Ga Rei: Exodus Nine (IC)

[Spinach]

Saki Ryuumonbuchi
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

“I don’t have time for regrets.”

Bluntly answering the Admiral, Saki echoed the sentiment of Medrod.

“Anything I’ve left unfinished, anything I want to do, to say… those things can wait. Listing them here and now is tossing in the towel before even entering the ring. Forget tripping death flags, it’s just laying out an excuse to fail. ‘I already put those matters to rest, I can go without worries now,’ things like that, I have zero tolerance for.”

In other words, the ‘I have nothing left to lose’ mentality is forbidden. Those who want to adopt it are unwelcome, and will be met with adversity. So says the arms crossed, piercing gaze of Saki Ryuumonbuchi.

Said piercing gaze drilling a hole into the Goddess, Yamuna.

“And I won’t be agreeing to any plans that seal one of us along with it.”

Her voice crushed the accusation that she would play accomplice to the idea of colluding to sacrifice Medrod.

“My Jigokumachi realizes ideals, it doesn’t toss away the lives of allies.”

There was a sense of indignation in her words. After all, the Goddess had experienced it firsthand. She knew the ‘meaning’ of Saki’s Eclipse.

It almost hurt.

After everything until now, to be accused of preparing to sacrifice someone else.

[Verg Avesta]

Medrod Pendragon
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

To hear someone else so clearly echo what he felt in his heart made Medrod feel humbled. Not only that, but he also felt glad that like-minded people were amongst those gathered on this ship. While there had been arguing, some back-and-forth and various grumbling among the defenders of this world... to the point that Medrod had even himself lapsed into thinking that it might've been alright to sacrifice himself... something like this was like a bucket of ice cold water on his face. One that made got last of this gloomy funk out of his system. Thinking stuff like tossing away his life... it wasn't like him. Even if it had seemed like a good plan, it wasn't like him.

Not to mention... Red would have never forgiven him.

Not after what she had said to him, and what he had said to her.

Still... something did bother Medrod a little bit. Maybe it was his inexperience about the more intricate side of this whole deal, or perhaps it was just that his Japanese was... more than a little bit questionable, but what the girl had just said made his expression turn into a question mark. Somewhat befuddled, Medrod scratched his chin, glancing towards Kazuya and Yuka who might've helped him with this sudden problem.

"... Jigokumachi?" Medrod asked, a bit too loud. "... Is that food?"

[Airen]

Guardians of the Future
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

"Alright. That's what I wanted to hear."

Ultimately, this little meeting had been the Admiral's plan all along, an attempt to foster the growing camaraderie of the many groups she had seen last night into a single bigger group, one capable of pushing open the doors to a miracle.

It hadn't gone quite as she had planned it too, this group was a bit too attached to the concept of 'realism' to simply thrust it aside and stride forward towards their opponent with little more than laughter, but this was still a step closer towards what she had wanted to see, ultimately...

She felt that humans should be a little selfish.

Wanting to selflessly sacrifice it all for others wasn't the way, securing one's own happiness was just as important, and the idea of 'trading' things because it is the 'realistic' outcome is certainly an ultimately fatalistic one.

Selfishly attain everything, every bit of happiness, turn reality into a fantasy.

That's the way.

It sounded silly, and she knew such thoughts didn't fit her image; she was a professional and a realist, but she was a realist who absolutely believed that a happy ending was possible to get out of all of this...

A delusion perhaps, but humanity could do anything.

You won't ever succeed if you don't actually try in the first place.

Still...

"..."

In response to hurt feelings, a Goddess simply gazes back quietly. She had said what she felt she had must, and in that sense she wouldn't take anything back either; there was a reason for it beyond the obvious, a reason that has her gaze focus on Saki above all the others...

It's meaning is unclear.

Or rather, it's the gaze of someone who had caught a possible 'unspoken truth' that others had missed, but lets it go with simply this gaze... After all...

It wasn't a lie.

"...Sorry."

Ultimately, that's all she has to say about it.

"I got a bit heated about it, but I am human too."

...It's an odd declaration to come from a Goddess, and-

The gaze turns away.

"I'd like it if everyone could meet again one year from now. So don't do anything crazy."

