill a Zimadevushkam. This one gained notoriety and a name. She's called Shabunina. She had been mostly neutral over the last few years, but recently, some of my people and even their pets have gone missing. We thought they were just lost, but when we found them they were encased in ice that wasn't natural, and the places they were found were spots where she frequently visited."

"So in conclusion, she must be the one doing it. Please kill or capture her. We want answers."

Finally finished with the explanation she sighed. Zorya walked over to her and patted her on the shoulder and whispered a 'job well done' to her.

But… They're not sure if it's Shabunina or not, huh? Let's hope it's a misunderstanding then, but if not, I'll need to kill it too.

[Shadows?]

For both the dragon and Zimadevushkam? Most likely, I mean if I have to kill the Zimadevushkam that is. But we'll cross that road once we get there.

"Alright, Evelina. I'll try to get them all done today. I'll get started then."

She nodded and I turned around to leave. However, the girls came with me and we stopped around the corner.

"I'll leave it to you guys then—"

Shing!

Cúntóir came out and also joined them.

"You too, Cúntóir."

"Yes, leave it to me… Dear."

She paused to make it dramatic, and the girls looked at her, then back at me. Nia suddenly grabbed my hand and looked at me quite seriously.

"M-Me too, dear, leave it to m-me…!"

"Y-Yeah, good luc—"

But the others did the same thing, calling me dear... Geez, guys. You don't need to be competitive in everything you do... After a few more seconds of this, I finally left the building and got ready to set out, but as I was about to turn around and wait for Zorya, she came out.

"Let's—"

…

I didn't get a word in and she teleported us somewhere. In front of me was a large cave entrance. I didn't see any kind of civilization in there, so I'm guessing it's deeper? I looked at Zorya and she nodded.

"In…there…is…village…I will…go…back…now…"

"Yeah, thanks, and good luck on your end."

"Mmm…"

But before she left, she put my hand on her cheek and stayed like that for a few seconds while looking at me. I didn't know how to respond to this, so I just stared back, but she eventually let go of my hand and left.

"What a strange woman…"

'Hurry up and get started already!'

"Thank you, Velgrynd, for being such a supportive friend…"

She just scoffed at me. She seemed a bit more annoyed with me today. Did Rudra say something to her? I mean we did speak last night so her attitude to me makes sense if he did tell her something.

Shaking my head, I quickly ran into the cave. The inside was quite large. Strange glowing blue rocks were everywhere but they just generated some heat and light, no other properties. As I kept running through the long tunnel, I started to feel two energies getting nearer. I'm guessing it's the Elder and her assistant.

When the ground ended, there was only water, so I jumped down onto it and started running. After a few minutes of running on nothing but cave walls, glowing rocks, and water, I eventually came to a large area with buildings.

The buildings seemed to have been built into what looked like large tree roots, and most of them had a spherical roof. In a way, this place almost appeared futuristic with a hint of magic. However, I looked near the 'shore' of the island and saw two figures standing there. So I quickly flew over to them.

Using [Observe] on both of them, the elder had long straight periwinkle hair, and her eyes were also quite unique with blue and purple in them. She had long elf ears, wore a periwinkle dress, gloves and had a staff made out of flowers, and also had flower earrings.

Beside her was a shorter elf. She had silver hair tied in a ponytail, pale blue eyes. She wore a white dress with chest armor, and long black armor-like boots. She had a blue cape and held a staff with a blue crystal at the top. She also had a snow-white owl on her shoulder.

"Middleman, we have been waiting. Evelina informed us that you would be coming, and Lady Zorya came to us last night. I am Naumenko, the village elder and leader. Besides me, Isayeva is my assistant."

Wait, Zorya came here too? I would have guessed she went to Evelina, but here as well? She's a hard worker then…

"Please, if it is not too much trouble, we would like you to kill the thing terrorizing our home. Currently, we do not know where it is, but it wouldn't be too far from here, since it generally lies in wait for us to try to kill it. Especially when we try to do it ourselves."

"Hmm. Well, that's why I'm here after all, don't worry I'll get it done quickly, but… Your village sure does look different, almost like it's futuristic in a way. Did you choose to make it look like this?"

"No, it was my father, the previous leader. However, he is long since passed."

"Ah, my bad…"

"No, it's fine. Feel free to come and explore our village when you have time…"

"Yeah sure, I'll get rid of that dragon then. It won't hurt to check it out a little afterwards."

She nodded and I immediately left. Further, into this cave system I could feel a large and powerful aura. If I had to guess it was at least low Satan-class. The Elder Naumenko was at best Ultimate-class, and Isayeva was only peak Middle-class.

As I ran further into the cave system, more stalagmites and stalactites of glowing rocks appeared, and they got much larger too, but eventually they changed into crystals, some of them transparent and others not. I should ask Naumenko about it since I saw a few of them being used in the village.

Shing! Shing!

"Wha—"

…

????

"Where is this…?"

I looked around, but everything had changed slightly. I was in a large cave with an even larger glowing crystal in front of me. Looking behind me was just a bunch of stalagmites and stalagmites, and of course water.

"You guys here?"

{[Yeah.]}

"Vel, Rudra, any ideas?"

'There appears to be a faint figure inside of it, Aaron.'

Rudra said, and I looked closer and yeah, he was right… I think it's a female… I tried to use [Observe] on it, but it kept choosing the crystal, so I focused on it and to my surprise it said…

Siyanko Vikentiy Yermolayevich.

"Wha—?! Why is she here? Wait… No, it's just her body, then—"

Rooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaarr!!

I heard a loud roar. It wasn't near me, but it was further inside the cave? I'll take her out later, I'll go deal with the dragon first. I ran behind the large pillar and it seemed like the cave continued… But was I transported here? It felt like there was a large light that shone on me for a second before I arrived there…

My speed increased as I approached the aura, and finally I reached the location. I stood on a ledge and in front of me was a large dragon made out of crystals.

"Damn you're one weird ass looking dragon."

Roooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooar!!!

It screamed back at me. It felt like it was glaring at me and a lot of animosity was being aimed at me as well. It felt like this thing genuinely hated me for one reason or another. Perhaps it hated humans or didn't like having its den disturbed? Let's check it out with [Observe] for now.

"..."

I was a bit shocked. For one, its title was kind of weird. Since it said [Pellucid Dragon of Obsession], and [Experiment], but it had a name and that's why I was shocked.

