Chapter 69 - Humanity
"Would you really be okay with that?" you ask carefully. "Just… being somebody else for the rest of your life?" Nothing There actually pauses to think, letting their focus leave you for a moment to start up at the ceiling before snapping back a few moments later.
"Yep!" they say cheerfully. "I'd still be human. It doesn't matter what human, I can be anyone. And I'll do a great job, too!"
"But what exactly does that mean?" you counter. "As far as anyone here can tell, you already are human. Even back at the facility, you were good enough to fool most people."
"Yeah, but this body's waaay~ better than my old shells. They always fell apart after a while." Nothing There seems almost embarrassed again, although not quite ashamed as it was before. "That was kinda my fault. Normal bodies are complicated, I've gotta keep track of all the little details and stuff to keep one working. Plus, they're just not meant for me. But with the Soul Gems, it's way easier!" The Abnormality proudly declares. You let the sword in your hand fade into dust as they continue. You can't attack right now, not when you might risk damaging the Soul Gems within Nothing There's body. "Magical Girls are supposed to heal themselves or something like that. But when they're like this, they keep my body all fixed up! You can't even tell anything's wrong! Isn't it so cool?"
Luckily, Nothing There mistakes the horror on your face for awe. So they really are all still conscious in there. Not only that, but Nothing There will need at least one Soul Gem to maintain its shell. Judging by their earlier reaction getting the imitator to part with any of their victims would already have had a snowball's chance in Hell, but this confirms it. Although it does leave a few more avenues available to try and avoid combat.
"Oh?" You reclaim your impassive mask and raise an eyebrow at your fellow Abnormality. "If so, why did you take so many Soul Gems? A Magical Girl's Soul Gem should be able to heal their whole body, so it should only take one to keep you in shape. You said you had thirty-seven?"
"I probably could just use one, but there's a lot more to being human than just the body. There's feelings and relationships and language and death and love and all sorts of other things that make humans human." Nothing There lays their hands over their collar, and for a moment their enthusiasm fades into a sort of wonder. "I don't quite have all of it, but I'm getting closer. I only need a few more, I can feel it."
"Can you not feel those things right now?" You ask skeptically. "As I said before, you can already pass for human easily enough to anyone who doesn't already know you aren't."
"Mmmmh… I'm not human, though. Even if I can do all those things, it doesn't mean I'm human. Not yet. But don't worry! I'm really close, I can tell!"
You sigh. "Could you be more specific in how exactly you're getting closer? If it's not your body, then it has to be something else changing. Depending on what it is, I might even be able to help." And you really do mean it. You know well enough how impossible that goal is. You know that even if Nothing There did become human, it's no guarantee they'd be a good human. But if there's a possibility, if it really could happen…
Well.
You'll get to it if it's relevant.
"I'm not really sure what it is." Nothing There answers to your disappointment. "It was the same reason I've always done what I do. Humans have something special, something beautiful. And I can have that, too!" Nothing There insists, once again pressing themself up against you. "I can have that beauty, even better than they could!"
You gently push Nothing There back, their smile and persistence remaining undimmed despite your unwillingness to return any of their affection. In your experience, displays of affection by Nothing There tend to be followed immediately by severe violence. That and it's just too far into your personal space.
"I don't think I can accept you acting as Kyoko. However," you continue before the Aleph can react in any way, "that doesn't mean I'm rejecting you outright. When you become human, if I wasn't in the picture, what sort of human would you want to be?"
Your fellow Abnormality pauses, staring blankly into space as they think. It's disconcerting how little they seem to actually know what they want, and how they keep avoiding answering questions about it. While that sort of attitude isn't innately inhuman, under these circumstances it's a sign of Nothing There being driven more by their nature as an Abnormality than a real, personal goal. And if Nothing There is only following their natural instincts, then you're going to need to find some way to avoid catching those Soul Gems in the crossfire very quickly. Unfortunately, Nothing There's exact mentality has always been a mystery. They love humans, but show no hesitation at tearing them apart on sight. Of course, that begs the question as to why they're not doing so right now.
"I think… I wanna be like Kali. I wanna be someone strong, stronger than anybody else. I wanna enjoy every last bit of humanity once I have it! Other than that, I don't really care much about the specifics." they say casually.
"Not even a name?"
"You mean other than the one I already have?" Nothing There seems confused by the suggestion. "I've been Nothing There for so long, I can't really think of a different name I'd prefer. Besides," they continue in a chipper tone, "this name was sort of like a gift. It'd be rude to just get rid of it."
This is going nowhere. At least you have more than one plan for gathering information.
"That reminds me, there's something I'd like to try." you change topics and fish the emptied Grief Seed you created earlier out from a pocket. The purified object hovers aimlessly in your hand, devoid of thought or personality. At the very least, you won't be condemning anyone else to suffer for this.
"Catch." You fling the cleansed Seed up into the air. While the other Abnormality is distracted, you activate Lobotomy and reach out, this time fully prepared for the deluge of cries and warnings from Nothing There's victims. Kyoko's voice is at the forefront, completely unintelligible to you over the chorus. You can pick out the Abnormality as well now, a ravenous presence that tears into the flesh of the minds it has swallowed up and savors each scream and wail as if they were each declarations of true love. Ignoring the Abnormality itself, you scan through the voices of the Magical Girls as Nothing There's forearm splits open, blossoming like a grotesque flower lined with rows and rows of teeth that snap shut around the empty Seed.
"Interesting, but it's no good. It doesn't have any capacity for Magic, and I can't even hear anything from it."
"Hear anything?" You inquire further as you pick out a single voice and trace it back to its source. The Soul Gem sits tucked about where a person's right lung would be. One by one, you sort out the positions of each Magical Girl's remnant. Most are positioned around where vital organs should be, where they can be easily protected by the body.
"Yeah, I can hear all the Soul Gems. Isn't it amazing?" Nothing There once again leans towards you, this time leaving some space between the two of you. "Their voices are all so beautiful. It's part of why I just couldn't bear to let them go."
You nearly lose your focus. Not out of shock or fear. No, now that the surprise of being taken off-guard had faded it has been manageable to keep your composure. No, the emotion you're feeling right now is…
…disappointment.
You know very well that there are some benevolent Abnormalities. They're incredibly rare compared to the average, and even benevolent doesn't necessarily mean not dangerous, but they do exist. You even saw Army in Black earlier, being nothing but helpful. You'd like to think you fall into this category. More common are Abnormalities who are impassive, with mindsets that can be considered humanlike, such as Der Freischütz. Exactly how human their minds are varies, but you could actually work with some of them instead of against them.
Nothing There has never been either. They are a monster, and you know this. Their strange affection towards you hasn't made the other Abnormality any less brutal or violent, it's just insulated you and those directly connected to you. People have still suffered, and you never expected anything else.
So why does it hurt to know that Nothing There knows exactly what it's doing?
Maybe it was how friendly they were. It certainly threw you off in the beginning. You'd like to think that your loyalty isn't so easily bought, though. It's not about strength, the benefits of having Nothing There working under you are far outweighed by the effect it's presence would have on your children. Was it because they wanted to be human? That's not the same thing as wanting to be a better person, though. You know exactly how monstrous humans can be. Maybe you just…
…didn't want to feel alone in this.
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[] Conversation
-[] Ask about other Abnormalities
-[] Ask about yourself
-[] Write-in
[] Fight
-[] Write-in tactics
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Big Bird's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Punishing Bird's Sapling - Observation Level 1/2
X tried to get more information, but all they got was more depression. Being Manager is suffering.
