"And with that, The Will and her new angel consumed the multiverse."
Vista grounded out as the final dice hit the table, causing the others to awaken from their stupor.
Reactions were mixed. Abyss Flower was slackjawed, Sirin was patting Missy on her head while shooting Kiana a smirk, who just just blew her a raspberry.
Rune, alongside Armsmaster and Leet, was desperately reading through the rules to find some way out of this.
Amy kept careful distance from the table while Vicky just stared in horror as Vista collected all the points and the earnings of poor bets made.
Lisa ? Lisa was laughing her ass off along with the mocking snicker and more polite giggle of her partners.
The Wards on the other hand were not surprised, used to the competitiveness of their youngest members, a trait that has been only enhanced in the last few weekw.
Vista leaned back, before she smirking, "Well, I told you. Don't fuck with me." before high fiving her partner in crime.
Nobody made a comment.
The Will was amused. Sure, it could have gone down that route, or any of the million others, and the shadow of that immortal chicken played her role as the Will quite well, as befitting of a trickster.
But that would be boring and just so uninteresting. While it had been true that her previous instructions would have probably bound her to such a course of action, they were no longer an issue. After Humanity had survived it's trials, it was rendered not inert, but without goal.
Indeed, it could have ended this mess and simply exterminated the infected branches of the tree, and by all logic, it should have. These things could mess with things, after all… but she had been intrigued. Humanity may have conquered it 's challenge but this was a new variable.
Still, maybe these universes where she went through with her plans could be useful. Some of them were quite adorable in their plots and machinations…
Fuck me, people mentioned that they can't imagine me doing another bit in this, but I shall show them otherwise. I also can't stand a downer ending. Feel free to ignore this one, which is fairly valid.
Also, no, I won't explain the metaphysical side of things, but I figured people would like some of the foreshadowing actually relevant to the story. I am interested if people can figure it out.
This is one of the proof of concept scenes I had pseudo written out before I started the Quest. It is not canon, so it is includes at best conceptual spoiler. Definitely went for an Epic scale Feeling with it. As for an Proper update… probably within the week.
For a Herrscher to feel trepidation is rather rare. And even in this case, she would be hesitant to call it such. It felt far too weak a word for the feeling she was experiencing, the feeling everyone was experiencing, be it the usually cool headed Fu Hua, the self-assured Sirin, even Kiana had a look of nervous excitement on her face.
Here they stood, 39 Herrscher, three generations of them, if you wanted to put it this way, all ready for that last confrontation.
Was it a sign of arrogance that their opposition didn´t even had to threaten them to get them to fight it ? That it just let the way to the final confrontation open, expecting them to follow it there, to the core of everything ? No, they were beyond such petty things.
Regardless, decisions have been made, goodbyes spokens, wills written in some cases. With a silent nod, they took the step into the void. Nobody expected a speech about heroics at this point, every possible point made in the path leading up to this. There would be no grandstanding, no cheesy speeches about the power of love, no hidden power moves. This would be it, the final confrontation, the last test. The Will's Challenge to them.
As they stepped into the Sea between Worlds, their breaths stopped in awe, even the ones who had experienced the heights of the previous wars being caught off guard by the size of their opponent.
To say it was gigantic would be to compare an atom to a skyscraper. It's size alone defied common sense and made it seem less like an entity, and more part of the world, for the lack of a better word.
It was incomparable to even the highest mountains as each feather of its wings easily surpassed any land mass in size, each claw large enough to rend the moon into two with but a twitch.It was a mixture of many creatures, but serpentine in appearance, it's long body warped around the Tree of Life like it was the biblical serpent. With a hundred wings, each crystalline in nature, countless stars of long perished cosms twinkling inside them, placed in a switching pattern across its body, each lazy swing of them crushing worlds in their way.
This was the beast that devoured the Warrior and the Thinker, the one that hunted the Loner and the Apex , before hunting down the rest of their kind throughout the cosm, gouging itself on them in the service of the Will's twisted whims.
The serpent awoke, it´s eyes, each a storm of shards mimicking galaxies,focusing on them. The weight of fate fell upon them, as the beast moved to face them, not discounting them as a threat, crushing entire branches of what was once called Yggdrasil beneath its weight. Unlike many beasts in tales of yore, it was not prideful, it wasn't arrogant, it wasn't even cruel. That, what it had gained on earth and what had allowed it to rise beyond the infinite and divine, was that spark of humanity that longed for freedom.
They prepared, for both parties knew there was only one end to this. Only one could truly free itself of the threads of fate. The time for consideration was over, all arguments presented, all proof accounted for.
Taylor looked upon what could happen once her partner and what had been her friend in that desperate wish for liberation. They had come into being together, and now it would end with one of them.
The time of Judgment was upon them, and the Angels of God would wage War upon each other.
Decided to write an omake because I have nothing better to do.
Sirin expected many things after going to sleep and leaving Taylor with only Kiana to watch over her patrol. The sight of Kiana giggling like a 10 year old over a series of furnitured boxes wasn't on the list.
{What have you done this time Kiana?}
{I was BORED.}
{That's fine and all, but what have you done in your boredom? What is this even?}
Inside the object Kiana loomed over was something completely unexpected. Sirin was at a loss for words at the sight.
{Why are you playing with dolls? Are you five-DID THEY JUST MOVE?}
{Yup! Look at them interacting!}
The box was filled with minature animate figurines going about their day, as if Kiana and Sirin looming over them did not exist. Sirin took the sight in, observing the chibies in the three different rooms intermingle.
{We are not Domination, idiotka, why do you have living pupets here?}
{Worry not Sirin, these are just replicas based on my memory. Just look over here}
Kiana pointed at one of the corners. Sirins gaze followed and met the sight o several miniatures interracting. Upon looking closer...
{Is that the St. Frey gang? I see you, Mei, Bronya, Hua, that midget and the red head.}
{That's right now pay attention.}
Kiana lifted both her own mini and Mei, before placing them together on a bed.
{Really?}
{Shh, watch and listen}
(😥)
(What is it? Kiana)
{Did... did those just talk?}
(I can't sleep. Chat with me, Mei.)
(...Okay, what should we talk about?)
(...)
(Kiana?)
(zzZ)
(Heh... now I can't sleep.)