Bolshov Vikentiy Yermolayevich, the father of Evelina and husband of Siyanko, who was still in that glowing crystal thing. What the hell? I thought they died of a Leshy attack? I don't have Cúntóir for this so… I can only speculate.

One, they did die of a Leshy attack. However, someone or Khaos Brigade found their bodies and are experimenting on them. They turned Bolshov into this artificial dragon, and for some reason encased Siyanko in that crystal.

Or two, something else is brewing and I have zero fucking clue about it. Maybe… Maybe the Zimadevushka had something to do with this? I don't really see how though? Also, they said this dragon hadn't caused too many problems for them until recently…

[Cúntóir.]

[A-Aaron? Is something wrong?]

I told her everything I just found out and she fell silent. I heard her excuse herself and then Cúntóir appeared beside me. She silently looked at the dragon, disappeared, and then came back. I'm guessing she checked out Siyanko?

"So?"

"…Siyanko's soul still lingers on, however, it does not inhabit that body, it is hollow. Nevertheless, Bolshov's soul and mind are inside that dragon, which is why it holds resentment against us. He was a very angry and resentful man while alive."

"Examining everything, Khaos Brigade was definitely at fault. Whether or not they were responsible for the Leshy attack is entirely different. Perhaps they did just come across these two as they lay dying, or were already dead when they came across the bodies."

"However... It seems like the Zimadevushka is also tied to this. This is pure speculation, but perhaps the Zimadevushka is also a creation of Khaos Brigade. After the death of both Evelina's parents the Zimadevushka suddenly showed up, but was mostly inactive for a few years, until recently too."

"Whoever is in the lead of this experiment, they may have done this quietly for years, perhaps Avezza, or someone else."

Cúntóir explained and I sighed. It's always them, huh? But who would target this realm? The only ones that come to mind are Chernobog and Veles. Chernobog is suspicious, but the short time I met Veles he didn't seem untrustworthy. However, it could all be a front.

"I have no evidence, but… I believe Chernobog may be collaborating with Khaos Brigade. Please be careful with this information. You mentioned something nagging at you when you first saw both the White and Black God."

"…!"

I-I did say something like that, didn't I? Especially with Chernobog getting way too close for comfort to me…

"I will be going back, Aaron. We haven't done anything yet, but your women are brainstorming a bit and getting to know Evelina a bit. She's been very receptive so far. As they said, she's a bit more accepting of women than men."

"Okay, good luck. I'll call you again if I need anything."

Cúntóir nodded, pecked me on the cheek and left.

"Now then… What do I do with you…?"

I said to Bolshov as we stared each other down.

…

????

Griselda Quarta

"Irina please, Aaron will take you to a different pantheon another time. Focus on the mission."

Boom!!!!!

"…And please tone the attacks down."

I, Griselda am currently on a mission after Layla-sama gave me a mission before Aaron came back from Ireland. Of course, when Irina found out she was very upset. Although she didn't speak about it, it was evident from the way she acted that she was upset about it.

But she was still happy to receive a mission from Layla-sama and Michael-sama. However, she was also looking forward to traveling with Aaron to the Slavic Gods. In her place, Kanami offered to go with her. She even promised to get her a souvenir.

"Let the Lord kill you with kindness, amen!"

Boom!!!

Irina threw an enormous spear of light at the monsters that were surrounding us. I believe she's taking out her frustrations on them. Although they are enemies, I only feel a bit of sympathy for them since her anger is unwarranted towards them.

Shing! Bang!

"Haaa…"

I sighed; she didn't hear me. I do hope this ends soon so we can go back home, and I do hope she won't be too upset when we get back.

"Boss!"

Bonk!

"Sister Griselda!"

"Yes?"

"I found this."

Irina pulled up some kind of document. I took it from her and examined it. Unfortunately, it was encrypted in some kind of code that I had no idea what it was... I'll bring it back to Heaven and let the angels do some research on it. If they can't decipher it, perhaps Aaron and Cúntóir can do it.

"Let's take it back to heaven."

I stored it in my ring and walked further into this place.

"Let's have heavens researchers look at it. If they fail, perhaps they'll request Aaron to look into it."

"Yes, boss!"

Bonk!

"Yes, mom!"

I sighed; this girl can be rebellious when she feels like it…

…

Prawia

Lavinia Reni

Zorya can speak normally when Aaron isn't present. She speaks normally to Evelina and to us. Why is she like that with him? Does she like him? Why? They only met briefly once before he came back here.

"Ah, welcome back, Cúntóir-sama."

Cúntóir had suddenly left and just came back. Ravel-chan was the one to welcome her back, but did Aaron need her for something?

"Yes, I'm back."

"Did something happen?"

Valerie asked and she nodded.

"Things… Have become a bit more complicated."

"What do you mean by complicated?"

Evelina asked, but Cúntóir shook her head.

"When the time is right, and when Jin is finished with the requests, I will tell you. Depending on what's really going on… It will change how you see things."

Evelina looked confused as did the rest of us. It will change how she sees things? What did she mean by that? Did Aaron find something that involved Evelina even more? Evelina and Zorya had been the ones mostly talking, but we chimed in every now and again and she's receptive.

"Did you see this? Evelina when she was younger…"

Zorya pulled out a picture book and Evelina immediately turned red and tried to take it away from Zorya as she laughed.

I wonder how it's on Aaron's end…?

…

Jin Skyward

"Roar back to you too!"

[Gleipnir] had tethered the dragon to the ground so he could not move, but kept roaring at me and its own anger was slowly rising. Dragons do have that [Outrage] ability. I wonder if I'm able to enter it?

[Didn't you kind of enter it when... You know…]

{No, Jin was still in control, but he did kind of not care about the collateral damage he would cause.}

[Hmm.]

I'll just seal that ability then since when it activates dragons' physical attributes increase significantly, and they will relentlessly pursue their enemies. I put my hand out and sealed the ability of the dragon in front of me.

"What should I do…? Kill him? What if Evelina wants to talk to him? What about the mother?"

'Aaron.'

"What's up, Vel?"

'Go to the Zimadevushka first and find out the truth about her, after that, deal with these two.'

She informed me… I mean if all three are tied together, then I don't see why not? I nodded and quickly headed back to the village. The dragon is sealed so he can't leave anywhere and I doubt the body of Siyanko can move…

"Hey, things are a little more complicated."