And like Chronos, she leaves the room behind, meanwhile:

"Jigokumachi?"

Kazuya frowns.

"No, I don't think it's food... It's that mahjong thing right?"

Surprisingly unsure about something for once, he looks towards his ever omniscient girlfriend, who-

"Mahjong term. "Hell Wait." Referring to the period just before victory, but where only one of your winning tiles exists within circulation. The time before the decisive moment in other words."

-Responds almost like an encyclopedia.

"Not a bad spell name, although it's potentially a bit on the nose... If you yell that out they might see it coming... It's best to leave attack names more vague or even outright contrary, can throw people off at times if you do."

Or perhaps...

With a hidden childish heart of her own.

She did seem like the type who might shout "inferno" the moment she shoots lightning out of her hands just to screw with people...

[Vritra]

Makoto Fujioka
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

Following the desire.

Hunting the taste.

Chasing the sensation of an ever-sharpening self.

Who I want, what I want, where I want, I intertwine them and focus. Again, again, again I crumple and crush down what I have with the building anticipation. Crush and compress, through this building tension I brighten the red until it stains even stupid annoying thingie! I was there the first time and I will finish pushing through the second time. The simple truth of Super Ace Detective Pirate King MAKOOOOOOTOOOOOOOOOO!

Mhmhm this time I’ll carry off the mopey princess without fail!

.

..

…

Sometime eventually?

Fweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Not there, not there, not there boooooooo why is this like the train but without any of the things that made the train fun?

Ane-san, Megane, Sensei, Kyoto, Kimichi, Akido, Canada, Hitomimi, Lane or anyone! Everyone around but not and all I can hear are the people over there.

“Nyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Squirming and unable to hold back I shout out my frustrations. Like Kimichi said nothing left to do but do the thingie …and yet I can’t.

Lying on my back in the chair I gaze with annoyance towards the noise group. Sagi is Sagi ramenbuchi but everyone else is…

Floaty, bending, ducking out of reach yet never disappearing.

A sensation of nothing where something surely exists…

Gaze flicking from one person to another as the look over at the disturbance before setting on the noisy white haired.

Yeah, mhm, truly, absolutely, stupid sensation thingie of memories should pick whether it exists or not instead of trying to be something in the middle!

Channeling my annoyance, I shmush my face, puff up my lips and blow a giant raspberry at him.

“PTHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHB”

[Verg Avesta]

Medrod Pendragon
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

...

......

.........

............

...............

A total, utter silence.

Medrod had no answer in him to respond to this... blatant noise that just came out of... what was this? What was this thing before him, uttering complete nonsense and making faces in his direction? Why? Naze? What purpose did any of that serve? Wait, had he done something wrong that incited this most confusing of all responses? No, while there had been an argument, it had been more or less solved thanks to some choice words from all parties. So that couldn't be the case. So, for what reason in all high heavens and hells below, did this... man, boy... just shout random noise out loud and then blow a raspberry so forceful his spit almost reached Medrod?

He couldn't understand.

Perhaps there was nothing to understand.

In all the years he had lived, Medrod had never met anything that could have helped him make sense of this utter absurdity.

... Which was why he eventually just gave up, looked at the rest of the people gathered there hoping to find some answers, and pointed his thumb at the man who had just, for all intents and purposes, gone insane.

"What's with this befuddled... lost child?"

[Airen]

Mikagura Mika
SLEIPNIR - Hallway

...And so you follow him.

The entity responsible for the deaths of your parents. While there are some alleviating factors of information that have appeared over the course of the past few days that make it clear the acts weren't made of pure malice, the reality is that the God had made a 'reaper' that ensured the timeline went a specific way, erasing troublesome people left and right and keeping the world in a state that it felt 'ideal' in order to fight that endless war against demon-kind.

It was all to secure humanity's future, to remove every possible enemy and obstruction from their path before creating a world of nothing but happiness, and so from a certain viewpoint it could have been possible to 'sympathize.'

After all to those who could travel through time, and who sought power great enough that a "Happy Ending" could be created for everyone regardless of the past, committing horrendous sins in the present can all be easily justified as the ends justifying the means.

Sure, they had killed plenty of people.