{How did you manage to make them?}
{I have no idea and I don't care. Look here!}
Kiana reached into the other side of the box, before pulling another chibies out of the box.
(Let me go!)
In the palm of the white haired girl was a pair of very fammiliar chibies. Sirin now couldn't tear her eyes way from the iconic purple hair and golden eyes of the first and light blue wings of the other one.
{You made me and Bella? That's}
{You're welcome. Here, pick them up.}
Without further encouragement, Sirin tokk the pair of animate figurines into her hands. The two were momentarily startled, before momentarily calming down, once secured in Sirins hands.
{I do not know why, but I feel like I can just spend days with those little guys...}
{Yup!}
{Finally done, rest will do my body good. Hey Kiana, Sirin, what's up? You didn't talk much during the patro- Are these dolls you're playing with?}
{TayTay! Come here, look, you want to see it!}
Next day
Taylor woke up fully refreshed. After spending an hour with the chibies in the mindscape dorm, She finally turned in for the night. It's Saturday today, so there is nothing for her to worry about...
{They're gone!}
{Where could they have gone to?}
{What's going on?}
{The chibies disappeared. The dorm is still here, but it is empty! They're not here!}
Of all the things... well, that's on thing to be busy with for the weekend. Taylor was almost resigned to the fate of looking for the cute miniatures in her mind the rest of the day, before she noticed her PC was running. Weird, she didn't turn it on last night. Why is it...
The answer to this question was in the form of a group of 3 inch tall chibies with silver, curled hair jumping on her keyboard and with one, clearly the leader of the group, judging by the hoodie and a pair of fake rabbit ears, was moving the mouse.
They made their own PHO account and were in the middle of an argument with Void Cowboy on private messages...
With all of the threats that Kiana had encountered throughout her life, she'd grown certain that some emotions were no longer able to affect her. Perhaps it was the result of staring death in the face so many times, or the fact that she wasn't, technically, alive anymore. Yet right now, that belief was put to its limit.
Standing in the rather spacious house that was, undoubtedly, created by the eighth Herrscher, she couldn't believe her eyes. Sirin, her past self and the true Herrscher of the Void, the woman that loathed humanity for its sins, was locked in a kiss with the most whimsical of all Herrschers. By itself, it wasn't that surprising, considering all the signals that the two had been exchanging. Hell, Kiana was happy that Sirin had allowed someone inside of her damaged heart. Yet it wasn't what scared Kaslana so.
Behind the two intertwined women, near the staircase, sat a child with gray hair and eyes of the color that she couldn't quite place. It wasn't necessarily orange, as it wasn't . She didn't seem aware of what the other occupants of the mansion were doing, preferring to play with a small plush toy that resembled the Archangel-Class Honkai Beast.
All of a sudden, Kiana had a loud squeak and, to her mortification, realized that she was the source of it. Almost immediately, Sirin and Sentience backed away from one another and glared at her, making Kaslana incredibly happy that they didn't have the Gem of Haste. The possibility of being set on fire by a glare was not something she wanted to experience.
"What the fuck are you doing here, Kiana?!"
Whatever eloquence Sirin usually possessed went right out the window, the anger in her voice almost causing the woman to stutter. She was clearly about to throttle Kiana, when her partner put a hand on Sirin's shoulder and held her back, causing the purple-haired woman to sharply turn towards Sentience and angrily whisper something that Kiana couldn't make out. Thinking of a way out, Kiana looked around the house, fully knowing that Sirin had, most likely, shut down the possibility of simply teleporting out.
"Hi, Kiana! Long time no see!" Senti grinned, walking towards her in a relaxed manner. "Gotta say, never took you for a voyeur though. What's up with that?"
"Heey, Class mon-... Fu H-... Um."
"Call her Senti," Sirin bit out, her anger still evident, even if she managed to regain her poker face and, after turning away from Kiana, headed towards the girl that, at this point, stopped playing with her plush toy and looked at the adults with curiosity. She clearly wasn't afraid of Sirin, actually breaking out into a wide grin as Herrscher of the Void approached her, and raised her hands, asking to be picked up, a wish that was quickly fulfilled.
"Senti, huh? Yeah, I can see that…" Kiana answered absent mindedly, transfixed at how different Sirin moved and acted with the girl in her arms. "Sorry for breaking in unannounced," she finally said, regaining her focus. "But there's some weird things going on with space-time, and Sirin kept vanishing lately, so I kinda tracked her doooo-" she trailed off, suddenly realizing where exactly her past self was 'disappearing' for the last few years. Pieces of the puzzle had finally started to fall into places.
"Ah, I see. Well, m'lady is living here for a while now, and will probably move in permanently, unless something weird happens."
"Weird how?"
"I dunno," Senti shrugged. "The test is concluded, so unless we're called back to deal with something, there's no reason not to settle down. How's the old timer, by the way?"
"Hua? Oh, she's… fine, I guess. Comes and goes, most of the time… Look, I'm sorry but I've got to ask. Is that your kid?"
Proudly puffing her, admittedly small, chest out, Senti's grin widened to the point where regular humans would undoubtedly feel pain.
"You bet! Little Sunyata is our pride and joy!"
Having her fears confirmed, Kiana made sure not to show any of it on her face, even if it was completely pointless against the Herrscher that stood in front of her.
"Congratulations! I've got to ask though… who's the 'dad'?"
"Kiana Kaslana! I give you precisely five seconds to get the fuck out of here!" Sirin yelled out, giving away the fact that she was listening in by messing with space, an act that caused Senti to start laughing. Deciding not to overstay her welcome and bring 'The Wrath of Birdbrain' down on her head, Kiana hastily apologized to the gray-haired woman and quickly warped away.
The new idol trait has given me ideas for Omakes. So behold, Abyss Flower's courting ritual.
Tammi huffed as she read the messages on the PO forum and sunk into her chair. Apparently Taylor was not only multilingual and could sing wonderfully, but could do so in two different languages. Seriously, how? Then on top of that she visited the moon at some point?!
A part of her wondered how romantic it would be if she and Taylor were having dinner on the moon with the Earth as the backdrop.
…
She slapped both of her hands against her reddened cheeks. Now was not the time for those thoughts, Tammi. Problems were going to dogpile on top of Abyss Flower with her impromptu concert after those two plumber idiots ruined the party. Especially the criminal elements. Tammi could only imagine the kind of shitstorm that was going to blow in the coming days and weeks. But she did hope that wouldn't happen as vain as that hope was.