The two ice elves were still there and they looked at me confused, so I told them what was happening and how it might tie to Evelina's dead parents and Khaos Brigade. However, I did omit the fact that Chernobog might be involved since I had zero proof apart from a feeling I had.

"…I see, very well. We will guard this place and the route to them. Please hurry and confront the Zimadevushka."

"Yeah, thanks."

I quickly left the cave and arrived outside. I had zero idea what this Zimadevushka looked like or how its aura felt. Therefore, I'll just do what I did earlier in Sustroma. Increasing my speed to match the speed of light, I checked the entire area beyond Menyev.

I came across many abandoned villages, towns and some monsters that were minding their own business, however, I couldn't find anything.

"That Zimadevushka has to have that blood, that's why I can't sense it… Maybe it made another dimension it could stay in…?"

If that was the case… I closed my eyes and focused on trying to find anything like that. They can hide their presence, but if this dimension was created by Khaos Brigade, and not by Lapis, then there's a chance I can locate it. The dimension hidden by Nyarlathotep is still impossible to find for me, but if it's anyone else, maybe even Lapis, I can try to locate it?

Zztt ~ Zztt ~

"…Got you!"

It was faint. It felt like they were trying to hide it with something, but I sensed it! By turning my attention eastward, I immediately found the place where it felt like it was at. Once there it was just an open field with nothing, but concentrating on the spot, I could feel it even stronger, so—

Crack!

"Nice, let's get this done!"

I punched the rest of this out, and a large portal opened up, so I jumped in.

…

????

"What the hell?"

When I got there, it felt like I was in space since I saw a bunch of different colored dots in the distance. However, the platform I was on was made out of rock, and a strange green glass with patterns was to my left. In front of me was a large rock jutting out of the ground and pointing to the 'sky'.

To my right was a different platform. It was circular in design with a blue crystal in the middle. It looked like the ones back in Tír na nÓg and other places I've been to. But there was a woman beside the crystal. We saw each other and she smiled. When I used [Observe] on her it was the Zimadevushka, but what shocked me even more was that it had the same name—

Siyanko Vikentiy Yermolayevich, Evelina's mother.

"What the fuck is happening?"

I asked, confused as hell.

'Perhaps she was separated from the two of them? Like, her consciousness was left in that Zimadevushka and her soul was left to wander in this realm? That's why the body we saw in that crystal in the cave was so hollow?'

Rudra told me, and I was more than inclined to agree with him. But the creature gestured for me to join her and so I did. I landed in front of her and she smiled at me.

"Middleman, I'm glad you could join me."

"I have so many questions, but I doubt you will answer them."

"You are correct, although it isn't because I don't want to, I wasn't programmed to. Unless you override it."

She told me… What? Override it? Like a program? I used [Observe] on her again and looked a bit closer. She was… An android, divine beast mix, just like the Next Dolls. But this wasn't the original body of Siyanko, the one in the crystal was…

"I'll do that then."

I put my hand out and froze her in time. She didn't try to fight it, almost like she wanted it. It also felt like she was waiting for me here, but maybe I'm just being optimistic. Alright, let's check her memories first.

...…

...…

...…

Satanael and the Wizards of Oz were the ones responsible for this. Not just the experiment, but the entire scenario for Evelina's family. They just took advantage of Bolshov's drunk and angry ass, and had them beat Evelina and Siyanko. But the attack by the Leshy was orchestrated by them because they wanted to create a powerful new God of Ice. So, Siyanko, or this Zimadevushka was just a byproduct of that. It's not the last one either, but…

Doom!

"Those pieces of shit…!"

I swear I'm going to murder the entirety of The Wizard of Oz, and I'm going to love it…!

[Partner calm down! I know you're in a different dimension, but shit, you're going to destroy it!]

Calm down… Yeah… Let me do that… It seems like Glenda wants to traumatize Lavinia one more time by making her fight her own parents. They turned them into the next generation of Divine Beasts. Shit, should I tell her? They're determined to make them meet one way or another.

'I'll be fine, Jin. I can fight her— Them when the time comes. I have you and everyone else now… I'll be fine.'

Those words from Lavinia echoed in my head, even though she said she was… Can she face both of them? Both Glenda and her parents? She lost them quite early on after all…

'You're underestimating her, Aaron. She isn't some kind of damsel in distress. She's one of the most powerful women in your harem. I doubt that will bring her down. Hearing you doubt her like this is rather insulting. I know you care for her, but this is just a bit disrespectful.'

Velgrynd informed me... I'm just worried, but fine. I'll tell her and let her draw her own conclusions, but I'll be with her when it happens. If she wants to speak with them before they pass on then—

"Middleman, are you done?"

I snapped back to reality, as the Zimadevushka looked at me with worry and horror. Looking around, most of the platform had been destroyed, and parts of the realm were shattered.

"Huh? Ah, yeah I'm alright, don't worry about it. Anyway, I'm going to cut you loose from their grasps then."

I grabbed her shoulder and made sure that she wasn't tied to whatever the fuck Satanael and the Wizards of Oz put on her. However, I doubt she'll live long, so I'll just freeze her for now. Once that was done I looked back at her, and her entire face had become pale. But—

"What does this do?"

I asked her. It never showed anything in the memories, and they didn't speak to her about it and only told her to protect it since it was important for them.

"I don't know; however, based on my speculations, I believe that this artificially created crystal played a role in the attacks that the Khaos Brigade carried out not long ago. Perhaps they are trying to replicate whatever 'they' are?"

I looked back at the crystal. They were ready to use a lot of their forces to try to get to those places for some reason. Despite never knowing for certain why, I can speculate that it might be 'world-ending,' if not more. Perhaps it has something to do with ExE or something else?

I'll speak to Cúntóir about this, so I'll keep this dimension as mine then… I then proceeded to fix the damage I did in the dimension and added a barrier only I or anyone I trust can enter. Finally, I left with Zimadevushka in tow and sealed up the portal that leads into it.

"Alright, let's go back to that cave then…"

I grabbed the Zimadevushka, and teleported back in front of the two ice elves. They seemed a bit surprised and looked at Zimadevus— Er, Siyanko.

"Welcome back, Middleman. Who might this be?"

"Hey, uh, this is the Zimadevushka. I need her for something, but she isn't going to attack anyone under my watch."

