—Cael Lucian
You know sometimes I wonder to myself, damn what an eventful life I had you know? former school bully to a cleaner, to a researcher to a lead researcher, a leader of my own team before becoming the director and finally becoming a representative of humans.
Of course now I myself am a living legend, at least according to normal humans, of course, time moves on and overtime people forget about me after countless thousands of eons, even the most prestigious will be forgotten.
And you see. This isn't the first time I've been dragged into a conversation with these Pillars. It has happened so many times actually that I've lost count, but of course this specific conversation. It was the very first one I had with all 5 Pillars.
—Klein Moretti, The Past
Note : In the past Klein himself isn't close with any of the Pillars except for Conclusion.
"I expected this." Right, when you think about it logically it would make sense would it not? Though the Pillar of Cohesion has lived for as long as ur, perhaps even more, in the end—His mind is still stuck of that of a child.
It was a simple deduction really. I could breach his thoughts instantly like he didn't set any mental defenses or precautions, and I was able to read his memories, but to think. To think Cohesion was friends with Conclusion and that hero Aurelion. Who would've thought.
The river of fate is truly unpredictable, even as the Lord of the Mysteries. It wasn't something I can fully control, beyond even my authority
"HeH~ truly interestinggggg" Continuation was smirking eye to eye.
"Violet. You should heal him"
"Yeah yeah~" she said while waving her hand, of course without any delay she activated her so called 'divinity' her eyes glowing golden as a wooden zither also appeared, using both of her authorities simultaneously. That of Reincarnation and Radiance.
The blinding light made the demon shiver as the Vampire closed her eyes trying to hide. Of course, it was a simple thing, I could see as what should be the so called 'soul' of the powerless Ezron appear once more and was placed back inside it's body
SHIIIINGGGG
Jingle Jingle
The blinding light and the sound of bells jingling, only lasted for a few seconds. It truly is an interesting phenomenon however. How do these 'avatars' grow their own consciousness. Just like Kiana and Gaby.
"This is the second case of avatars growing an independent consciousness eh~ truly interesting" Continuation said those words as curious as ever
"Huh???" The words coming from the powerless—I'll just call them Cohesion for the Pillar and Ezron for the avatar for simplicity's sake, of course as soon as those words came out from Ezron's mouth the thoughts of those 'wifes' came to a halt.
A mix of shock, unrealness and beliving it was all a dream frozen in place—except the cat girl as she rushed in before hugging Ezron. "It's there It's there It's there" Her words were fast as both her ears and tail had dropped and of course—
The vampire girls hands stopped in place as the 'magic circle' disappeared, tears start to form in her face, and it didn't take long for—
"UWAHHHHHHHHHHH" Cries to be heard.
"You're alive. You're actually alive…" The human girl said still sobbing as she walked with wobbly step before hugging and breaking down in his arms. It didn't take long for the other ones to start doing the same. On the other hand…
"You," the demon said.
Not to me, not to Continuation—But to Cohesion
The Pillar of Cohesion was still standing in the corner of the bathroom. His hands were still shaking. His eyes were still fixed on the body—the living body, the breathing body, the body that had been dead because of him.
He hadn't moved since the blade dissolved. He wasn't sure he could move. He wasn't sure he deserved to move. "You," the demon said again. Her claws were still extended. Her eyes were still red. "You killed him. You—you just—and now you're just standing there like—"
"Ezron," I said with a calm voice, but there was an edge to it now. "Ezron, look at me."
The Pillar of Cohesion didn't respond. His thoughts—I could hear them with Error—were a cascade of static and self-recrimination, a feedback loop that had been running since the moment he'd realized what he'd done.
[He's alive. Violet fixed it. He's alive. But I still killed him. The fact that he's alive now doesn't change the fact that I killed him. She reversed it but she didn't erase it. I still did it. I still—I'm still—I'm still the kind of person who would—]
"How am I wrong? No their brainwashed, no it's not my fault, it's their fault" The Pillar of Cohesion muttered unconsciously, yet that did not earn him any pity, instead it merely fuelled the anger of the others.
"YOU KILLED HIM AND NOW YOU'RE FROZEN IN PLACE? ARE YOU TRYING TO GAIN PITY?" The human girl shouted, a tone mix with grief and anger eyes burning with rage.
Sigh
I wish to scream Leodero.
"Wowwww, now you're silent? you pissed your pants or something fuck ass?" Harsh words coming from the demon girl. "GOD WILL PUNISH YOU" The Angel girl went her wings seemed to turn slightly darker.
"TALK YOU BASTARD." Said the mermaid and vampire girl simultaneously, all their minds overwhelmed by emotion, going no where, if this continues then this could go quite bad.
!!!
I could feel it. The world it, was destabilizing once more, my eyes glanced onto Cohesion then Continuation, Continuation only looked at me back, her eyes having that smirk she usually has and then—She spoke.
"Ezron." Her eyes had stopped glowing. The zither had vanished. She was looking at him with an expression that wasn't quite pity and wasn't quite exasperation and wasn't quite fondness—something in between, something that contained all three. "You're spiraling. Stop it."