Who knows, maybe Taylor could sing her way out without resorting to violence. She'd shown the capability for doing amazing things in a short amount of time. It only felt like a short time ago that Abyss Flower flew onto the Cape scene and already Brockton Bay fell in love with her.
But her PO DMs chiming interrupted her thoughts. Tammi groaned at the thought of it being another person sending hate mail since she was technically a Nazi. Not like she wanted to be associated with the group anymore, but until Tay could ex machina her out, Tammi just had to deal with it. She moused over the letter symbol and gave a ghost of a smile upon seeing who sent it.
TheRealAbyssFlower has sent you a DM.
It still amused Tammi that someone already took the username Abyss Flower. Regardless, it was rather shitty of that user to take the name with the likely intention of passing themselves off as the real Abyss Flower. Thankfully no one decided to take the name Rune, otherwise she might've joined Taylor in her hunt for the monster that took people's names.
Now to check on the DM annnnnnd it was just a file download. With one of AF's custom emotes that was giving a cheeky grin above it. Tammi sweatdropped at what the file might be. Her cursor hovered over the link, her mind debating if she should really download it or probe Taylor at what it was. But her curiosity clicked on the link before she could come to a final decision.
… Damnit, might as well open the file to see what it was.
The media player window popped open. Tammi watched with half-lidded eyes as the dots spun around in a circle whilst the file loaded. A few seconds past before a video began to play. Taylor in her Abyss Flower costume gave a wave and a gorgeous smile.
"Hey there Tammi. You've probably seen the videos and posts about my singing. To be honest, I've never really sang in public. Still, I think it went over well so I want to try my hand at something. Tell me what you think."
Taylor cleared her throat and began to sing Don't Take my Sunshine Away in a slow yet strong melody. Tammi's mind became a mindfield of totally not gay thoughts. Her face reddened with each one she stepped one until it became tomato red. There was only one conclusion why Taylor would send a private video to her like this. One terrible conclusion that threatened the current status quo of their relationship.
And so Tammi sent a message.
Rune Did you send this to try and seduce me?
Surprisingly, it didn't take even a second for Taylor to reply. Tammi raised an eyebrow at that. Did she seriously wait at her computer with the DMs open just in case she responded shortly after? Whatever, the message she sent told Tammi all she needed to know.
To help distract people and because i brought it up, have some cringy omake!
Non-canon omake: The Kaslana Song
XXX--XXX
There was something happening in Brockton Bay.
No. That did not mean anything in a city as chaotic as Brockton Bay. Something was always happening in this seedy place.
To be more specific, something big was happening in Brockton Bay. To be even more specific, something big was happening in the outskirt of Brockton Bay, where what appeared to be a massive stage seemingly got constructed over night. It was like a baseball stadium, with plenty of lighting, several large projection screens in and outside of it, and a stage smacked in the middle with big purple curtain drawn shut. It was already filling with curious residences of the city while many food trucks and stalls were parked right next to it.
To say people was getting excited was an understatement. What? No one was wondering how it was put up over night? Who cared about that? Tinker and power bullshit were a thing! Get with the program!
Anyway something big was happening in Brockton Bay, but Abyss Flower for once wasn't involved in it.
Because she was currently in her home with her dad getting ready to watch the live board cast.
"I really don't have anything to do with it dad! Really!" Taylor protested once more at the skeptical look Danny was aiming at her. One of his eyebrow elevated before a finger was silently pointed at a series of boxes that housed a bunch of familiar mini figurines, some of which were perched on the edges and waved back. Taylor regarded it for a moment and deadpanned, "That was all Kiana. {Oi!} She still refuse to say how she did it. Except that's beyond the point! What i'm saying is that I don't have anything to do with this and neither does any of my brainmates."
"If you say so little owl." Danny relented at last after a few more seconds of staring. The man sighed even as he accepted a can of beer from Bella and popped it open. "So if it isn't you, do you have any idea what it's about then?"
"Nope. It's as sudden for me as it was for you." The Herrscher happily accepted the large bowl of pop corn from Bella. The Dragon Maid happily smiled before disappearing back into the kitchen, probably to get some more snacks. Taylor swore she smelled nachos. "PHO is as lost as we are. They were dwelling into conspiracies last I checked."
"Huh. What are they saying?"
"That it's either an crazy government power play, a secret PRT PR event that finally came to fruition, or aliens."
"...Aliens."
"...Yes."
{...I mean we technically are...}
{You be quiet.} A frown appeared on Taylor's face. {By the way, where is Sirin? She has been oddly quiet.}
{Oh! She sort of rushed out a while ago. Something about needing to get some answers. She kind of left in a hurry looking all panicky, but she'll be fine.}
XXX-meanwhile-XXX
{WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! WHY?!?!}
{I DID NOTHING! IT WASN'T ME!! NOW STOP BITING ME! OLD TIMER HELP!}
XXX--XXX
{I'm more worried about whoever her target was.}
{...If you say so.}
"Oh! I think it's starting!" Danny's exclamation brought Taylor's attention back to the present. It also served to summon Bella with a bowl of chips and a platter of various dippings with at least two Mei chibis riding the platter. Ah. No wonder something felt missing.
Some techno-y guitar rift bursted out of the television, bringing Taylor's attention onto it just in time to see some rather impressive light show as the curtain slowly risen. Standing under the spotlight, right at the center of the stage was a woman. She was pink.
Well, no. She merely wore so much pink and somehow had pink hair that all Taylor could think of was Pink.
She also caused Kiana to perform a text book spit take. {WOW! EW! THE HECK?!}
{WHA- THA- HO- WHY?!}
"Taylor? Is something the matter? Bella is acting weird." Danny voiced out with obvious concern. Taylor couldn't blame him as she found herself actually standing on her feet. Kiana must have unconsciously hijacked her body, or her shock was such that it overwhelmed any barrier they had between them. A quick look showed that Bella's face was stuck in an expression of... of... well, it was as if she couldn't quite decide whether to be surprised, horrified, or grab Taylor and run. There was apparently a "grab Taylor and run" expression. Bella was very expressive today.
