27 The Sealing System

When Isaana arrived at Modrica's outskirts, she was very pleased to find the Seal down. Even someone with as much magical know-how as her couldn't bring it down; only mortals could, despite being one of its developers.

After the Continental War five hundred years ago, she, the other Gods, and the top human mages of the day got together and created the System, so as to keep the Gods in check when they harmed humans or otherwise overstepped their bounds. And Zagiha, naturally, was one of the original eggheads on the team.

But, ironically, now she planned to use his masterpiece against him.

Never trust a lawyer, she thought, and by all means she was correct. She just knew he was up to something.

Isaana flew up to the city ramparts, summoning her Divine Weapon and scoping out the area. And up ahead, she found him, wrecking the city he claimed to love so much. Squinting, she fletched an arrow and drew the bowstring taut, aiming at him. Isaana hated to admit it, but there was no way she could beat him in a one-on-one fight while he was in his true form. And if she were to use hers, well… she had even less stamina than he did, being such a young Goddess and all.

The best course of action was to snipe him, and hopefully that would weaken him enough to seal him away.

Isaana let the arrow fly, but the moment she did, Zagiha fired another beam of light, vaporizing it in midflight. She jumped back. Did he detect her position already? No… if he did, he would've taken her out. Regaining her bearings, she tracked the beam's path to where it landed, on a cobbled street far away from her. Hmm… and there was the reason why.

There was her right-hand man, cradling that ever-bothersome Girl Sabatka in his arms, having dragged her away from the blast at the last second.

"Damn it, Iggy," she muttered. He was supposed to be preparing the trap, not giving away his presence! Sentimental people… she really hated sentimental people. Of course he had to prioritize his niece over the wellbeing of the entirety of humankind!

Isaana made a mental note to spend time with him and "reeducate" him later. For now, she had to jump into the fray and save her idiot High Priest from himself.

--

Dying felt like… nothing?

Hana squeezed her eyes shut, preparing to get fried, but instead, she felt someone or something whisk her away, and then there was no pain. She whimpered in fear, but a reassuring voice brought her back.

"Hana!" cried Crowe. "It's okay; I've got you."

Slowly, she opened her eyes, returning to the scene of wreckage and chaos before her.

"Uncle Crowe?" she asked. "You came?"

"And right in the nick of time, it seems." Crowe put her down and brandished his staff, waving it at Zagiha. "You have to leave. Let the grown-ups take care of this."

"How am I supposed to do that?" she asked. "He knows I'm here, and then there's Mica…"

"Mica's here? You dragged him into this?" Crowe sucked in a glut of air. "Workers don't have a fighting chance against the Gods!"

"And do Sorcerers have a chance against the False One?" she shouted.

Crowe's expression told her everything she needed to know. "I have no idea," he said, "but I have to try."

"You two done yet?" Zagiha floated above them. "I really didn't want to do this, Hana," he said, "I didn't want to kill you directly. I wanted you to die in the fire of the end-times like everyone else, so I didn't have to see you again. But here you are, making things difficult as usual!" He sighed. "I'll make it quick. You won't suffer." He wound up for another blast.

Suddenly, Isaana came bounding over the rooftops, launching herself at him with a well-placed roundhouse kick. "Ignatius, I could just kill you!" she snapped. "You're supposed to… never mind. Let me take care of this, and then proceed with the plan as usual. But if I lose my physical form, you're really going to get it!"

"Y-yes," Crowe stuttered. "Hana, we need to hide."

"What? Why should I trust any plans of hers? Why should I trust you?"

Isaana narrowly dodged one of Zagiha's blasts. "Girl Sabatka! I know you don't agree with my methods, "but if you don't listen to me, we're all toast." She punched Zagiha in the face. "Look, I only wanted Silvio to get close to the False One. But now that he's here, if you help me take him out, I'll have no need to bother him or you anymore. If we succeed here, you'll never hear from me again."

"That is indeed her goal," said Crowe.

"But that didn't answer my question," said Hana. "How am I supposed to trust you two?"

"Well, you trusted Ziggy, and now look where we are." Zagiha grabbed at her hair, but the Goddess learned from her last fight with him. She blocked, and pushed him off her, zipping through the sky as she tried to avoid his lasers. "Shouldn't you be tiring out by now?" she hissed at him.

