"A literal hole leading down into the ground; taking shelter in a place similar in theme to the Isle. I should've seen this coming."
I traced Enkidu's and the other servant's scent back to their hideout, dropping into an underground space.
The area was enlightened with a deep purple glow by the condensed magic running through the earth's veins within the cavern.
Pulling in my wings, I walked around until I stopped beneath a peculiar sight- an individual that was out of place among those of us gathered here, floating in suspended animation within something like an incubator.
Mind and body asleep in tandem, the unconscious girl was a victim to the changes her battered and torn body had been forced to undergo as the tank entrapping her worked to finish its given task. The left side of her previous cream-colored skin was now black and corrupted, a mere preview of what her right side would soon come to look like as well.
"Mother insisted on bringing her prize back here. A new look for the new side she'll be fighting for... you've appeared to have adopted one yourself."
Their exposed feet tapped distantly from the other end of the tunnel, becoming clearer while they continued their path toward me until they halted in the limelight made by the glow from the tank.
"I thought you were kidding yourself when you talked of allying with us, you actually showing yourself here, well.... I'll admit how unexpected I find it."
Pushing forward to brush past Enkidu, he pushes his hand into my chest, stopping my move forward.
"Not so fast. You see, I have an... unfinished task I let get away. Before I allow you to come any further into our quarters, why not show some resolve and back the words you said earlier by completing it for me? It's best to build a somewhat trusting relationship; start small as they say."
Able to make out the giantess resting ahead in a wide expanse that opened up from the path, I refocused on Enkidu who patiently awaited an answer after telling me what they sought.
"Apsychos." I summoned my chains, holding two in each hand as I turned for the exit and dragged my eighteen-foot length weapons behind, half-heartedly complying with the request for a single reason I had no intention of sharing with the lancer.
"Just one thing..." Raising his head after refusing to look at me until now, the rightmost side of their face bathing in the tank's glow shined with a purple tint as Enkidu met my eyes. "I know for a fact you know who the servant is. You two have some history together which begs my curiosity to ask why you haven't called her by her name."
"......Because she hates it. You could argue that she and Medusa are one and the same, but they're not. For that reason, I can't call her Medusa, but I also refuse to address her by that name because I know from experience how much it makes her feel like what that name degrades her as."
"Is that so? Then I'd prefer that you start calling me Kingu from now on since Enkidu is a retired name."
"...And you, may refer to me by what I've been deemed as... Beast VII."
Propelling out from the underground cavern's well-hidden entrance, I tore apart the clouds with my speed, raking over the land with my keen sight. Sniffing the cloth piece lancer had placed in my care for the search, the smell of someone familiar filled my nostrils as I ramped up my speedy flight in the direction their smell urged me to follow.
☆☆☆Somewhere in the wild ◇◇◇
Leaves rustled with a quickness incited by the wind blowing in an area apart of the wilds I hadn't been to before, the terrain beautifully unperturbed by any battles, making it the perfect scene for anyone to hide in among the sea of green nature laying before my eyes.
I listened in to everything, bouncing soundwaves off the land and letting the vibrations flow back into my ears- even carefully giving attention to what the wind had to say...... which turned out to be nothing at all.
To find a calm undisturbed area, teeming with no life; my instincts screamed something suspicious was hiding underneath the tense atmosphere.
Drifting beneath the treetop foliage, I stalked close enough to the ground it brushed against my chest and my wings hit the soil with every beating flap they made.
They're hiding themselves pretty well, but not enough...
Pausing in my flight, I raised a hand into the air, shut out all sight, and let my power build.
I suppose it's true what they say. If you want to drive out a mouse, flood it out...
River... of the Damned.
From my hand sprung near-black waters, setting free the wailing, soul-consuming torrent from Hell.
The current washed onto the floor with commanding force, covering the ground like a blanket as it forced itself to spread deeper into the serene greenery.
One second was enough to rob the life force of anything and everything it came into contact with as it knocked over and greedily consumed the lifeless remains of various plants.
