(A/N : Here's the second chapter. Thanks to everyone who has stayed)
(3rd person perspective)
When Rimuru Tempest was in the black void in-between time, the Voice of the World had adapted to his presence
Truly, the lines that were spoken before Rimuru landed in the Sealed Cave, were chaos inducing
<<Notice : The Truth of Nothingness and Will, has descended to the world. The Fifth(F̷̦͑í̶̯r̶̭͑s̵͉̆t̸̛̠ ̴̼̌e̸͍̔v̷̝̑ȅ̴̟r̵̳̎) True Dragon has returned. The True Dragon of Tr-#&"^%->>
<<Notice : Administrator [Redacted] has interfered>>
<<Notice :The True Dragon of [Redacted] has come upon the world. His name, [Redacted], shall bring dread to all who hear it>>
Needless to say, but this message was heard by all of the population of the Cardinal world
Instantly, absolute chaos erupted everywhere
From the underworld to the heavenly star palace to the Ice continent in the North
What contributed to this chaos was Rimuru himself
Because he was fighting with Milim, he was in full battle mode constantly for days on end
When he was transported to the End of Space-Time, that mode was never deactivated
Due to the Deal he has made with [Redacted] and [Redacted], Rimuru's soul was remade anew
Due to the 2 beings' souls that fused with Rimuru, to say he had gotten stronger would be an understatement
Rimuru's Existence Point value with both Veldora's and Velgrynd's was around 160 million EP
That however, now, couldn't look any more pathetic in front of Rimuru's power
To say it increased by a huge amount was an understatement as well
His EP value squared itself countless times
Over and over and over again
Adding to that the amount of energy the Imaginary Space had accumulated, measuring his power through EP would be impossible
Actually, not impossible, but implausible
And so, that Rimuru, who was in full battle mode for so long, without any restraints to his haki, was thrown in the past
When he was in the black void between time, the people of the Cardinal world had felt it
Rimuru's overwhelming power
Such a thick, malicious and never ending haki, like no other, seemed to materialize fear in the hearts of people
Even true dragons like Velzard were taken off guard
The true dragons that were supposed to be the strongest in the world, and more specifically, Velzard, who had witnessed her older brother fighting several times in the past, was suprised
Even Velzard herself didn't expect it
One moment, there was nothing, and at the next moment, nothing was allowed to be
The movement of information particles themselves had halted, as if they were paying tribute to the being that was releasing such an haki, as if they were praying hoping to be forgiven only because they dared to exist in his presence
It was truly, a chaotic day for everyone in the world
(Ciel's Perspective)
...
I never truly understood emotions
They were unpredictable...too unpredictable
A foreign concept for someone like me, who didn't have emotions for a very long time
But, even with my insufficient understanding, I could instinctively tell. It was as if something deep inside me was screaming at me
Master was devastated. As if swimming in an ocean where no light could reach. An abyss where no hope can be. In a void where only nothingness, anger, sadness and regret were permitted
Seeing Master like that, for the first time in my short life, I had acted impulsively
I used Master's new skill without permission in order to create a body for myself
It was the first time that I used Master's power for myself
But, I was desperate, and I knew that if I had done nothing, both me and Master would regret it
As Master's body appeared in front of him, I placed my mind in it and I took control of it
Master was lying on the ground, with his head looking down, cursing at himself. Seeing that sight, I felt as if something inside me broke
But what terrified me more than that, was what Master was about to do
I felt Master's energy coiling around our soul, ready to destroy it
I had to do something
I couldn't let my Master die, at the very least, not by his own hands
"Hahaha...what a worthless person that I am. I don't deserve to exist" He said
And so, I spoke to him
"That is not true. Think about how your friends would think if they saw you right now"
If Master's friends saw him like this, they would definitely be devastated, full of anguish and worry
They entrusted their everything to Master. They believed in our Master. They never lost hope. Their hope only grew further
"Haha...are you seriously asking this right now? They would laugh at my pathetic figure. I've just fallen that low "
Yet, Master denied the truth, only using it as a reason to degrade himself. However, even if that were true. Master never changed in my eyes. He is still the most beautiful, wonderful, profound and charismatic existence I have laid my eyes on. I have truly, never seen a purer, kinder, and brighter soul than his. He was, is, and will forever be, my one and only Master
"No matter how much you degrade yourself, you will always be the same in front of my eyes" I said to him
But without even recognizing me, he started speaking, "Are you mocking me? Making fun of me at my lowest moment? Hehe...I can't blame you, I deserve it, after all"
Before I noticed, Master had started to cry. It was truly a long time since he cried. But, even though it has been so long, and he finally regained his ability to cry, why, is my chest hurting so much right now?