More than either of them could remember, many more times than they could remember.

But if they revive everyone at the end, and bring them into a "perfect world," then who cares?

The crimes would be wiped away, and everyone would be better off for it.

It would be like it had never happened, so why worry about it?

---Of course there are a number of flaws in that argument, but Chiyoko's battle with the "Ripper" in the Soul Sea had proved that her intentions had been good-natured at least, even if her methods came across as cold and unfeeling in comparison.

Still...

That doesn't mean you can accept it.

"Alright, this far away should be fine."

It's not far from the meeting room at all; just down the ship's hallway and just around a corner, but the God had seemed to deem it necessary to remove the two of you from that previous space before starting this conversation.

You had your own reasons for wanting it to be private, but as far as his motives went...

It was hard to tell.

"...So then, what would you ask of me?"

[Airen]

Guardians of the Future
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

Surely your friends would understand what had just happened right?

As one of you gives into the usual childish behaviors, the one who is more unaccustomed to that presence makes an honest effort at gleaning answers from those around himself, starting with the friends that, up till now, had seemed hyper-confident and wise in everything that they did, and yet...

"...No clue."

In unison.

The couple speaks in a complete and perfect unison, and faith in their omniscience is once again shattered... Of course if Yuka had had more time it would have been obvious, but both she and Kazuya are 'different' from the other people aboard this ship in a very 'rooted' way, lacking the 'forgotten past' that was beginning to emerge in the minds of those who were being continuously exposed to beings that ruled over 'time.'

They have no point of reference with which to decipher the youth's actions, and so you forgo them and look to still more of the others, praying that someone could explain the sudden burst of insanity to you, and:

"...He's just impatient."

Rubbing her head slightly, Liane shows an odd familiarity once more with the people onboard the ship. Of course, with her ESP being a power that allowed her to recount the events of the past mentally, there was a striking possibility that she remembered more of "those past loops" than anyone else did just yet, which could explain both her growing tolerance and growing exasperation with people she would normally give little more than just a cold stare, but-

"Wants to get to the fight already, right Makoto?"

And that was partially true, but before he can answer:

"...Don't spit at people. It's rude."

Kyoko pokes him in the back of the head with this accompanying line.

[Spinach]

Saki Ryuumonbuchi
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

“That’s just Fujioka-kun.” Choosing to ignore the foreigner, Medrod’s, complete ignorance to the finer parts of Japanese culture, such as the game of skill, luck and mental fortitude of mahjong, Saki introduced her classmate. “He’s a bit, well, he’s, you see, like this.”

It was fortunate that Liane had explained what it was that the other student of Aoyama Gakuen had been trying to convey with his noise, for the girl of the same age had long given up on understanding such things.

“Either you get used to it, or learn to pay it no mind.”

Those who fell into the latter category far outnumbered those in the former. At times, Saki felt certain that a single, truly omnipotent and above all entity might rule this world. One beyond the ‘Creator’ or any ‘Divine’ that might be found in religion. Something with an agency and purpose, but the benevolence to let those in the world act as they chose. The certainty she felt that such a being existed was matched by her certainty that even that being would have times when Fujioka-kun couldn’t be deciphered.

“But more importantly, don’t go looking down on the Hell Wait! The mental gymnastics that all land upon despair embedded within the eyes of a man who dealt directly into a Hell Wait… there is no greater force. To turn that despair into something greater, that is my Jigokumachi. And it is not food.”

A slender finger shot toward a certain foreigner.

[Frantic Author]

Guardians of the Future
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

Regrets?

There's so much in my mind to regret, so many unsaid words and half-finished glances. But that's not the important thing, because... I made it here. And that's what really matters right.

"Ne ne, Yagami-san, isn't it kind of amazing that we're all here right now, though? It's like the first time, but for the second time!"

A pause, as I brush a finger past my lips, my chest fluttering lightly.

"So come on! Mingle! Interact with people who aren't me! You've had dozens of lifetimes worth of my company, I don't think another ten minutes is going to do you any good!"

[Airen]

Hitoshira Nagi
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

"...It's not that simple."