No sooner had the body of water begun to surge into the deeper expanse of the wilds than a figure bolted from the bushes and boldly began to traverse across the branches of healthy trees.
There you go.
Watching as my target fled further away, I merely tapped my foot on the air before taking a leisurely step forward to pursue them.
The souls' wailing increased in pitch and volume from their watery habitat, gaining speedily on the servant's movements.
In the shaded company of the canopy of trees, the back of the cloaked figure gleamed as they retrieved their weapon from behind them and threw it ahead, burying it into a muscular trunk on the ground level meters below.
They let their feet vanish from touching the branches, propelling their small frame forth through the sky after a confident leap off a ledge leading to a denser swarm of trees waiting beneath the plunge as her sprint transformed into a swing that would lead her to the lower elevated land.
Tugging their weapon free from the bark, it curved upwards and embarked on a return toward the servant who continued to drop. In a single smooth motion, the target's arm shifted back as it had previously after confirming the blade fell into their gloved hands.
Leveled for another wide trunk, the sunlight reflected off the metal flying free from its wielder's grip- forced off its original course by opposing opposition as the space and scenery of what they saw began to distort...
Phasing through the chosen tree their thrown weapon should have found itself embedded in, the pointed tip vanished inside the affected area, consuming the servant's body in due time- to fall into my raised hand waiting patiently outstretched where I stood having yet to move an inch more.
Adjusting their trajectory, the small person landed a hand on my shoulder, using the momentum carrying them to attempt a mid-air jump over my head- only to be caught in my other hand by their feet, and slammed full force into the dirt on their back.
Freed from their tight possession I kicked aside the weapon they'd been concealing even while using up until now; the scythe clattering out of near reach as it settled off to the right in the still grass.
With an echoing snap that shook the wildlife, I dispersed my River of the Damned which had turned around to surround us. Digging my foot into the target's chest they squirmed and squealed under the heavy pressure. The thrashing movements they went into next caused faint notes of blood to fill my nostrils.
"You already seem to be injured, appears you've torn open whatever was keeping those injuries patched up."
Lining my palm directly above their head, black and red sparks surged at my fingertips, ready to be released at any time.
"I'll make this quick then so you don't have to deal with the pain. Don't worry, this won't hurt. It'll just erase you from this singularity entirely."
Crackling like lightning, my intent to discharge the attack was clear... the slight window before it did, the hooded individual's head arched upward, making our eyes meet as a familiar shimmer shined from theirs, sending the accumulated energy sky-bound as I threw my hand upward in that sliver of a moment.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
"When he said you smelled like... her, I didn't think he meant it was another version of you, but rather someone had replicated her... your scent and used it to avoid detection. Servant summonings are quite peculiar."
Airborne with my legs crisscrossed, I rotated around, hanging upside down that it made the world seem to be on its head in my perspective while I inclined my gaze upward from below to stare at the girl I'd been chasing.
"...What? Your sight's lingering on me again." Laid over her small lap, the blackened robes no longer served in obscuring the female's identity.
Pressing closer to the side of the tree she leaned against, she kept her scythe raised at the ready, never letting the steely haze in her look fade while watching me float about.
"Is it? I guess my attention shifted while being preoccupied. Though, now that I'm focusing, you seem on edge."
"And for some reason that's a surprise to you? Part of my soul is screaming we've met, but since that likely happened when we were older it's only natural I'd feel uncomfortable. To me, you're basically a stranger."
"Besides, let's not pretend we weren't just fighting earlier. You're here to kill me on her orders; to protect Gorgon, aren't you? ...They already got Benkei."
"You're aiming in the right area..." Disappearing from her sight, I teleported behind the girl, casually walking up the tree. "But it's like I told you before, I didn't know I'd be meeting a past version of the same servant, teeny Medusa."
"...Ana."
"Who-"
"If you're going to call me anything, it's Ana. Just like I said earlier, we had yet to meet in this part of my history. Calling me my usual name would be an insult to the older me if you continued to do so, would it not?"