I don't know
While immersed in my thoughts, Master continued speaking, "Am I crying? Hahaha...I see...I've truly lost it. How long has it been since I lost the ability to cry? I truly can't remember"
After saying that, he started shouting out all of his worries. Why did he have to go to war? Why did his friends have to get hurt because of him? Why did his friends let themselves be hurt for his sake? Why were his friends so prepared for death in the final battle? Why did he not go to help his friends? Why did some people only hope for his defeat, even though he has never done anything to warrant that? Everything Master could think of, he kept shouting it at me, while crying his eyes out
After one point, Master remained quiet for some time. He still hadn't looked at me even once
However, after he stopped sobbing, he looked up at me while wiping his tears
"...Who?" He said
I don't know why, but when he looked at me like that and said that, something in my chest tightened up
Even though this body is a slime body and by nature doesn't have organs
Getting carried away by what I was feeling, "You can't recognize me? That's just cruel, Master" I said
But why? Even if Master didn't recognize me, just serving by his side would be enough for me?
So why did I say it like that?
"...Ciel-san?" Master replied
"Yes, Master. It's me" I confirmed Master's words
But, what he tried to say after that surprised me
"Ciel-san. I-I'm sorry, I d-didn't mean to-"
Master tried to apologize
To who? To me
Why? Why did Master want to apologize to me? Even though I am just a lowly servant, Master tried to apologize to none other than me?
Before Master could finish his sentence, I put my index finger on his mouth
"I know, Master. Please, don't blame yourself. Even if we did fail, your friends are still alive, aren't they? We can just save them and become friends again, can't we?"
That is right
Master is terribly afraid right now
Afraid of himself
His power was the one who allowed him to help his friends, but it was also the one who took them away, at least, that is how he thought of it
That is why, since his friends are currently alive in this timeline, he can reclaim them
He can become friends with them again
Even better, he can help them, before they experience tragedy
After hearing myself, I could tell, Master started to realize what I tried to tell him
And so, I continued to speak
"Master. There is no need to apologize to me. I exist to serve only Rimuru-sama. I wouldn't even dare to think otherwise. That is why, even if Master hated me, loathed me or even was disgusted by me, I would still be begging to keep serving you, Master"
After saying that, I threw my arms around Master, bringing his body closer to mine, and then, I put my head next to his ear and said
"So please, Master, never try to do what you were about to do. If your soul was torn apart, we both would disappear. But I couldn't care less about that. The only thing I am afraid of is not being able to serve you, master"
So please, don't put an end to our journey together, Master
"So please, don't end your own life, Master"
What I had wanted to say didn't come out the way I wanted
Why, I wonder
When I said those words, I felt it within our soul, Master had calmed down significantly
"Even though I still do not understand emotions well, I can see well enough that Master is in a bottomless pit of darkness. As a Manas, one who supports their Master, but more Importantly, as Ciel, I must support my master through this. Master is tired, isn't he? You can rest. There is nothing worth your worry right now. Just leave it to me, and sleep peacefully, master"
I kept speaking, with the most gentle and peaceful voice I could make
Seeing as Master didn't even try to resist the sleep-like state I was putting him in, I succeeded in bringing back Master
As I thought, I couldn't let my Master fall any deeper to despair
When we were sent to the end of Space-Time, he was devastated, but because of the hope Master regained with the new mysterious skill, Usher of Nothingness, I had let my guard down
Only then did the skill's function change
I am not sure if it had anything to do with Master's will, but the change was suspicious
Especially because, the Time leap feature had disappeared ever since we became stranded here
Skills should be innately reusable, and when they had a cooldown, it would show up in the analysis
And that is why, when we came here, Master's despair only multiplied
He had treasured every single one of his subordinates-No, his friends. When Veldora was under Regalia dominion's control, Master released such an unimaginable anger
Even I, the one who has been with Master the longest, couldn't see such a deep anger coming from him
He even tried to fight on the front lines to prevent the sacrifice of even one of his friends
So, losing all of them at once, the amount of pain Master is going through is unimaginable
That is when I realized, he needs someone to support him
That is why I took control of another body
When he had first reincarnated, his one and only wish was just that, a friend
That is also why great sage, who I used to be, mutated and acquired a response feature
So, I will grant Master's wish, for now, and forever
Because I am Master's servant
Looking at Master who is currently in my embrace, I feel an inexplicable feeling rising up
My free spirited and slightly naïve Master had sobbed uncontrollably a few moments ago
Even thinking about it now, I feel my chest hurting
At the same time, I noticed a feeling from where I am touching Master
Now that I think of it, I have never had any contact with Master
I had always been in his mind, ready to fulfil all of his wishes
But now that I am actually touching him, it is a foreign feeling
However, it is not a bad feeling
I lay down Master on top of my lap
Somewhere deep inside of my mind, I thought of this
I hope this moment will last forever
(Rimuru's Perspective)
...