It had taken you literally forcing him to do so, but the young illusionist finally speaks up once you call out his existence in a way that he probably finds slightly unpleasant; he had been lurking somewhat in the corner after all, a previous 'villain' that had caused more than his fair share of pain, suffering, and death not just to the people aboard this ship but to the citizens of Aoyama as well, and in that sense he is an outlier.

A 'reformed villain' standing amidst a group of 'heroes.'

As someone who had given into despair, it makes him feel slightly off to interact with those that had better maintained their own sense of heroism and light, but...

"Yeah, come on, talk to me."

A finger and thumb held up in the 'gun' position, as one of his former victims, a certain Ms. Cross, holds up a 'hand sign' of her own that comes across as a somewhat threatening joke.

"...As you can see, my presence is somewhat problematic. I am still a criminal."

Of course, while that position is actually a threatening one when coming from this particular witch, he does not flinch away from the 'gun' held to his head, rather...

"But since I wasn't shot right away, I suppose it is safe enough for me to speak."

He calls what must be a pseudo-bluff, and-

"Say it."

"I'm sorry."

"Turn yourself in after this, don't make any of us chase after you."

"I know."

Calm acceptance.

"So long as you do."

...It's certainly a strange interaction, but she turns away soon afterwards, and he turns back to you with a sigh, not one of despair, but rather...

Light amusement...?

"I'm being let off rather easy."

Behind you, Elizabeth chuckles to herself.

[Katie]

Mikagura Mika
SLEIPNIR - Hallway

I’m surprised.

At how the embers of revenge run cold. Not that they’ve faded away, or that the desire is no longer there, but that I’d never would have thought I’d see the killer of my parents and think… It can wait. That my parents, innocent victims of a plan of “salvation” far beyond anyone’s comprehension at the time, need to wait longer for justice to be done.

I don’t like this at all. But my word is a promise, and promises must be kept. There will be a tomorrow, and another, and another. I can’t let a selfish wish of mine take center stage, for once.

So, I’ll merely grit my teeth and bear it. Emotions restrained, heart in check.

“They said that the Devourer was ‘weak to things not of this world,’ correct?” The question is simple and to the point, but I’m not really asking for confirmation. Merely pretext for what I actually want done. “But I doubt that refers to extraterrestrials, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they turned out to exist too.”

I don’t laugh at my own joke. It’s surprisingly reasonable at this rate and it’s not very funny.

“But you and the Devourer exist across a multitude of timelines, so in this case, the ‘world’ we’re talking about would be the very first timeline, wouldn’t it? The origin of this messy situation.”

I state my hypothesis. It’s likely to be correct. If not, we can end this meeting here, but I wouldn’t ask if I figured it had such an unlikely chance of occurring.

“I want to know what happened then.”

Trying to remember, dredging up etches of memories from the Soul Sea; that was a poor idea. But to get them from the source, or at least be granted access by such a thing—that should be more bearable. And, since this concept of loops was thrown about, I’ve had my own curiosities about the matter.

Winning… requires a thorough understanding of your enemy, most of the time. So I won’t squander any information I could possibly get.

[Airen]

Mikagura Mika
SLEIPNIR - Hallway

"...You're not incorrect."

Ultimately, it answers as honestly as it knows how. While it's existence has been literally rent in half by the current circumstances, and it is no longer privileged to the same sort of information as it's 'ascended' counterpart, it has no reason to truly hide specifics from anyone that wishes to know them.

"To speak of it and I as the same entity for a moment, when the command to delete the world appeared, we gathered all necessary combat data for the encounter and moved out to fulfill that role."

Of course, you could have guessed that; thus it moves on quickly enough...

"In that very first loop, the original, the cause of our awakening was the death of humanity. That Curse manifested itself and waged war on the world just before the time of Conception, as a result, the humans were too weak to fight back when the demons attacked as well, and you were all slain to the last by the combination of both forces. The ESPers died last in this event, but by the time I appeared to put an end to things, one of the two left alive was Chiyoko. As far as I understand it, you were all her friends, survivors of the Kyuubi Incident that grew up within a certain orphanage together."