They were surprised once I informed them, but decided to trust my word and let me pass. We quickly arrived in front of the crystal and Siyanko looked at her own hollow body… I need to contact Cúntóir.

[Cúntóir, can you go look for Siyanko's soul or whatever the fuck is left of her?]

[Easily, do you need it done now?]

[Yeah, and bring her back to where I am. I need them both to be combined.]

[…Very well, give me a moment.]

I turned to look at Siyanko and she was looking sadly at her own hollow body. So I called out to her.

"Do you want to speak with your daughter?"

"She hates me. I also do not feel those emotions anymore, but I do remember the hate and disgust she had for me…"

She sighed and kept looking at her own body.

"I can get your soul back, put you back in that body, and then we can proceed from there, but I doubt you'll live long since that body is long past its due date, but I can also revive you back fully. What do you say?"

She looked back at me—

"What about that man?"

She asked me with a bit of disgust in her voice. That man…? Oh her husband, uh... Honestly I have no idea, but I told her how he's also a dragon now and I have him trapped, so she asked me to see him, so we walked over to the dragon.

Once we arrived there she looked up at the dragon, and the dragon looked at her. As the atmosphere suddenly changed, I stood waiting for them to speak or do something.

[Round one, figh—]

{Be quiet.}

I heard a thud; I'm guessing he was knocked out…

"You sad, sad man… You could never throw away that hatred of yours and now look at where you are… You lived life as a constant drunk, bum and failure. Your parents abandoned you after years of trying to help you… And finally, you got us killed because of your incompetence, and made our daughter resent both of us…"

She said rather coldly. The dragon's anger was rising but he couldn't do anything in his position, so he stood there while glaring at the woman.

…

Cúntóir

When I first came to be, I thought it was a repeat of the past chosen ones that Azathoth picked, but I am delighted to have met Aaron. I may have kept many things from him… And even now I am keeping something very important from him. I want to tell him, but I am physically unable to. The other 'me' is quite cruel, but I think he will understand…

That's why I cried that day, sadness because I couldn't tell him, and happiness because he was trying to save 'us'. It made me happy... That's why when the time comes, I will repay him any way I can, and I hope the other 'me' understands as well... Perhaps when we 'merge' or if 'I' go back to her, it will make sense to her.

Currently, I am on my way to retrieve Siyanko's soul. Whatever Aaron finds, it may help Evelina move on from what is holding her back from living her life to the fullest. The real her is there, but what happened to her in the past still haunts her. It's as Aaron said, trauma and illnesses aren't easy to overcome, and I doubt she'll fully move on after we help her, but if it puts her in the right direction— I think he'll be fine with it.

I finally arrived at the spot where they met their demise. It was quite far away from the town, but this is where they were ambushed and killed. However, they were dragged to a particular part of the path, so I headed there instead.

Once I arrived, I touched the ground and summoned her soul. It may have been wandering the area, but this should…

"…"

"Hello, Siyanko Vikentiy Yermolayevich. I've come to help you pass on."

"…"

"Please follow me. If you don't, I can make you."

However, she didn't move, so I summoned a jar and forced her soul into it. This may seem barbarous, but I don't want to waste time. I told them I would only be out for a few minutes, so I needed to hurry up.

…

"Aaron."

I teleported back to the cave, but when I arrived, Aaron was there with another woman? She looked— She felt like Siyanko. I quickly checked her and was surprised to see that she was also Siyanko. Aaron finally turned around and told me what he had found out, and he became angry when he retold the part about the Wizards of Oz.

So I touched his shoulder and he awkwardly laughed and apologized. To think, though, that such a thing could have happened... Tragedy struck this family in the most unexpected way. But he wants mother and daughter to speak to each other? Is that a sane idea...?

"Are you sure, Aaron? The ones who came with you haven't managed to start a conversation with her yet. Zorya keeps trying to break the ice with them, but Evelina goes back to speaking with just her…"

"It's worth a shot… Anyway, do you have her soul?"

I nodded and handed him the jar. He looked at it with interest but then went over and tapped Siyanko on the shoulder and explained his plan. She agreed quite readily and we made our way back to the crystal where her previous body was.

"First, we'll take the body out, and I'll restore it to its former glory. Once that's done, I will move your consciousness back to your old body and also add your soul back. After that, it's up to you. You will have no more than twenty-four hours before that body breaks down and you die again. I told you already that I could revive you, so when you make your decision, tell me."

"I will give you my answer after I speak with my daughter, Middleman."

Jin nodded, touched the crystal and it shattered. He caught her body and immediately restored it precisely to what it was when she was alive. As he said, it is on a timer. Once a certain amount of time has passed, it will revert back to its pale and lifeless appearance. Once he was done with that, he removed her consciousness from the Zimadevushka, and the soul from the jar and placed them back into the original body of Siyanko.

He placed her down on the ground and waited for her to wake up. In the meantime, he stored Zimadevushka's body in his [Inventory] while he waited for her to wake up. She did rouse herself up and began moving her body around. She both looked relieved and saddened…

I should go back and try to help them with speaking about her past. Perhaps—

Bzt!

My phone rang and I took it out. It was a text from Valerie saying they tried to breach the topic and she became very hostile and refused to speak with them.

"Aaron…"

I called him and showed him my phone. He sighed and told Siyanko what had happened and she appeared concerned.

"It is my fault. I won't lie and admit that I chose not to say or do anything because I didn't want to be beaten. That makes me a disgusting and despicable mother, so I will tell her that. But…"

She turned to look at the dragon and it was definitely her father, Bolshov.

"What do you want to happen to him?"

"Kill him."

She said rather coldly, and the dragon became enraged.

"He was a failure then, and he is a failure now. He targeted the ice elves, even if they were under my orders, I had no control of that… But it pained me to see them like that. That's why… No, I will save that answer for later. Please take me to my daughter."

"Very well."

Jin looked at the dragon, summoned a gun, aimed it at the dragon and then pulled the trigger. The dragon then quickly faded out of existence. I had no idea that he had created such a thing… Unless he did just now? He was still quite angry. Perhaps he took out his frustrations out of it? It didn't seem like he wanted to make Bolshov into his shadow or Electa.

After that was finished Jin gestured for us to join him and we headed back to Menyev.

…

Menyev

Jin Skyward

I teleported just past the hallway that led into the living room and things felt tense there. I could hear Evelina and Zorya talking, but as soon as I heard one of the girls try to say something, the room would just fall silent. This would repeat every time they tried to speak.