"Ana, huh? Then tell me, is the version of you I'm most familiar with in this singularity too? Was she? Frankly, is it even possible three versions of one individual can exist in the same place at the same time?"
"No, at no point has she been here. I shouldn't be either. I only came to be summoned to put an end to the irregular me- Which takes us back to our original topic; are you planning to kill me for Gorgon?"
"No more games."
"No more diversions. I want a straight answer, dragon."
Flourishing her hood back on, Ana let the veil hide her face again as the purple tip of her scythe hung in the air with dreaded suspense while I chuckled at the sight from the branch I used to look down on her.
"Well, even if I tell you that, nothing will ultimately change..."
"Still, I'll bite. However, don't blame me if the answer isn't to your liking..."
☆☆☆☆☆☆ At the same time, elsewhere ◇◇◇◇◇◇
"There you are; Nero!"
I heard a cry calling for my attention.
I wasn't sure how much time had gone by; my mind had been asleep ever since after the altercation I didn't realize my feet had moved on their own to lead me somewhere different.
"Nero," With the second indication of someone's soft voice seeking me out, something cusped my cheeks and stole my gaze away from focusing on the ground any longer.
The setting had changed; against the backdrop of a setting sun, Jeanne's face filled my immediate view with a steady rise of smoke taking place behind her, giving a possible hint that master and the others had set up a camp for the night not a distance too far from where we stood.
"Jeanne..." I trailed off, confusing her and myself as I shook my head when no idea of what to say came to mind.
"Come on, everyone's been worried and waiting for you to show up. Master woke up only about half an hour ago, let's go see her."
"Master is... Yeah, I want to see her."
With the simple nod Jeanne gave, it felt like she understood all the pain I was going through since leaving him behind as she adjusted her touch on my face to tug at my hands so she could drag me along back to our allies in silence.
"...Thank you." I could only sneak the words out in a whisper, the ruler's hand tightening slightly to let me they'd reached her.
Our place of rest for the night was inside Jaguar's forest amongst the overgrown statures of the trees acting as suitable shade as a frosty wind swept through them.
Besides the new face sitting around the fire with the others, beasts of considerable size rested away from the burning flame and chowed down on red meat.
"You. Return. Missing for a prolonged period. Master, everybody. Worried. Relief, finally."
Nezha became the first to greet me when I subsequently followed Jeanne and hesitantly joined her and the others around the bonfire.
The mood was somber- yet things felt like some glimmer of hope was trying to trickle in past the grief we all were undoubtedly feeling.
I made such a bold statement, but really... am I even close to strong enough to save him... Have I... what if the gap is too much to over-
"Nero-dono."
"Nero."
Two distinctive voices entered either of my ears, letting my inner tumultuous thoughts die before they could finish.
Compared to before I'd receded into my down-spiraling thinkings, my face felt degrees warmer, in addition to a soothing wave I could sense washing over my soul.
"Ty-Typhoon?"
In the pendant withholding their existence that could usually be seen around Silva's neck, Typhoon hung around master's instead, with the latter sitting in the dirt, holding my hands within her bandaged ones.
"You looked like you needed a hug. Sorry if my hands aren't all too soft right now, they still sorta tingle from the burns."
"Mas...ter." Easing my nerves with a beaming smile full of her strength, the gesture broke me as much as it healed me... so much so the things I'd kept hidden from her begin to spill out.
"Typhoon... can I?" I turned to the immortal, seeking their permission.
"That's why I'm here, and... well, I didn't come without company."
"You-" The answer to that riddle revealed itself quicker than I needed to ask.
Lightly jerked to look over my left shoulder by Jeanne, peeking out from the darkest expanse within the ocean of trees surrounding us were two violet eyes.
They held no fierceness to be found, the life in them conveyed a different story- the apparent sadness they were experiencing.
"Riessa."
"She came with me. We arrived a few hours ago to talk, so you can imagine our shock when word was you had broken off from the group and hadn't been seen."