A pause, then:

"We awaken when nothing can be done to save a world. If it fails the Creator's test, then it is not a world that is meant to exist. It might seem malicious to you, but to the us at that time, it was simply following orders. Even so, the last human I found was full of misery; crying and shaking, begging for a way to save the people that had died defending her. I was the dominant one at the time, "Chronos" was a form that humans gifted to me as we slept, so as long as I remain as "Chronos" I am able to sympathize with them. If humans die then this form of mine is lost, I return to being little more than a program or a machine, thus, I agreed to help."

Short and simple.

"Everything else... You should already know."

It's gaze is unblinking.

"When we first arrived, there was no force capable of stopping us from erasing the world; we had data on everything we thought relevant, and anything known to us cannot harm us without our own power being used against us. But just as I lost access to some of it's knowledge when we split, so too has it lost the memories of what we have done in this loop. There were no demon summoners in the original, your sword did not exist, the Messiah's soul was not whole and awake, Yamuna was not reformed, the Curse had not gone silent, the Demons were still attacking, this group did not have so many members left alive, and none of you possessed the data for my Factor of Time."

Eyes close.

"In other words. If a chance of victory exists, it exists within whatever powers were born within the confines of this 'loop.'"

[Katie]

Mikagura Mika
SLEIPNIR - Hallway

“I see.”

In other words, this is a timeline full of possibilities. Of chances that can be taken. In fact, you could say that this is the amalgamation of all the boons we can get. Many of the major factors have changed for our benefit and these key, pivotal things can catch the Devourer off guard, despite it its immense strength. Survival is no doubt a game of trickery and seizing opportunities.

That doesn’t quite help, though. A lot of these advantages are obvious, or at least will make themselves quite apparent—concealing a Demon is far more effort that it is worth, for example, and Yamuna’s very existence is a visible trump card. In short, the only thing we can rely on is assuming the Devourer will not realize our true capabilities… a thought that makes me uneasy. Reading the opponent is by far the most difficult thing to do. Better to set up circumstances that offer them no plays at all.

I sigh. What a pain this is.

“This is it then, isn’t it? No resets, no way to go over fixed mistakes.”

The words escape my mouth as a pointless complaint. Even if it was possible for Chronos to reset the timeline once more, the matter of the fact was that there was no guarantee anything would align to be even remotely as good as this. Not only that, but his own ability to meddle would be severely hampered by his lack of power, making already uncertain variables have even more variance.

Though this conversation is more or less done, I can’t… I can’t help but dwell on what he said. Friends with Chiyoko at the orphanage.

The orphanage.

Me.

Were my parents always fated to die? A twisted constant in my life. Whether it’s the man in front of me or another whim of destiny… Is that how it’s meant to be? There’s a chill down my spine, unlike anything else I’ve ever felt. That dreaded sense of inevitability, of helplessness—something I thought I was familiar with, only magnified to a…

I hate this feeling.

…

“Do they always die? …My parents, I mean.”

[Verg Avesta]

Medrod Pendragon
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

"... 'He'll wait'? Why does that sound like something a spinster would come up with?" Medrod muttered, again a bit too loudly for his own good, looking even more confused. "No, hold on a minute... Mahjong? Isn't that the game played by old, scruffy, no-good Japanese men? In smoky parlors on the second floor of grocery stores? Why would anyone use that name for an ability...?"

Medrod was truly puzzled by this. Somehow it felt both that he was missing something in all of this, but at the same time, he was probably reading too much into that very same thing. However, the image of this girl, this... Saki, wasn't it...? Yes, this Saki, sitting in a seedy-looking gambling lounge, wasting her days away in the company of other failures of society... somehow it made some horrible sense? Perhaps? But why would it though...

... And why was he hearing his own mind laugh, as if hearing an inside joke that only it could understand?

Perhaps it was good, then, that Medrod's attention was momentarily stolen away by some sort of odd pantomime that was happening not far away from him, between the Bullet Witch that had plagued him in the past and a young man. He couldn't help but to overhear some of their conversation, along with their hand signals, which left and odd feeling into him that drove away the confusion left by Jigokumachis and Hell Waits.

So, he too was a criminal that Liane had decided to spare because of their situation...?