I think... I need to be a bit more forceful with this. However, I don't know... I should just leave this to them and go back to the Ice Elves and tell them I was done. I don't know. Well, standing here won't do anything so I walked into the room first.

"What's u—"

"If you're done, take your women and leave. They are trying to overstep a boundary that I do not wish to discuss."

I didn't even get a word in before she cut me off and demanded me to leave along with the girls. Looking over at them, they looked rather awkward and weren't too sure on how to proceed, but they did look like they still wanted to help her.

"Can—"

"Get out!"

I sighed and gestured for Cúntóir and Siyanko to join us. Once they came into the room, Evelina just froze and sat there in utter shock. The girls looked at Siyanko and then back at me. I nodded at them and waited for all hell to break loose.

"W-W-W-Wha— How are you alive?!"

She screamed and pointed at the woman. Who looked both sad and guilty. The look that Evelina gave her mother was one of horror. The shock had subsided, and her body started to shake out of fear. Perhaps it was remembering the past, but she was shaking quite violently.

"Eve—"

"Aaaaahhh!!!"

She just covered her ears and screamed. She didn't stop and just kept on screaming. Even when Zorya tried to touch her, she slapped her hand away leaving her a bit shocked at the reaction. Zorya looked a bit hurt but didn't take it personally. She just looked at me sadly and shook her head.

Perhaps this was a failure, but I guess we should lea—

Slap!

However, before any of us could move, Siyanko walked over to Evelina, forced her to look at her and slapped her.

"…"

Lady!! I don't think that was the right course of action! Doesn't she have trauma regarding being hit by your husband?!

"To start, I am a failure of a mother. Your father was scum yet I still decided to marry him and conceive a child. That was my mistake. I also failed to protect you from that monster when he started to physically abuse us."

Siyanko spoke. Evelina was obviously too stunned to speak, and just slightly cried as she stared up at Siyanko.

"I won't try to hide it, but after he started beating us, he targeted me most of the time. He even sexually assaulted me, and no, just because we're married doesn't mean he can't do that. I said no multiple times yet he still forced himself on me. However…"

"After being beaten multiple times a day, as well as being sexually assaulted, he turned his attention to you. I begged and pleaded that you wouldn't get sexually assaulted as you were still a child, so he agreed on the condition that I act relieved and like I wanted it to happen right in front of you. So you would resent me, so you would hate both of us."

"That man lived to see others suffer… I hated doing it, but if it was to protect you… I would do it all over again! What kind of mother would want to see their child like that? What kind of mother would enjoy saying those things to their own child? Certainly not me… My heart aches every time I remember those times… I couldn't ever apologize properly to you before we both died."

Siyanko finished saying and waited for—

"Lies…"

"Eve—"

"Lies!!! Is that what you expect me to believe now? How are you even alive?! You both actually survived and now are coming back to make my life even more miserable?! Is it because I have wealth that you come running back to me now?!"

Evelina shouted at Siyanko, but she did not seem to be phased.

"You sounded so gleeful when he was beating me! You even encouraged him! Do you really expect me to believe your lies now?!"

"I brought her back to life, but it's only tempo—"

"You! You shut the fuck up! Mind your own fucking business! All you needed to do was do those two requests, leave and be done with it!"

Again, she shut me down… Haaa… Alright, I'll let them talk it out then…

"Evelina, don't speak to him like that. He made this meeting possible—"

"Get out! Get out! I don't want to hear your lies!!!"

Evelina shouted again. It was almost like—

'She regressed back to that scared child. She's just lashing out now. All that abuse, and pent-up anger and frustration. She doesn't want to deal with it, she just wants to run away from it.'

Velgrynd said to me. And yeah, I agree with her… Evelina was just sobbing uncontrollably, but what happened next surprised us, but it shocked Evelina even more…

Slap!

"…"

Zorya, this time got up and slapped her. Tears streamed down her face. Obviously, this shocked Evelina. The one person she had trusted had just slapped her. She looked at Zorya with a blank expression, not sure on how to react.

"Your uncle Anisimov asked Jin to do this."

She started and spoke without stopping.

"He has been worried sick about you ever since you were left alone to fend for yourself. He has tried numerous times to reach out to you, but you have not reciprocated. Eve, I know it's difficult to face your problems. It's challenging to face things that are scary and make you feel uncomfortable. However, if we just run away and put it off forever... Will we ever move on?"

"I know it takes time, a lot of things do, but at the same time… We have to take steps in doing so. I love you. You're a dear friend to me. I don't want to see you bitter and angry at the world until your dying breath. I want you to live your life to the fullest! You're only human, you have a limited time in this world! Please!"

Zorya shouted at her… Alright, it's my turn. I walked forward and everyone turned their attention to me.

"I'm going to need your help here, Siyanko."

"Wha—"

I touched her head and put my other hand out. A holographic circle appeared and it started to show Siyanko's life from birth to death. Everyone sat there quietly as they watched it all play out. Each birthday she had, every happy moment she had was played for all of us to see.

The scene came when she met and somehow fell in love with Bolshov. Even though she was a bit neglected and was 'playfully' hit a few times, she eventually gave birth to Evelina. That day was Siyanko's happiest one, however, Bolshov looked indifferent.

It then changed to when the abuse started, and it quickly escalated from there, and the scene finally came— The one that Siyanko told Evelina.

[No! Please don't! She's still a child!]

[It doesn't matter what age they are, they'll eventually do it.]

[No! Please! Anything but that! You can have your way with me anytime you want, I'll do anything! Please just leave her out of this!]

Siyanko was begging so hard that Bolshov eventually relented. However—

[Fine you stupid slut! But on one condition.]

[Anything!]

A sick and twisted smile appeared on his face.

[Then hurt her. Say the most hurtful things you can imagine, crush her spirit, make her hate her 'beloved' mommy! If you refuse, I'll just stick with my original plan! I want you to break her spirit, break her love for you! Anything positive about you she knows, I want it to be shattered.]

[But…]

[It would be pretty funny to see, right? Haha!]

Siyanko looked dead inside as she thought about it. However, if it were to save her own daughter from being subjected to sexual assault then she would go through with it. So the scene changed to Siyanko trying her hardest to do just that. Every insult and hurtful thing was said to a young Evelina.