"I killed him," Cohesion said. His voice was barely a whisper. "I killed him. I thought he was—I thought they were—I was wrong. I was completely wrong. I'm not—I shouldn't be—"
"A Pillar?" Violet tilted her head. "Probably not. But neither should I. Neither should Klein. Neither should Kiana. You weren't chosen by anyone, it was just fate who took us, you're not special in that regard."
"You don't understand. I killed an innocent man."
"Yes. You did and Kiana and Klein killed far more then you did, perhaps even I do too, but hey~ I brought him back. And now you have to live with the fact that you did it." She paused before giving a smirk her eyes still locked into Cohesion's
Cohesion only opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
No words came out. They couldn't
"He was in no real danger. I and Violet have been waiting here for a while, just incase something went wrong and well. It did, the River of Fate works mysteriously"
"Hoh~ that's how it works for you huh~"
"Did I take some sleeping pills without realizing?" Ezron suddenly asked still laying down in the floor confused.
The vampire—Marcella—let out a sound that was half laugh and half sob. "Something like that. Just—just stay still. You need to rest."
"Rest? I need to finish my movie."
"This again…"
Small banters, lovely one perhaps. One that can only happen if your a family, Cohesion only looked at this so called 'family' his thoughts becoming more and more chaotic.
[I don't deserve to be here,] he thought. [I don't deserve to be anywhere near them. I should leave. I should disappear. I should—]
"Even if you try to time slip or kill your self it won't work." Using Fool and Error to stop it is an extremely easy task.
"Why-? Why-? Why-?" How is this so called Pillar so childish… Leodero Leodero Leodero….
"Fine. We do it like this." As I willed it countless illusory doors appeared and opened as the grey fog from Sefirah castle enveloped the entire place, Continuation had already moved placing barriers on to Ezron and the girls.
"I'll seal your powers."
"Huh-?"
"Well temporarily of course, not exactly seal it that authority belongs to Kiana only, I have no ability to permanently seal your powers."
"Wha-?"
"I'll fool you and your powers. I'll make sure everytime you try to use it something goes wrong. This way you won't really hurt anyone."
Cohesion went silent once more, then Continuation spoke
"It's a good chance to feel what it's like to be human~ Of course, your body is still quite literally indestructible but—That shouldn't be to difficult for you right Klein~?" As usual with her teasing voice to which I only nod.
"To be human?" Cohesion spoke, hesitantly but his mind? it had already made it's choice. Thus I willed my authorities
WHOOOSHHHHH
FSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Grey fog enveloped him entirely as the surrounding area began to shake—No lights existed even though the sun was still hanging—The house shifting from nature to sci-fi to a hellish landscape to a heavenly looking thing.
CRACKLE
CRACK
KRRKRKRKRKRK
And after what felt like a while—Everything returned to normal.
"Well of course if you try to force your way it'll probably break, but by then I'll just ask Kiana to come, You don't want Conclusion to end your entire existence do you?"
Shiver
Continuation gave me this look, read my mind it seems, without hesitation I did.
[If he's gone wouldn't the balance of the world also disappear?]
[According to Kiana at the very least, when a Pillar by some miracle dies. Someone or Something will fill in the void in role, often times happening instantaneously, but of course not everyone can handle the weight of a Pillar.]
[Is that so~?]
[But knowing Kiana. If push comes to shove, she wouldn't hesitate to split herself to hold the authority of Cohesion.]
[That so~]
"Well? Let's drop you off somewhere else now shall we?" Enough of the small talk for now, I thought as an Illusory door appeared infront of Cohesion, as it opened. Continuation held Cohesion's hand as she guided him into the door with a smirk.
Step Step
"Well then take care~" She said as both she and Cohesion went through the door—Ah. Wait. I'm going to need to handle the aftermath aren't I?
…
LEODERO
—The Present
"And now? what happened to them?" I asked my eyes focusing on both Klein and Ezron.
"Well, I come by once in a while and then we'd have a little chat, the other 'me' would always be talking about one of her daughters and praising them and often times they'd get embarrassed."
"The human girl, her name is Eri and the other 'Ezron' all chose immortality, the vampire girl. Her name Marcella is working as a manager in an agency. The cat beastwoman her name Neko (Pun intended) works in an orphanage." Klein said still sipping his tea.
How is it that you seem to know more then Ezron himself?
"I can read your mind you do know that?" Yes I do obviously I know about your abilities, I've read your story and I'm genuinely just curious.
Cough
"They call me uncle."
PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT
The Long Jing tea Kiana was drinking was spit out clean, of course thankfully Klein was fully prepared using Error to make the tea stay in place as if gravity didn't exist, Kiana on the other hand was choking.
How the fuck does she even choke? (Now obviously he doesn't know Kiana has to do it artificially but eh :P not a plot hole)
"How about we go meet them now?" trying her best to avert the attention from herself, she sure is desperate…
"Why not." Snap As those words were said an illusory door ahd already appeared right behind me and opened and as the usual grey fog seemed to come out once more, the other Pillars—They just stood up and walked like it was another Monday.
"Their used to it, I do it often after all" Said Klein with a slight chuckle.
Sigh
"Might as well" I thought to myself as I stepped through the door again, feeling rather nostalgic.