Medrod gave a sympathetic nod towards the young man he didn't know, signaling that he understood some of what he was going through. This was accompanied by a hand-signal of his own, Medrod clenching a fist and softly tapping his chest with it, right above his heart. He had seen it on television after all, something about unity and brotherhood and... 'homies'?

"Keep strong, brother," Medrod mouthed to the young man.

------- One former criminal to another, both with a past of getting shot by golden bullets.

And it would have, perhaps, been fine if it had ended there. However, bolstered by this newfound empathy towards things he perhaps didn't quite understand well enough, Medrod turned back towards the high school girl named Saki. No, it wasn't just that. Something inside him was quite positively demanding that he'd say something he had no exact reason to.

However, somehow, it felt right.

Somehow, it felt like this was what he should say to her.

Somehow, it felt like this was how things were meant to be.

"Still... to have a mindset of an old man at such a young age..." Medrod said to Saki, odd expression on his face. Almost like he was holding back a grin that he didn't even realize was forming. "As expected of you, Saki."

[Spinach]

Saki Ryuumonbuchi
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

“It’s almost like everything you say is calculated to get you into a fight, Medrod.” A hand planted firmly above Saki’s brow kept her steady as she shook her head side to side.

Precision targeted ignorance to the culture of the country he… well, no longer was he in Japan. Nor was she. Likely, wherever the SLEIPNIR now hung in the sky during its upward climb belonged to no country in particular.

Irrelevant! In the presence of so many Japanese, this man’s callous lack of knowledge couldn’t be forgiven even in the depths of space itself.

“What’s more, me, the mindset of an elderly man? You’re always like this, wearing me down with these wholly untrue remarks.”

The nerve of that Medrod. Either in a fight with swords or a fight with words, he never seemed to get his fill of acting like this. Just how… or rather, why?

Why did Saki feel so desensitized to that behavior, that she wasn’t even capable of being more than ‘comfortably annoyed’ by that comment?

No, more importantly, why did she say that at all?

Memories from another cycle surfacing?

The young lady sighed, then glared back at the swordsman.

“Just what have I been dealing with through all these repetitions..."

[Airen]

Mikagura Mika
SLEIPNIR - Hallway

"Yes. This is it."

Blunt.

Ultimately, this being is still one of divine origin, and sees no real need to coddle those that may or may not exist around it.

"Even if I have taken on the form of the "God of Time," the "Great Devourer" is still a superior existence to my own. Unlike myself it is a God that was not born from the humans of this world, and now that it is awake, my ability to influence this reality has been weakened immensely."

No more resets.

This battle was simply do or die.

This you already know, that question existed only as a frustrated complaint.

But the question that follows...

"..."

That one is far more personal, a sort of truth that you fear will ultimately be more painful than enlightening, after all...

The existence of 'fate' can be a horrifying thing.

"...Because of this world's nature, there are certain things within this world that will take place no matter what without the interference of an outside observer. As an example, the Kyuubi Incident eight years ago will always occur, the circumstances might change slightly, but it is an event that cannot be denied, a point of fate that the Soul Sea itself was forced to acknowledge and remember."

Even if dominoes are reset to their original position, if nothing changes, they will fall in the same way every time.

"Their fate was tied to the first incident, those that defeat the Kyuubi on that day are cursed by it. In the most cynical sense, they are just as fated to die as a result of the first as you are to die as a result of this war. At it's most cynical, you could even say that everyone other than Chiyoko has been branded with the "Fate of Death."

A somewhat ruthless answer, but:

"However, to answer your question... It is "No." I am not saying this to make myself look better, I thought it was inefficient in the grand scheme, but Chiyoko went out of her way to protect the happiness of her friends more than once... But even during those times, their fate was merely delayed for eight years or so... This world is not a kind one, even without my cruelty."

Everyone dies.

Or rather, everyone had died.

Again and again, that is how this "World of Death" seemed to work...

"...However, both the Kyuubi and Nyarlathotep were defeated this time when it was their fate to win. That occurrence is an outlier, a thing that defies the "absoluteness" of fate. It should not have been possible, and yet it occurred... Take from that what you will."

[Verg Avesta]

Medrod Pendragon
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

"You know what. It's the 'now' that you chose."

Why did he say that?