Evelina looked confused as to why her own mother was saying those things. She cried harder, apologized for being born and it killed both of them on the inside. But she had to do it. After that, it showed Siyanko enduring Bolshov's promise. She was sexually assaulted, not only by him, but also by his entire friend group too. To protect her daughter, she silently injured it.

Finally, it showed their demise. They were coming back from somewhere when they were attacked by Leshy and killed. Finally, the memory ended. Everyone was silent. Evelina was still staring at where the circle was, unable to process what she had just seen.

"If it's for you, I would do anything for you… You're my Evelina after all…"

Evelina started to shake again, and she cried harder… We just needed the final push… I quickly walked around to the girls and handed them some buttons. I quickly explained that it would project a certain memory. They just needed to think about it. After that, it's all on them.

"I-I'm Ravel Phenex! I came from a noble devil family! I-I have three older brothers! Riser Phenex… He seemed very arrogant, and did whatever he pleased. His mother and father didn't do much to try to fix his attitude. But he eventually met his match when he faced against Rias-sama, and fought Jin-sama!"

"Even when he was acting like a brash and arrogant man… H-He still cared for me and put me out of harm's way when the time came! Even after bouncing back from his depression, he is still the kind older brother I had!"

"E-Even when all my family members have flaws... I love them nonetheless! Even if they show me tough love, I still love them… Your mother very much cares about you… Z-Zorya-sama also cares about you! P-Please don't throw it all away!"

As Ravel said this, a small circle appeared and showed various instances of what she mentioned. Riser pulled her out of dangerous situations during his official Rating Games, going after bullies that tried to bully Ravel, and various other situations. It's as she said, he became that arrogant asshole after winning multiple times, and getting his way, but deep down, he cared for her.

Ravel finished saying and blushed quite hard. After that, Kanami stepped up and spoke up.

"I don't have much to say… Honestly, my life seemed perfect, the only defect was me… I was the 'perfect' student in school, and the pressure got to me so I ran away. I loved my family, and my own younger sister searched for me for a long time."

She looked at me and chuckled.

"But I guess fate wanted to play differently. I got involved in the supernatural eventually, met Jin, and now my life is here. I'm yet to go back home and apologize to my own parents, but I think it's better to get along with your own folks, you know? They have a limited time in this world… Especially mine… I don't know about Miss Siyanko there though…"

Kanami said and the circle above her shoved her struggles and her own journey around the world. She had fun, met many people, had many experiences, but she always thought back to her own family and Natsume.

Finally, the last two. Valerie went first.

"…Personally, I never liked my parents after the things they subjected me to. But… I believe you can still find family beyond blood."

She looked at the others and at me, before looking back at Evelina.

"I first met my lifelong friend, Gasper. We shared many things as we both suffered, but I helped him escape and I was left alone. My brother, Marius tricked me into thinking he cared about me but he was essentially using me for my Sacred Gear, and it nearly killed me, but…"

"I was saved, I was then given a second home even though he wasn't obligated to do so, and I'll forever be thankful. He gave me new friends, a new family… That's why I love him. I don't think family means blood. You can find a new one, but… Your mother proved that she truly cared about you after going through all of that. Please find it in you to give her a chance and forgive her, Evelina…"

The circle above Valerie showed her time in the Tepes faction, the abuse she suffered through, and then finally to me saving her. It also showed how her life had turned around. Finally, Lavinia.

"I lost my parents at a young age, I was ostracized by my family who were meant to take me in, love me and care for me, I was further alienated because of my Sacred Gear… I hate dolls, and irony hugged me back by giving me a Sacred Gear that can make those dolls come true…"

"But I thought I had found another 'mother' in my life, but… In the end it was all a life, she just used me for my Sacred Gear… For years, I had trust issues, I never thought anyone would like me, love me, or care for me… But that was until I met Slash/Dog, my current team."

Lavinia closed her eyes and put her hands on her chest.

"The times we spent together, how we helped each other… Like what Valerie said, I found a family in them… And even more so after I met Jin. He has a large family growing, and I'm very lucky to be part of it… It would be great to be able to speak to my parents again, but I don't think that's possible… You have this chance, so please take it before it's too late…"

Above her, it showed her time before Slash/Dog, her desperately looking for Glenda, meeting them, having her world shatter after finding out the truth, but of course, her new family was there to help her through it. Then it changed to meeting me, and how her life was after…

For some reason, everyone turned to me, but I just turned around.

"I don't have much to say, but… You're going to be alright. You just stumbled over a stone on the road. It means nothing. You'll have a far more fulfilling life that lies far beyond this, won't you? I'm sure you'll overcome this, and you will walk again… Soon."

With that said, I walked out of the room followed by the girls. I wanted to give them some privacy. However, not too long after, we started to hear Evelina cry harder and louder with Siyanko and Zorya comforting her, and a lot of sorry's being said.

We arrived outside and even Ravel was wiping away some tears. I just patted her on the head. They did just have to reveal some of their secrets after all. I doubt that was an easy thing to do. But it was worth it since they got through to Evelina. Cúntóir also decided to return to me during that time, so they didn't turn to her.

"What do we do now?"

Kanami asked, looking at the ground.

"We wait. They'll eventually try to get us back, and I'm honestly tempted to leave since I haven't informed the Ice Elves about finishing their request… But I won't, they might—"

Grip ~

"Come back…"

I didn't finish my sentence as Zorya grabbed my wrist again and told us we could go back. That was fast, like really fast… Did they really get time to process everything? Even though we were hesitant, we did go back with her, although she didn't bring us to the same room as we could still hear the two of them crying. She brought us to a different room.

"…Please stay here. I have ordered the servants to bring you food for the time being. I will come back when they are ready."

She informed us while still a bit flustered since she was also crying with them. She looked at me one last time before leaving. I still don't understand her deal with me, but… I'll accept this for now. Once she left, we all just sat there in silence.

"Oh right."

I told them what I found while searching for the Zimadevushka, the weird crystal and I kind of stopped when I reached the part about the Wizards of Oz, but Lavinia pressed me on it.

"Aaron? Please tell us, we need to know if we want to be prepared."

'Do it! Say it!'

I will, give me a second… I sighed again and nodded.

"So—"

As I kept talking, I looked Lavinia dead in the eyes as they kept on widening. When I was finally finished, I tried to remain calm and drank some of the tea that was given to us.

"If you don't want to fight them, then I can understand. But if you do, I'll be with you."