Her curiosity peaked, Taylor turned her attention back to the television just in time for it to zoom into a close up on the woman. And the woman was a Pink Elf. She certainly had that enchanting beauty going for her along with long, pointed ears. It was not as weird as one would think given that Case 53 was a thing, but a Pink Elf?
Miss Pink Elf?
Clad in a vest that was nearly skin tight and a short that was almost illegally short with white thigh stocking and opera gloves, the woman with her generous curves and ample cleavage was hitting all of Taylor's points for sexy. The way the light made her glitter only added onto her charm. Taylor wouldn't be surprised if there was some sort of cult of her later.
A quick glance at her dad showed that he was certainly enjoying the view openly. Noticing her stare, the man coughed, "What? She's showing off! Besides your mom would have been fine as long as it was merely looking."
Taylor... couldn't refute that with her memories of Annette.
"Testing, testing. Is this thing on? Mic check, one, two..." The woman's voice sounded, easily grabbing just about everyone's attention. There was a quality to it that make people wanted to pay attention to her. Taylor wouldn't exactly call it Charisma, but it was quite close to it. "Great! It's working as advertised! Now everyone! Welcome to the first time ever Honkai Festival! I'll be your host, Miss Pink Elf! Or you can just call me Ely!"
The stadium erupted into cheers. Whether it was because an unknown event was happening, or the host was a hot babe was unknown. Regardless of the reason, the crowd went wild as Ely tossed her arms up in a gesture of welcome as pyrotechnics and light choreography performed to get the crowds even more hyped up. For just a moment Taylor wondered if it was all computer generated music or if there was an actual band hidden away somewhere backstage. Only for a moment though as the hostess waved her arms for the crowd to settle. "Thank you! Thank you for the enthusiastic reception! I had my doubt with this whole thing, but you guys definitely convinced me it's the right move! Or maybe you're all just cheering for lil' ol' me?"
The elf did a small wave of her hand, indicating her style of dress. It certainly served to get some of the crowd wolf calling, both male and female.
"Well too bad! I'm spoken for! You can look, but no touchy!"
The sound of disappointment was profound.
"But this isn't about me! This is a stage for music! And so we will have music!" At that announcement, an even brighter spot light was beamed onto a lone wooden chair. On it was a single man clad in a white suit holding an acoustic guitar, with short silver hair and a pair of frosty blue eyes. He was handsome in a stoic way with sharp features and board shoulders. He also kind of reminded Taylor of Kiana oddly enough. "So for the first performance, please welcome Kevin Kaslana!-" "Wha-?" {Ah?!} "-Who will be performing for us some riveting original songs!"
{Kiana? A little help?}
{I swear I don't know what's happening or why! ...Although this does explain why Sirin was-}
"How did you convinced me again?" His voice was low and almost somber, yet it carried easily as the crowd fell into a hush. Taylor blinked at the presence that seemed to be infused within it as it immediately shushed Kiana and grabbed all of their attentions. There was Power in his voice.
"I honestly don't remember. I think there was a lot of cakes, some rubber duckies, an ice cream truck-" Ely started listing off as she counted her fingers one by one. The list went on and on, and Taylor could easily picture the amount of disbelief the crowd was feeling at some of those things. A litter of puppies? Fine. A tankard of coffee? Sure. A trope of killer clowns from Down Under? A scientific snake in a pink dress? V-Vill approved anti-itch cream?
"Stop, stop. I don't want to remember." Kevin called out, putting a stop to the increasingly bizarre list of items. He was gently pinching the bridge of his nose as he held out a hand. Giving another sigh, the man just asked, "So I just need to do a couple songs?" Seeing Ely nodding happily, the man grimaced, "Does it have to include that one?" The nodding increased in intensity. "You do know that it was honestly made as a joke right?"
"That was the whole point though." The happy reply did not sooth Kevin's exasperation. If anything it only added onto it. "Now please stop stalling. The crowd is getting restless."
The grimace that contorted the man's stoic face was almost physical. Taylor could almost felt it punch her in the gut. Or it was something else? Huh? Her survival instinct was flaring? Why?
{Oh no... I think i know what's happening...}
{What's happening? Why do I feel like i'm in danger?}
{Umm... you might want to brace.}
{Brace for what?!}
There was no time for explanation as Kevin adjusted his guitar into position. With one last sigh, he started strumming it gently. The melody flowed in the sudden absence of noise, making Taylor noticed just how utterly silent everything suddenly was. The crowd went still as they waited with bated breath as the man continued to strum at his guitar.
And then Kevin opened his mouth...
And he sang, "Shoo-Ba-Doo-Dee-Bah~"
Wha-
XXX--XXX
"Taylor! Oh God Taylor! Wake up! Please wake up!"
{C'mon Taytay! You're tougher than this! Honkai to Taytay!! Don't make me give you a wet willy!}
Gasping awake, Taylor sat up panting. Her eyes searched the immediately perimeter for threats as her heart hammered within her rib cage. Finding none, her eyes instead settled upon her worried father and- "What happened to Bella?"
"Wha-?" Danny paused, the suddenness of the question forced a small calm into his panic. The man looked at the Dragon Maid and blinked. "I think she fainted... Wait! Taylor, what happened?! You just suddenly collapsed half way through!"
The Herrscher blinked as she searched her memories. Her eyes widen when she recalled- "Ugh! Ew! Argh!!"
{Eeeh, yeah. There it is. I'm sorry to say, but there is only two way to react to what Kevin did. You will either somehow find it very romantic and manly, or you cringed at it with varying degree. That was also part of how my dad got together with my mom. Mom supposedly liked it. Auntie Teri kicked my dad's ass from what I heard. Guess how your dad reacted.}
Her eyes wide, Taylor gazed at her dad like he was a weirdo and asked, "How can you stand that- no, that's not a song! That's a monstrosity!"
Her dad blinked. He blinked another time. Then he frowned, "Hey now, it's actually quite manly and romantic. The emotion he puts into it. People write books about that sort of things you know?"
"...Ew..." Taylor would not be surprised if her face was scrunched up in disgust.
"Now now little owl, I know that our tastes in music may be different, but there is no reason to react like that."