I slowly open my eyelids
I feel a hand caressing and petting my head
As my senses slowly started to return to me, I felt a really pleasant and warm feeling overflowing through my whole body
That is when, I realized
I had slept on Ciel-san's lap
Before I had any time to be embarrassed, I hear a voice, Ciel-san's voice
"Good morning, Master. Did you sleep well?" She said, looking at me with a gentle look and a faint smile
The moment I looked at her, any and all words I was about to say vanished
Only one thought remained in my mind
She is so beautiful... WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?
Meanwhile, my cheeks suddenly felt really flushed, and my face was heating up
I mean, I am a slime aren't I? A slime body doesn't have any functions like this, right?
Bringing out all of my courage, I somehow or other manage to say these words
"Y-yea. But, Ciel-san, why was I sleeping on your lap?" I ask
But the answer I got was very unexpected
"Because Master has to be at his most comfortable at all times. Even in his sleep. I, naturally, am obliged to help Master"
The already flushed feeling started to grow even stronger as Ciel-san energetically said those words with a smile
Ciel-san would do such things for someone like me?
Really?
The moment I started that train of though, I decided to not do so, and I promptly buried any and all thoughts deep inside my mind
"Thanks, Ciel-san..." My words started to trail off at the end there
Well, that doesn't matter, I must focus on the important part here
"Anyway, where are we? Actually, I should ask, when are we?" I say
"We are one day after Master's reincarnation" Ciel-san replies to me
"I see..." Actually, I have something I want to ask of Ciel-san, but I don't know if I can muster up the courage to do so
...
Argh, screw it, I'll just say it
"Hey, Ciel-san, can I ask something of you? No, actually, let me request something of you..." I say, and after a small moment of silence, I continue speaking
"Can you please...keep being with me?" I ask
"Hmm? Aren't I always with you, Master?" Ciel-san replies as such
But that is not what I meant with my question
"I-I mean...in the physical sense"
Right after I say that, Ciel-san looks at me with her eyes wide open, but after a moment, she breaks out a wide smile
"Of course Master. If you wish, I shall accompany you" She said
I...felt happy
Because Ciel-san didn't refuse the pitiful request of someone like me
Ciel-san truly is the best partner I could ever wish for
She is wasted on me
While having such thoughts, I walk up to Ciel-san and tightly hold her left hand with both of my hands
"T-Thank you, Ciel-san. For being with me, and for being my partner, in the past, in the present, and in the future" I said
Ciel-san looked at me, while her snow white cheeks reddened a bit as her beautiful smile widened even more
"I should be thanking you, Master. Thank you for allowing me to serve under you. I will gladly join the journey of my one and only Master"
Looking at her smile, I could only smile back in response
We simply stood there, clasping our hands together, awkwardly but happily smiling at each other for a while
(A/N : HAHA, YOU UNDERESTIMATE ME, SCHOOL! YOU THOUGHT THAT YOU WOULD PREVENT ME FROM RELEASING A CHAPTER A DAY! BUT HERE I AM, T-BAGGING YOUR DEAD CORPSE. Ahem, anyway, where was I? Ah, yes, how was this chapter? Did it feel rushed to you? I finished it pretty quickly so I am not sure. Leave your thoughts in the comments
Words : 2511)