"No… I want to face them and end this with Glenda and the Wizards of Oz once and for all. How dare they desecrate my parents' graves…!"

The room's temperature instantly dropped and ice started to appear everywhere. I was expecting her to react in two ways: shock with sadness or shock with anger. Apparently, she reacted to the latter. Valerie put a hand on her shoulder and Lavinia quickly came back to us and noticed what she had done.

"I-I'm sorry!"

"It's fine."

I put my hand out and dismissed the ice. Well at least I know she won't have a complete mental breakdown during it, and if she does, I'll be there to back her up, but yeah… Glenda and the Wizards of Oz, their days are numbered once we get to them. That reminds me…

'Bellion, are the Wizards of Oz still in the Dimensional Gap?'

'No, they are not my kings. A few weeks ago, they moved. Kamish and I attempted to stop them, but by the time we noticed, they were just about finished leaving. I have been debating on what to do with the city they left behind.'

They moved? I was going to ask them to nuke the whole place and kill them, but alright then…

'Scavenge the place for everything you can find. If any of them became reckless, then they may have left behind anything that might provide a lead on where they moved to. I'll come visit soon.'

'Yes, at once my king.'

I finally finished speaking with Bellion and looked back at the girls. I didn't want to interrupt them since it was a bonding moment for them, and they were talking mostly about Lavinia and her past.

[Aaron?]

[Griselda? Did you need something? Are you guys back from your mission?]

[Yes, we're back, but there's something I want to tell you. There is a piece of paper we found on our mission. However, it is encoded or written in a language I do not understand, even after receiving that [Language] skill from you. We took it to Heaven, so they can analyze it, but if they fail—]

[They might send a request for me to deal with it. Sure, I'll wait for Michael to send me one.]

[Very well…]

[We'll be home soon… And tell the rest I'm bringing us back to the [Pocket Dimension] soon. I want everyone to reach Multiversal or Omniversal in this one…]

[Yes, I will see you soon.]

Once I was done speaking to her, the door opened and it was Zorya. She gestured for us to join her and so we did.

"We're heading back again? For how long?"

Lavinia asked me and hugged my arm.

"I'll keep that a secret until we get home, so wait until they... I need to invite other people."

"Mmm…"

After our quick exchange, we arrived in the living room, and both of them weren't crying anymore, but it was clear from their bloodshot eyes that they'd been crying quite hard.

""Welcome back…""

Both mother and daughter said it at the same time, and I nodded.

"So—"

"To start… I want to answer your earlier question, Midd— Jin… Please bring me back permanently."

"Very well, but I need to... Build you a completely new body and transfer you to it. That means I need to essentially kill you. I've done this twice already, to two Egyptian Goddesses, and the Two Heavenly Dragons."

Evelina seemed shocked and was about to protest, but after telling the second half, she seemed less inclined to stop me. I mean she's definitely heard the rumors of me reviving the Oppai Dragon.

[Oi!!]

"Alright, I'm okay with that, and…"

She glanced at Evelina, who flinched and blushed. She looked at the ground before looking back at me.

"I-I'm sorry, p-please forgive me for acting like that earlier… A-And thank you for b-bringing my mother back to me…"

I waved her off. It's understandable that she'd react like that, so I won't really blame her for it. I mean, I think most of us would react kind of similarly given the circumstances…

"Don't worry about it, I get it, feelings are hard to deal with. Hell, most people can't even be honest with themselves when their lives are shit."

Bonk!

"Language!"

Valerie hit me on the head and I just gave her a funny look. Why care about that now…?

"Is that how you think?"

"What do you mean?"

I looked at her waiting for her to continue.

"Do you think we all should struggle and keep moving forward? Keep fighting for the sake of living instead of being insecure and feeling sorry for ourselves? Not taking the easy way out with—"

"Yes."

With the limited memories of my previous self, and my own experiences here… I would answer with a yes. I definitely ran away from my own problems in my past life, for at least six years. I finally stopped being a little pussy and faced them. It took longer here, if I add the time in the [Pocket Dimension], although I was probably just in denial. I had a better support group here while back then, I didn't. I guess I kind of just took them for granted or something.

"Feeling sorry for yourself and being negative is… As unpleasant as this sounds, it is the easy way out. Don't worry about that, just keep going forward from now on. This town has the people you know, Zorya and now your mother. Don't look back, just look forward."

She seemed like she was going to cry, but silently nodded in the end. I walked over to Siyanko—

"Do you want to look the same as you did before you died, or…?"

"Yes, I am fine looking like this."

I nodded and created a new body for her… It's like Kurousagi's, she'll be a dragon starting from today, and I told her that, and also how she'll essentially be like another God in this realm… Once finding that out, both mother and child, and Zorya were stunned.

"…Doesn't that mean I'm tied to you for life? An immortal?"

Siyanko asked, and I nodded.

"Essentially, yes—"

"P-Please turn me immortal too!"

Evelina blurted that out before I could finish, causing everyone to stare at her. This isn't a decision she can just make on the spot… I conveyed that to her, but she shook her head.

"No. I want to be with my mother for as long as I can… I know it's selfish, I know I've been asking a lot of things from you, but please…!"

"Give me a second… I'll do it after this… Ready?"

I asked Siyanko and she was, so I touched her shoulder and she fell limp. After that I immediately transferred her soul and consciousness into the new body. The previous body quickly began to rot away and Evelina looked horrified at it. But I quickly dismissed it. As we waited for Siyanko to wake up, I walked over to Evelina, poked her forehead and made her immortal.

[Damn Partner, she isn't even part of your harem and you made her immortal?]

I am also questioning my decision, but she won't betray me… I'm weirdly confident in that. Maybe it's because I just gave her mother back to her. I helped her with her issues. So yeah, I'm sure she won't, but to make sure... I turned back around and created a necklace, much like Ingvild's necklace from a few months ago.

But this basically acts like the rings, with the exception of storing things in them. Without saying anything, I put the necklace on Evelina and nodded satisfied with myself. With all of this, we're done! I can go to the ice elves now.

{[You're an idiot.]}

...What? They didn't elaborate, so I just ignored them. Looking back at Evelina— Why the hell is she red?

'You… You're joking, right?'

Velgrynd said a bit exasperated. N-No…? I mean I just gave her a necklace to protect her.

'And what other things did you do for her today? A vulnerable girl like her suddenly gets a necklace from the man who basically changed her life for the better. Geez whiz! I wonder how she would feel right now!'