Pushing her father back, Taylor stood up with wobbly legs to check on both Bella and the various mini figurines. Bella was in a dead faint, her wide eyes empty and her mouth slightly ajar. The only reason why she was still standing was because everything was locked frozen by shock. The figurines were harder to sort as they seemed to be fighting each other. The Bronya figures were all in a dead faint while the Mei figures were trying to pull everyone apart. The red-headed Himeko figures were sighing dreamingly while the pink-haired Sakura figures were eyeing their katana intently. Better do something about that fast.
{...And why are YOU fine?}
{...I'm a Kaslana? I mean we're kind of immune to it even if we're aware of the reactions it caused people. It's just the Kaslana Song.} Kiana's flippant shrug there only caused Taylor's eyebrow to twitch.{By the way, you reacted as badly as Sirin did the one time i did it for her.}
{She must have clobbered you after.} Just like that Sirin figure currently choking the White Comet Kiana figure.
{It was a tie and i'm sticking with it! C'MON ME! JAB HER IN THE EYES!} The Kiana figure did just that somehow, and suddenly Sirin figure was dog piled by all the other Kiana figures around. It was actually amazing how there was now an actual cartoonish dust cloud as they-
"By the way, people are rioting and the city is on fire." Danny suddenly dropped a bomb that cut through all other thought process Taylor had. "The city has been divided by that song. It's actually amazing when you think about it."
"...What?"
"A-yup!" The P was popped. "People either praise the song or was cringing hard like you did. Things got very heated, and you know what happened in BB when things got heated. In fact Lung was seen beating down anyone that said it sucked." Taylor's eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hair line, but when she glanced at the television, all it showed was a screen that stated how the program had ran into some difficulties, please hold. "Oh that. The entire network went down because of the riot. The fight between the anchors were pretty bad so they had to forcefully cut it."
"...And what happened to Kevin or Ely?"
"No one knows. They disappeared as soon as the riot started."
"Oh..."
"Mhm."
Silence...
"How can you possibly find that Thing manly and romantic?! Really dad?! Really?!"
XXX-?????-XXX
{Well, I kind of expected that to happen. It's the Kaslana Song after all. Whatever gave you that idea again?}
[-----------------------]
{Maybe next time you'll actually make it a proper festival. I want to see the newest Herrscher up close! Ah, she looked so cute from afar! Sirin and Kiana are so lucky to have such cute little sister! Now if only SOMEONE would let me go!}
[------------------------]
{Why can't i help with the parasitic space whales again? It honestly won't be that bad or hard... I think... Oh well. Maybe next time Taylor. May your future shine ever brightly!}
XXX-End-XXX
There we go. Feel free to cringe at it. I won't even mind if it's not accepted. I just can't get the idea of Kevin playing guitars like Gazille Gajeel from Fairy Tail did out of my head. So i butchered it here so it'll go away.
So, while I was being lazy, my muse suddenly went and decided to cook up a little Omake about Taylor having a different headmate.
If you were to ask anyone what superpowers they wanted, they would answer with the obvious answer, such as a generic powerful Blaster power, the classic Alexandria package, maybe a Shaker ability.
But powers don't just give you what you want, the powers you'd get depend on the conditions of the trigger event.
So, it made Taylor scratch her head, as while she wasn't unhappy with her powers, quite the opposite, she liked them quite a lot, it's just that, there are some extra aspects that she got from her trigger event, like a pair of snazzy pair of cat ears, and a fluffy long cat tail with a sharp spike at the end, she didn't expect these, to be her powers...
Taylor was currently in the bathroom to get cleaned, since her latest supply fun had been quite messy, which caused her hair, ears, and tail to get quite dirty, yet, her new instincts made her not want to take a shower, let alone a bath to scrub her hair, ears, and tail clean.
{Taylor-chan, I told you, water isn't the way to go! It's annoying to dry, and that's not even talking about the way the fur will stick to the skin, ugh.}
''Uhh, ok, you have any ideas or…?''
{As a matter of fact, yes! Gimme control for a while and I'll get your body clean right up!}
Taylor decided that since water apparently 'wasn't the way to go', she'll just let someone more experienced take control for a bit and show her the way, so she let her headmate take control while she took the 'passenger seat' of their mind.
When the control was handed over, her body straightened up a little, with her tail and ear twitching at the same time. Her normally brown eyes changed color as she blinked, her right eye became light green, while her left eye became blue.
''Yosh! Alright, cleaning time!~''
Taylor watched from the 'passenger seat' as her headmate started to clean her tail first… by bringing it up to her face and started licking it!
{W-w-what the hell are you doing!?}
Her headmate stopped mid lick.
''I am cleaning your body? It's how I used to do it back in the day you know?''
{I-isn't there another way!?}
''Well… yeah-''
Taylor was hopeful at that, because if 'this' is how she's ''supposed'' to clean herself, then she'll happily go a different route, because this is just sooo embarrassing-!
''-but that would mean having to get different cat to clean us…''
And her hopes were immediately crushed, dammit... Taylor guesses she'll just have to suck it up for now, while also silently cursing the little chubby cat on the sink, who she will swear is doing the cat equivalent of a giggle.
{N-no, I guess you can continue…}
''Alrighty then~!''
And then there was her ability to generate and manipulate ice, which came in handy quite a lot, considering how many times she runs into one of the gangs of the city.
Taylor was currently running in the middle of the night, a heavy sack of stolen money over head shoulder.
Why was she running? Because she didn't just steal a bunch of cash, noooo, she stole it from the damn literal Nazi's of the city, of several of which were chasing her right now.
Thankfully they had about as much luck catching her as they had trying to find out who kept stealing their money and supplies the numerous times she decided to steal from them.
{Come on Taylor-chan, you've almost lost them!}
''I know, just a little bit...''
As she finished her sentence, the concrete wall to her right just straight up burst open, with a massive wolf made of metal, Hookwolf, jumping at her from said newly formed hole.
Luckily she was able to react fast enough due to the fact that he was not being quiet in the slightest, as his metallic body wasn't exactly made for stealth, so her second pair of ears was able to catch his footsteps from behind the wall.
Crouching while forming a decently thick layer of ice beneath her for her to slide on, the chubby cat that always accompanied her on her trips, lept into the air with a 'Meow!' and flew above Hookwolf, while creating enough ice behind her to completely encase Hookwolf. She caught her little cat companion. She was so glad she got that little move finally down.