It felt like something had taken over him. Medrod's body, one he had thought as his own temple, acted before he could even thought about stopping it. This girl's... this Saki's... expressions were answered with a weary smile and a shake of the head from he himself. It was like he mimicked the girl. Perhaps she had a better idea about what was going on, but Medrod... honestly, he was a little bit afraid. Confronting this.... maybe High School girl?.... his body behaved in a way that he could not predict. He shouldn't have even known her, much less shot her some quips that felt like they came from someone who had known her for ages...

But still.

Why did it feel so right?

This back-and-forth banter...

... Why was it that Medrod found it not any less ordinary than talking to Red, Kazuya, Yuka or Noriko? No, more than that, it was as if he had been stuffed into a situation he had no idea of... yet he already knew the right answers from the get-go.

Repetitions of a Timeline.

That was the term that had come up again and again. So, if that really was the case, if Chiyoko was right... and Medrod had no doub that she was... did this mean that he and Saki had known each other in some timeline before this? Did this mean that the two of them had been friends enough that they could needle each other in such a way? Did it mean that the reason why this felt so right... was because it was their usual behavior?

Medrod couldn't answer it.

He didn't know the right answer for all of this.

... But he didn't have to.

His instincts, his body, acted for him. His mind might not have remembered... but his body certainly did.

And as usual, Medrod trusted his physical being. Even before this, his instincts had been better than his mind. So if they screamed that he should act a certain way here... then that's how he would act.

"Besides, you know why I do it," Medrod spoke, not knowing why his lips formed such words. "It's because someone has to make sure you stay grounded, that you won't think too highly of yourself, because if you do... you're gonna screw up on the last minute. That's not allowed. Whatever you do, Saki, you're not allowed to to make mistakes against the Time Devourer."

Why?

Why...?

It was like there was someone else guiding his body. Some another mind and another set of memories that had taken over him for the moment. Medrod could do nothing but hang back and wait. But as he did so, he realized something. This needling, these comments, those strange words he had said... they all served a purpose. The purpose of strengthening her resolve. The purpose of putting her at ease. The purpose of making her feel at home even at the precipice of fighting a deity that threatened the whole of existence.

Because that was his job.

Whenever Saki, or any one of these others was feeling unsure of themselves... however it came out, whether boisterous or stressed... he was supposed to be there.

Strange. It felt like when he was talking with Noriko.

Like he was supposed to be the unwanted elder brother.

"In any case..."

Wait, what?

What was going on?

Why was his functioning eye feeling so damp?

Almost like tears were falling from it?

Tears of... relief?

"... This is good. This is fine. Even if I fail to understand all these emotions..." Medrod said, without even meaning to. It was like someone else had taken over for him, someone else... who was also him. But a one who knew much more than him. "At least I know one thing. And that's enough for now. It should be enough for now. I can rest easy with this iteration if I know this about you and everyone else. I mean, thank God..."

This was strange.

This was bizarre.

Medrod's body didn't act the way he meant it at all. Instead of being vary of a completely unknown variable, a young girl that he had no connection to... he approached her. Approached her like he wanted to get a good bear-grip of her and for some reason hug her. No, scratch that. That was what his body was attempting right now for a reason he couldn't understand.

"... Thank God you made it this far," Medrod found himself saying as he tried to hug Saki, and the other his body found familiar. "Thank God you're alive. That's all I wanted."

It was all too strange.

Not just what his body was attempting to do without him completely understanding why, like a jigsaw puzzle missing the last few important pieces.

"... It's what I hoped all this time."

But why his eye was shedding tears like seeing all these people alive was a type of relief he couldn't even fully comprehend.

[Spinach]

Saki Ryuumonbuchi
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

This is the ‘now’ that Saki chose. Standing here among these ‘elite’ at the end of the world, this is the outcome that she had forced herself toward. This final confrontation, this last defiance. Saki chose it. As did they. But that is only ‘this’ now.

How many other ‘now’ had she chosen? Had they all chosen? The Ryuumonbuchi heiress was one of the fortunate ones that had already been given the luxury of learning the truth about the repetition of time. However, it was only now, feeling sentiments from past cycles, and seeing them in another, that the girl began to feel the weight of those cycles.