She screamed at me… Alright, alright, I get it… So, I explained myself, but that didn't really help, so I just sighed and stepped away. Finally, Siyanko woke up and stood up. She moved her body around for a bit before smiling at me.

"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it… Anyway, we're done here. I still need to inform the ice elves, so I need to leave first… Nia, can you guys wait in the main city? I'll join you guys shortly."

"Yes, of course."

Both Valerie and Lavinia gave me a peck on the cheek before leaving. I looked at the mother and daughter duo, and Zorya before turning to leave, but—

"Um, do you need something, Siyanko?"

I was stopped by the moth—

Chu ~

"...…"

She kissed me on the cheek.

"An extra thank you from me."

She then winked and smiled at me. Both Zorya and Evelina stared at her in shock. I just awkwardly laughed and waddled away.

Once I arrived outside, I teleported back to the Ice Elves' village. They were still by the entrance to where the dragon led, so I quickly ran over there.

"Hey! I'm done!"

"Middleman, I see… Thank you for your help… If you wish to tour our village, Novorossitity, you can do so now, if not then—"

"I'll do it in the future! I'm kind of busy right now! Anyway, take care!"

I didn't let her get a word in and just left.

…

Teleporting back into the main city, I quickly found the girls, Zorya and to my surprise, Perun with his wives. I'm guessing they're done with the documents? That's kind of amazing… It took them barely a day, but…

There was an air of exhaustion and mental fatigue about them... I approached them quickly and greeted them.

"Hey, done with reading the documents?"

"J-Jin… Welcome back… And yes, we are… We have Veles to thank for that. He worked ten times faster than everyone and told us the contents."

"Veles? Where is he now?"

"He's back in Sustroma. A-Anyway, we have one last document to sign, correct?"

I nodded, summoned it and handed it to him. All three of them looked at it, and then Perun took out a stamp. He looked at me before stamping it.

"We already discussed earlier, but we're all for joining the alliance, so we created this, so we only needed to sign it once… Will that suffice?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I'm more surprised the other Gods didn't think of that."

Perun laughed before stamping it and handing it back to me. Once I got it, I also signed it. After that, I gestured for him to talk to me. He gave me a look but came over. I walked over to a different spot and covered us with a barrier. He seemed a bit surprised but waited for me to speak.

"Chernobog may have joined Khaos Brigade. Please keep an eye out during my short investigation into the two requests I received from Evelina… It was just suspicious."

I told Perun about what happened, and how I revived Siyanko, and the crystal as well as telling him that I'll leave a couple of my shadows over there to protect those two since I think Khaos Brigade may target them again. Even if Siyanko is a God-class being now, I don't think she's a fighter, but she may be able to learn eventually, but for now I'll do this instead.

"…There is no conclusive evidence, however, Chernobog has done questionable things in the past, but I will take this into account, Jin. Thank you for informing me."

"Yeah, here. If you need to contact me, just use this or a communication circle."

I gave him my phone number and he laughed.

"Very well! Will you be leaving then?"

"Yeah, I'll be holding a meeting soon, and you'll be taking part in it. I found some interesting things while in Ireland and everyone in the alliance needs to know, so we can plan accordingly if your pantheons are attacked. I plan on… I'll tell you all that when the meeting starts. Just be ready and I'll contact you when the time comes."

"Hmm."

I cancelled the barrier and we walked back towards everyone. They all had been chatting and even Yarilo showed up. We greeted one another and I looked at them one last time.

"Well, we're heading out now. So— Woah!?"

Suddenly, Anisimov appeared out of nowhere and hugged me. The man was bear hugging me and I'm pretty sure he was crying.

"Thank you…!"

He kept on muttering and I just patted him on the back. I wasn't expecting someone like him to be this emotional. The rest were confused, so Perun explained and they smiled at Anisimov.

"Don't worry about it man, I'm glad that a—"

"You're always welcome in Sustroma, Jin. If you ever visit, just contact me and I'll have the most luxurious inn we have prepared!"

He pulled away and declared… Geez man, I appreciate it, but sure…

"Y-Yeah, thanks…"

He hugged me one more time before leaving. What a strange guy… Although I'm kind of relieved that he wasn't some kind of hidden spy for Khaos Brigade, he did kind of give those vibes at the start.

[That doesn't make you look good, Partner…]

Yeah well, Oppai Dragon.

[…What are you twelve?]

I sighed again and shook my head. Let's go already…

"Okay, we're really leaving this time!"

I declared, and the girls joined me. I was on guard, because Zorya looked like she was planning to do something, so I stared her down. She stared back at us until we left. Maybe I was reading her wrong?

…

Japan, Kuoh

"Well, we're home… I'm going to do a few things. I'll see you guys around dinner time."

I told them and made my way to my room. However, Lavinia decided to join me. Knowing her, she won't leave me so I just let it happen. First I was going to contact Azazel, then Sirzechs, then have them inform the others I'll be holding a meeting in a day. But before that…

"Aaron… How long will we be staying in the [Pocket Dimension] this time around?"

She asked beside me.

"Fifty years. I also plan to invite Kurousagi, Hephaestus and Momo... If I forget anyone I will remember it by tomorrow. Anyway, let's get started. I need to speak to Azazel and a few others."

…

Dinner

"F-Fifty years? Isn't that a lot?"

Ravel asked, but I shook my head.

"I stopped aging in there, so we'll stay the same physical age as we are now. Well, you may mentally mature in there, but yeah that's the gist of it."

I told her, and then Inaie raised her hand.

"Um… I've been meaning to ask… What are you?"

I nodded, tapped my head and sent the relevant information to her and Raiko. They obviously were stunned by it, and asked me a bunch of questions that I didn't mind answering, and so that's how dinner played out.

…

Next day

"Alright, we'll be there fifty years, but out here will be just ten minutes. Are you guys ready?"

I asked them. A few others had joined us including Sona's peerage, and after explaining this to them, they became bewildered, especially Saji who was already freaking out. He wouldn't stop saying 'So this is how you guys got so strong so quickly! It's a cheat! A cheat!' before being smacked down by Sona.

I also included… Áine in this and got permission from Nuada. She, Danu and Cana were here along with Phae, Hestia, Kurousagi and Vera who tagged along.

"Yes."

They all answered in unison, and so we finally entered the [Pocket Dimension].

…

=========================

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