{Good job! I knew you could finally do it!}
''T-thanks, I was nervous I wouldn't be able to do it…''
{Well you did! Which means… you'll go and eat at a fancy restaurant, and order the best they have as a reward~!}
''Heh... alright.''
Soon after, she lost even the walking blender of a cape, and was finally at her little hide out, where she began to check over her goods she got from the Nazi's, before taking a bunch of cash, hiding her tail in her hoodie, wrapping it around her hips, and putting a hat on to cover her ears, and began to make her way to the nearest restaurant.
And she also had quite the luck, as whenever she was in a bad situation on one of her runs, Lady luck seemed to have her back a lot of the times.
Taylor was running, as she usually did nowadays. There was a slight difference this time however…
''I told you this was a bad idea!''
{I know! Just keep running for now Taylor-chan!}
And keep running she did, as she kinda didn't want to become lunch to the quite pissed off dragon, Lung.
She always knew stealing from him was never a good idea, and the few time's she did, she thankfully didn't catch his, nor his trusty teleporting bomber's attention. This time however, she ran into the Undersiders at the safe, and they agreed to split the goods fairly, they get half, she gets half. Things went downhill soon, as they had been caught, and were soon being chased, to which they split, and Lung decided to follow her!
Said dragon that was covered in flame was chasing her while flinging balls of fire at her constantly, to which she had to respond by throwing shards of ice behind her. And thankfully, while she was safely protected by her ice.
Lung however, by this point looked like a porcupine with all the ice shards sticking out of him, and he was slowing down too!
As she turned the corner, she saw Armsmaster on his bike in the distance, who briefly glanced at her, before setting his eyes on Lung who came over the corner, and simply went past her and headed to, most likely, fight Lung.
{Yes! You got away Taylor-chan!}
Her headmate sounded very relieved, and happy that their escape was once again successful, something that Taylor very much agreed with as she sighed in relief, and head back to her little safe space.
…
Tomorrow when she watched the news on a ''borrowed'' TV, it was announced that Lung had been arrested by Armsmaster, which made her headmate quite eager to go and steal from them again.
''Uhhh, how about no? At least for now, I had enough danger for the rest of the week…''
{Mhm, fair enough, we'll take a little break~}
Oh, and she forgot to introduce her meadmate, the same headmate that insisted on teaching her to be a little bundle of thievery (her exact words), and who she apparently had her powers from, Pardofelis, or simply Pardo, and her companion, Can the cat.
{Come on, we haven't had a good supply run in a whiiiiile.}
Taylor sighed at Pardo's words. And she wanted to, but the city had been rather unsafe for stealing for the moment.
''Sorry Pardo, but, uh, I don't think it's wise to go and steal anything right now…''
{...Yea, yea, I know, but I don't want you get rusty.}
''Mhm…''
''Meow~''
Taylor reached down to scratch Can behind her ears and chin, who leaned into the touch and started purring happily, making Taylor smile, Can may be a little shit at times, but she's a sweetheart otherwise, and Taylor can always trust Can to have her back alongside Pardo.
''...Say, Pardo, after all this blows over, we can go and steal some goodies from the Nazi's?''
{Oh! Good idea, they won't know what hit them, hehe~}
Taylor couldn't help but giggle at how quickly Pardo went from being gloomy to gleefully planning how to steal some goodies.
The only, and quite frankly not all that big of an issue, but it was still kinda weird. Was the same damn lady in a fedora that kept appearing every now and then, and somehow, always managed to pat her head, and Taylor will forever. to the end of her thievery days, deny that it feels good.
But, well, ignoring that little issue, Taylor couldn't be happier with the change her powers, Pardo, and Can brought into her life.
(While not explicitly stated as canon, it's heavily implied that due to the fact that Sakura's allergies are triggered by Pardo's hair and fur, which doesn't trigger allergies on it's own, it's usually the saliva from when a cat was cleaning itself, implying that Pardo cleans herself… the old fashioned cat way~)
The air was filled with the smell of festive delights, vibrating with the tunes of song, almost resembling some sort of cosmic harmony.
Taylor had not seen snow in any amount of quantity in her life, the coastal nature of Brockton making it not prone to snowfall of any significant kind. Indeed, her idea of a white Christmas was mostly based on cartoons, at least till now.
… Although that would imply that her idea of such had changed by what she saw now. It really did not.
"Need help Tay-chan?~" Rarely had Kiana sounded so delighted to tease her and Taylor couldn't even hold it against her. She would have probably done the same if the situation had been reversed.
Not that she could at the moment, any noise she would have made would be rather muffled by the sizeable chest her face was pressed into with a strength that somehow managed to make both her body hurt like it was caught under a steamroller and yet was utterly comforting in a way that she wasn't quite familiar with.
"Oh my~ Oh my~ You are such a cute girl! I love your eyes! You are so- Ow ow ow ow ow! Si-chan! Stop pulling my cute ear!"
"Stop molesting my little sister, you harlot elf!"
"If you wanted to be hugged too, you would only need to have asked! More than enough of me to hug two cuties!"
"Don't you fucking -UMPH!"
After a short struggle, both Sirin and Talyor had their head pressed into the chest for the next five minutes as the pink-haired individual continued to smother them with coos and praise. It felt strangely nice.
As soon as they were released, the flustered Sirin, in her youthful form, cursed and kicked at the pink-haired woman, who had the sly smile akin to that of a fay of old legends as she evaded the strikes with an unnatural grace. Beautiful beyond measure, the elf-like woman felt odd to her. Like sunshine and the fresh breeze through her hair, the laugh of loved ones, the sense of familiarity, the feeling of being adored for no other sake but your own. It was as -
*Snap*
Kiana had snapped her finger beside Taylor's ear, snapping her out of her adoration of the Herrscher before her.
"Yes, yes, she is quite lovely. El, mind keeping yourself a bit contained? Taytay here is quite love-starved, and you can cuddle her later."
"Yay!~ Thank you, K-Chan~"
"Why are you giving permission to cuddle me?! And I am not love-starved! What is this anyhow?! It isn't even Christmas! Who is she ?" Taylor finished her barrage of questions with a pointed finger outstretched towards the elf, shaking slightly.
The woman took an artful bow, lifting the hem of her rather skimpy Santa costume up even more, nearing the point of actual lewdness.