A sense of familiarity with a ‘complete stranger’ that she was meeting for the ‘first time.’ Seeing that familiarity reflected in the good eye of that ‘stranger.’

She might have been a fool, but Saki wasn’t the dense type. She could put two and two together, it was what she chose to do with that sum that made her a fool.

In some other ‘now’ she and this man had known each other.

As friends, or perhaps as something more.

The words Medrod spoke were likely not entirely his own. Not the words of the Medrod of this ‘now,’ but of a previous one. Memories embedded in the soul stirred and rose to the surface, bubbling up to the surface of the tiny soul sea in each ESPer.

Saki herself couldn’t resist it either.

Keep me grounded?

Just as Saki began to lower her head, Medrod came closer.

And closer.

Arms opening up, and his eye glistening as the surface pooled up with tears.

“Eh?”

Saki took a half-step back in shock.

Yes, true, certainly, she was feeling the influence of the ‘past’ welling up within her as well… in fact, strong enough to want to go sit down and simply have a moment of silence for solitary contemplation before the final battle begins, but…

Isn’t Medrod feeling it a little too much?

“This, … this isn’t like you, Medrod. Since when were you the crying, hugging sort? Then again, I can’t say for certain that you WEREN’T that type… wait, no, no.”

An open palm shot forward to block Medrod’s approach, though with far less force than intended. For now, she just had to protect him.

Yes.

For this singular instance, the Saki of this moment was willing to put aside her pride and accept this tearful embrace from a man who should be a stranger to her, something she would normally never allow. But for all that this was not normal circumstances, some other circumstances were definitely normal.

Boldly trying to lay a hand on the Ryuumonbuchi heiress is a dangerous play. Even moreso, to do such a thing in such close proximity to Phenex.

Even if Medrod were to survive the fight with the Devourer, he would certainly meet his end at the hands of the Demon Butler.

“Aren’t you being a little hasty, saying those sorts of things? Not that I don’t understand, everyone would want to take Saki Ryuumonbuchi into their arms, but…”

Saki’s eyes darted around, to make sure that Phenex wasn’t already preparing to intercept and incinerate the sentimental ESPer.

“But that’s the sort of thing you should say to me, to all of us, tomorrow. So, so….”

Saki gulped.

“As a reward for emerging victorious, I’ll allow you to embrace me once the fighting is finished, Medrod."

So you better make good on that declaration that you'll survive. And so will I.

[Mooncake]

Jacques Dussault
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

“Aren’t you being a little hasty, saying those sorts of things? Not that I don’t understand, everyone would want to take Saki Ryuumonbuchi into their arms, but…”

I scoff, then try to cover it up with a drag on my cigarette. I've just... been thinking. Watching, even. It's a weird feeling, seeing these people mingle with each other, these... friends? Lovers? Beats me. All I know is that there's a weird, painful sensation in my chest.

The kind of feeling that makes me want to save everyone here.

“As a reward for emerging victorious, I’ll allow you to embrace me once the fighting is finished, Medrod."

I raise my fist silently. They probably haven't noticed me, but I'll cheer them on anyways. I can't disparage that kind of earnestness, right?

[Verg Avesta]

Medrod Pendragon
Battleship SLEIPNIR - Briefing Room
8 AM, The Time of Finale Approaches

Medrod had frozen in his tracks.

All the movement in him had stopped, to the point even his emotional expression had become... stuck, for the lack of better word. Tears had stopped as had his voice. The words of those around him had broken whatever odd spell had befallen upon him.

And then.

Something began.

First Medrod's expression softened, turned slightly confused, hardened again and finally became one of someone who had no idea what was going on. His red eye looked at Saki like the girl in question had become a total stranger. Eyebrow rose questioningly and like a rusty clock his head turned around, almost like it finally dawned upon him just what he was doing.

And when that happened...

Redness came.

Blush rose up his face, painting all over it until it Medrod was practically glowing.

Then, with a sound of a distant, falling tree... Medrod fell to his knees and put his hands on his face, the one good eye in his face swirling in absolute panic.

"... What the hell am I doing!?" Medrod hissed, unable to believe what he had just attempted to do.