"To conversate? Are you saying...?"
A heavy breath escaped from the other side, I could almost visualize their face contorted in a slight scowl wherever they rested in their world.
The light contained in the necklace flickered between dull and bright, illuminating the space between master and me, and by a greater extension, the camp as everyone present awaited their answer.
"Yes. Riessa and I; we're aligning ourselves with Chaldea."
Dimmed to a spark smaller than a pebble, Typhoon's tone came out shaky and uncertain- similar to what I was like myself.
"The kid's gone too far. I'm his guardian caretaker, and Riessa, a further extension of his soul. No matter the problem we'd always been there to advise him, fight by him, and try and make him smile, but..."
"He's hurting himself. He's lost; blind and unable to find his way out of the pit he doesn't realize he's slipped into and I can't reach him. I'm afraid by the time he wakes up... if he ever wakes up and regains control of himself he'll have done things he can't take back to people he truly cares about."
"The kid's suffered enough mental abuse and trauma for several lifetimes. I won't let the reason why he falls to such pain again be because I did nothing this time around too, so... Nero, and you too Atalanta. I appreciate you both for what you've done by not revealing his true identity, it's time to let it out though."
"His hatred. His history. His personality. Tell them everything, you directors listen in too."
"Oh, and here I thought we might have to interject ourselves in." Appearing aside master's head, two virtual-like holograms made themselves known as the female displayed no hesitation to speak, seemingly almost intrigued by the situation.
"Come on Da Vinci, can't you tell this moment seems a little too serious for that sort of enthusiasm?" Dr. Roman chastised.
"I'm well aware. I'm for one just glad we finally get to know the name of this servant we haven't been able to pinpoint in our database."
Conjuring up an exasperated shake of his head, Roman and Da Vinci brought silence upon the camp once again.
Noticing a growing tightness in my and master's joined connection; I tenderly squeezed back to the reassuring comfort her hand holding provided as I locked eyes with Atalanta who nodded, urging me to begin.
"Since the beginning, when I said his name was Bahamut, it wasn't the complete truth. It's his dad's name, but it's the default one he gives out to people he doesn't trust, and for a time, it's what his enemies came to call him."
"His actual name isn't recorded in many texts, and to the dragons, he never existed in the first place. His father was the king of all dragons. The only child born to the strongest dragon for generations, yet considered an unworthy prince by his own race..."
"Azrael. Silva Azrael... that's his true name."
☆☆☆☆☆☆ Gorgon's Hideout ◇◇◇◇◇◇
[Quick 3rd Person]
"Well... things certainly ended as I predicted they would."
The stench of blood and a great scene of devastation that could only be associated with a fierce battle filled the underground cavern.
No bodies were seen. Through a massive cavity leading deeper into the earth had the individuals who participated in the fight took a tumble.
Retrieving a blood-coated scythe from the edge of the room, a lone male continued to trace the scene, staring down into the elongated hole.
"I was a bit reluctant to believe she had it in her, but I can't sense the giantess anymore. I bet she would've never thought being killed by her younger self would be possible?"
"...Hey, down there... you awake yet?" Tapping the scythe against the inside of the crater, a low rumbling answered in kind to the melodic scratching of metal against rock and soil.
In small increments the earth sprung to life with quakes, each one coming back stronger than the last as the cavern became buried under itself...
The final thing anyone nearby could've heard from inside the place was the broken laugh of the dragon still trapped below.
...The beginning of the end lying in a deep slumber had been awakened at last.
END
Next: The Dragon's Masked Scars That Ran Deep
Author's A/N
Another chapter concluded! Ana's made her appearance back in as promised, but you'll have to keep reading to find out what kind of deal was discussed between her and Silva.
Anyways, the much-requested chapter is up next. We'll finally be delving into most of Silva's canonical background (can't reveal all of it, I have to save some delicious tidbits for my original story). All the questions of why the betrayal and the dream regarding his little sister will be discussed next time. Hope to see you all there!!!
Author-chan out!