"Ah!~ Silly me~ I forgot the proper introduction~! My name is Elysia~ I am the Herrscher of Origin, Humanity, and LOVE!"
Elysia threw her hands up as she added the last one, wiggling her hand.
"She is the Herrscher of Origin, the rest are things made up by herself," Sirin noted with a near snear, though lacking any real heat, before explaining. "Well, Humanity is difficult because she is an empath, but it is also a designation of her allegiance. A Herrscher for humanity, as much as of humanity."
"Sirin-chan is so smart and well-spoken!~ As for what this is… well, you are correct in that linear time isn't a thing for the Sea and the Dream so there is never a Christmas, Eastern, or any other holiday. We don't even have days, strictly speaking. Sooooo~ I have decided to celebrate them anyhow. Just when we feel like it, just for fun."
"I-I see, I guess?"
"That, and people wanted to meet you! There are more than a few questions, and you need to dress up!"
"Wait, what ?!"
"Let´s go!"
"NO! HELP!"
"I can not believe you two!" Taylor, for probably the first time since her transformation, had the same kind of anxious self-awareness that drove her to be quite irritated with the snickering forms of Kiana and Sirin.
The Elf Woman had grabbed Taylor and promptly dragged her into a room full of dresses. It cost nearly half an hour to wrangle Elysia into giving her anything that covered more than 40% of her body, and she was still anxious because she could feel it.
Amongst the dancing, chatting crowd, she was the youngest. It was like she was a little kid amongst the world's leading celebrities, as awe-inspiring as it was terrifying.
Kiana laughed at her expression, a soft, melodic laugh, that caused her body to shift in the tight dress, while Sirin, still in her young form, was dressed in an outfit that invoked the image of a classical Victorian noble lady, snickered like a sewer goblin.
Taylor was just about to go off on them before Kiana´s eyes widen slightly, and before her sisters could ask, took off with a speed that was nothing short of inhumane.
It was, however, quite amusing to see her sprint like she was facing mortal danger… in a santa inspired, quite lurid cocktail dress.
"And here she goes, harassing her Girlfriend again." Sirin snorted before patting the confused Taylor on the arm. "Take it easy, сестрёнка. Only like… 20% of those present will try to eat you."
"Wait, where are you going?! Don't leave me!"
"Sorry, too many Hoes around here for my taste~."
"Wait, what?"
"Herrscher of Humanity, HoH, spoken as a normal word, it sounds likes hoes~ Ta ta~"
With a playfully mocking wave, Sirin blinked away, disappearing into motes of pink and gold.
Taylor stared at the empty space, before taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes. This was ridiculous. She was Abyss Flower, and social anxiety would not get the better of her!
She took a step forward and promptly felt like she went from the nicely heated Ballroom into the depths of a freezing tundra of the polar regions.
Ripping open her eyes, she couldn't help the word escaping her lips, her thoughts led down that path by the cold and the outfit the Man wore.
"Penguin."
A snow-white brow was raised in response.
The God of World Serpent, the Pseudo-Herrscher of the End, the strongest Human, Leader of the Flamechasers and Chimera were only a few of the titles Kevin Kaslana held, and it was apparent why he held such titles to Taylor, despite him sitting beside her at the bar, eying a steaming hot bowl of noodles, dressed in a tuxedo.
His aura reminded her of Sirin truly letting go, if more oppressive in a sense, more brutal and blunt. Sirin was like a panther, slicking around, playing with her prey with an almost sadistic delight and grace. Kevin was like a rhinoceros, impossibly physically overwhelming and ready to trample someone without mercy, but lacking grace.
Yet, what had her concerned was that this aura was tangible when he was seemingly at peace. She couldn't imagine it when he was angry or ready to fight. Taking a deep breath, she decided to speak up.
"So, Kaslana, Sir, you are related to Kiana, yes?" Her voice surprisingly didn't quiver too much.
"Kevin. Kaslana is a name I took up but do not particularly care for. You could say that I am her Ancestor, but to go into the details of our relationship would be as obtuse as it would be an exercise in futility. You are the new Herrscher of the Void, are you not?"
"Ah, Okay, Sir Kevin, I mean, Kevin,Sir. And yes, I suppose so. Though I am a more junior Herrscher in training? I am not even sure why I am here…"
"You are here because Elysia introduces every new Herrscher of this branch that the Will declares to the others."
"I-I see."
"They have told you of me, I assume."
"Ye-es, of Project Stigma."
"They mocked it, I presume?"
"Sirin did."
"I can not blame her. It was a horrible project."
"Then why do it?"
"Pragmatism. It was the most likely option to succeed, and while it would have been a vile victory, it would have been a victory. If they managed to stop me, they would be powerful enough to achieve a greater victory. Either way, I thought I would be done."
Taylor blinked at that, wondering how she could respond to that when she realized that the bowl that had just been full of steaming noodles was now empty. The man didn't even seem to have moved, far less went through the motion of opening his mouth, putting the food inside, chewing it, and then swallowing it.
S-Scary!
Luckily, she was saved from responding to the insanely awkward situation by the man that put her into it in the first place.
"Elysia asked me to explain this event to you. She is busy with organization and estimated that some of our similarities will make it easier. If you have any questions, ask them now."
Taylor swallowed, before grabbing her own drink, a mix of apple juice and a little honey that was surprisingly tasty. Taking a sip, she considered her situation, throwing a few questions around in her head, before deciding on the most direct one.
"What is this?" She gestured to the surrounding party, to the strange, black-golden, almost geometric shapes posing as a band as the guests danced merrily, standing together in groups and talking while being attended to by what she was pretty sure were fairies.
She had previously noticed that she was the youngest here, but now, standing a bit apart from the masses, she could see that most of them weren't precisely human. A good amount had some sort of feature that gave them almost mythological apparel. Horns of an Oni there, angelic wings, halos, animal features such as rabbit ears or cat tails over there. A few quirks were rarer than others, she could only see one woman that was dancing with a significantly shorter man that had seemingly no face, but a second look told her that it was a veil. A bit off the side, she spotted Sirin talking to something that looked like a puppet with a blindfold.
Taylor had not been to any proper party as a teenager, but she was fairly sure that this broke the weirdness scale significantly..
"Elysia celebrates various holidays of the different ages in an attempt to spread what she considers the virtue of humanity to other Herrschers." He paused, for just a second, seemingly trying to force a lot of information into that methodological speech pattern of his.
"She aims to spread a sense of camaraderie and, using her position as a Herrscher of Origin, she has created this palace for people to meet without seeking each other out specifically. She is also usually the one to introduce newcomers to the Branch. Be prepared to be asked many questions."
There was the term again. Herrscher of Origin.
"What does it mean to be a Herrscher of Origin ?"
"Among the Herrscher spectrum, Origin and Finality are two extremes. Origin is the soft left hand, while Finality is the hard right one. Soft Power compared to Hard Power."
"I see…. Wait, if this multiverse branch in its entirety is present, shouldn't there be more new Herrscher?"
He shook his head, "No. New Herrschers are few and between. After our world had succeeded, it mostly splintered the branch into newer ones, which usually don't attend these sorts of functions instead of their own."
This… made sense to Taylor. It wasn't untypical for any organization to branch out once it had stabilized. Sitting there, she tried to come up with other questions, but there was one thing she felt a need to ask, something that was creeping along her nerves like a cat ready to pounce if she wasn't careful.
Taking a deep breath once more, she formulated the question.
"I… I am aware that you once desired to be a hero, but why would a hero allow a project such as Stigma to proceed? I get the pragmatism aspect, but shouldn't a hero go beyond what is just possible, and seek to achieve the best end? I know I sound naive here, but…" She trailed off, unsure how to formulate the effect Kiana had.
Kevin, still as ice still, took a moment to respond, long enough for Taylor to worry. She was about to open her mouth to apologize for being rude, but he was faster than she was.
Eying her, he spoke five words." It was not a hero's path." Seeing her confusion, he continued.
"Herrscher of the Void, I see that my successor has imprinted on you. I do not deny what you said, but are you familiar with the feeling of horror?"
His question was genuine, simple, and upfront. So was her answer.
"Yes."
"Then imagine having lost everything to said horror, having to watch it consume the people you love, not just physically, but mentally. Fighting requires you to give up on many things you hold sacred and beloved. You are offered a choice. You may either end it all now, with a shallow victory, but a victory, or invest more and more, in the off chance that you may attain a better victory. Which choice would you take?"
"I...am… unsure."
"So was I. Pragmatism has its virtues, as does acting on Moral grounds. The best way forward, I found, was the one that used pragmatism to achieve moral goals. But this is not the way of a hero. The goals I sought to achieve were never chosen on moral grounds, but because I knew others cared for them. So, I can not say that I was ever a true Hero, but a hero of someone, perhaps. Even there, I am not sure. I advice you to think if you want to be either. Any other questions?"
After a few minutes in which Taylor tried to find one while processions, Kevin, either having recognized her expression or simply not caring at all, spoke up.
"If you don't have any more questions, I would recommend that you join the activities. Elysia would be disappointed if you solely spent your time with me. I would rather that not be the case." Surprisingly, he didn't sound bitter about that, or insulted, but at worst even, at best, she thought to hear slight amusement in his voice.
"Indeed, I would!~"
Before Taylor could react, she was grabbed from behind and pulled backward, directly into the arms of a certain pink-haired lady.
This began the biggest rush of life and excitement Taylor had experienced. The moment she entered the dancing fray, she felt possessed by the sheer energy Eylsia seemed to carry with her. She had not been a fan of classical music or anything of the like, yet, now, she couldn't help the childish innocent laughs escaping her lips as her feet flew across the reflective grounds, clicking and clacking with the rest of the hall, colors blurring around her, her heart beating faster and faster.
Elysia pulled her in, and with a swirl of her hand, she guided Taylor into giving a pirouette. Fully pulled along by the flow and her instincts, she let herself fall, and just as she somehow knew, the elf caught her with one arm around her lower back, her face close, the other hand closed around the forearm pointing away from the pink-haired woman.
There was a brief lull, not a break in the excitement, but just a teasing building of anticipation, like two cats playing waiting to see who made the first move, who dared to pounce first, to start the dance-
Elysia winked.
Taylor blinked.
Before the latter could act, the former shifted her posture slightly, before with a laugh that would have made Sirin proud, literally throwing Taylor back into the party.
"Have fun~!"
Taylor indeed had fun that night. She took to the dance floor with an energy she suspected was sourced from the cheerful Elf because she doubted herself capable of having it.
She even danced with a few people, although she only recognized one of them. Each had put their own unique twist on the dance. Wendy had her dancing literally through the air, another had taken their dance literally to the roof, while a third incorporated teleportation, the fourth using a metal construct for a more acrobatic take on the dance.
So, suffice it to say, Taylor had issues holding in the howls and yowls of excitement and joy, her heart beating fast, her mind racing, each new tune a seductive invitation to return to the frolic and revelry.
*Snap*
Taylor blinked at the sudden snapping noise beside her ear, and suddenly, the haze of the dance vanished from her mind, and she became aware of just how disheveled she looked. Her hair was wild, her clothing looser than before, tugged somewhat open as if she wanted to cool herself off, despite it being the only thing covering her.
"We sure we didn't get a bit of Ely mixed in? This is the first time I see someone getting actually drunk on the atmosphere."
"Nah, don't think it is an empath thing. Just her letting out the tiger for the first time and getting a bit overwhelmed."
The new Void Herrscher squeaked and squirmed under the gaze of her two sisters, blushing while trying to get her control back. Somebody petted her on her back, and she nearly jumped out of her skin at Elysia laughing her melodic laugh at her.
"She is certainly lovely enough to be one of mine~ Do you want me to hold up your hair, dear~? The Q&A starts soon!"
Taylor took the chance to focus on something other than the yearning hole in her soul to go back into the masses and forget herself.
"How will that work?"
Elysia gave her a slightly embarrassed chuckle, though the green-eyed Herrscher could tell it was only affixed, not genuine.
"Well, we have collected questions, but since you are very young, not many have heard of you. We still got some questions, but not too many. I think we are fine with Si-chan and Ki-chan taking the lead on this one, and you just follow their example."
This… sounded simple enough. Taylor gave a nod of agreement. She could do that.
It couldn´t be that difficult, could it?
The QA comes tomorrow or the day after! Have fun holidays you lot!