"Of course not," said Zagiha, grazing her in the side. "I stole some of Rirasiru's mana, so I'm good to go."

Hana paused. Was he really out of power back then? Or did he trick her and take advantage of everyone's kindness for the extra mana so he could complete his nefarious mission? Oh, that made her mad. Really. Steaming. Mad.

"Zagiha!" she yelled. "Did you only say you'd help me find Silvio because you needed him for some reason?" He didn't answer, which infuriated her more. "Isaana said the False One needed Silvio. Why? Did you ever care about me at all?"

Zagiha's face twisted up into a frightful scowl. "You're not her," he said. "You're not the one I love, and you'll never replace her. Of course I care about you. How couldn't I care about the person who reminds me of the greatest loss of my life?" He lunged at her, but Isaana threw herself in front of him, pushing him back. "Stay still, Isaana," he hissed, and the Goddess's muscles began to lock up.

It was the same thing that happened to her in their last battle. Isaana cursed under her breath. "All right, Ziggy, be that way." A pillar of light shot down from the sky and enveloped her body, and she broke free of her invisible bonds. "I invoke my full power to kick you into the dirt! Iggy! Take Girl Sabatka and get into position! That's an order!"

Crowe obeyed. He scooped Hana up and darted away, dodging and throwing force fields up at every projectile Zagiha threw at them.

"Ugh. Ereth, come and heed your master." The cute little monkey appeared in Zagiha's hand. He pointed at the fleeing Sorcerers. "Ereth, kill them." The creature hopped out of his palm, and on its way to the ground, began shifting and mutating, growing larger and larger until it became a grotesque abomination, a many-fanged monster whose appearance spat in the face of sanity.

This was Ereth's true form.

The beast roared and charged after them.

"Damn—damn—damn!" Crowe shouted, pumping his legs as fast as they could go. But it wasn't good enough. Ereth was gaining ground. He sprinted to an alleyway and literally threw Hana off of him, tossing his staff at her. "Run!" he commanded. "Behind a dumpster you'll find a bag with a Message Crystal and supplies. There's directions in there, and someone will call you. You need to begin Zagiha's Sealing!"

"Sealing? I can't do a…" But it was too late. Ereth swiped at Crowe. He created a shield in time, but the force of the impact slammed his head into a steel pole. Crowe fell down, unconscious.

--

All the while, Mica Rebane was fighting a battle of his own.

Unfortunately, his martial arts skills weren't up to snuff against a bunch of police officers with magical staffs and batons and terrifying Malinois dogs with sharp teeth.

"Stop resisting!" shouted a policeman, pinning him to the ground. Others came and piled on top of him, shoving his face into the ground. "You are under arrest… stop that!" Mica somehow wriggled his way free, and with his hands cuffed behind his back, he scrambled up to his feet and took off running.

"You'll never take me alive!" he yelled.

"For the love of… Oh Gods of the Land and Sky, hear my prayer and bestow upon me your blessings: Fulgur impetuum!" An electrical impulse shot out of the police officer's staff and snaked its way toward Mica. One of his Samoyeds ran out and took the hit for him. Its fur was so fluffy the electricity failed to get to its nervous system and shock it. The other two joined their brother-in-arms and made a gigantic, adorable barrier between the cops and their owner.

The police dogs tried to bite them, but once more, they only succeeded in getting a mouthful of fur, and the Samoyeds shook them off harmlessly, throwing the smaller canines into the approaching line of cops and bowling them over.

"Your sacrifice will not be in vain!" Mica cried, and he kept running to where the Angel Ereth was just about to deal the finishing blow to a very unlucky Sorcerer professor.

He stopped short of the monster and shook his head, smiling at it. "Goodness, Ereth," he said, "how ugly you are. I liked you much better when you were a sweet, little finger monkey." And with that, he blocked its access to Crowe and focused on a pebble. He kicked it in Zagiha's direction.

Ereth pulled her focus from Crowe and locked on Mica instead.

Hana poked her head out from the alley. "Mica? What in the world are you doing?"

"Simple," he said. "Angels may be AIs, but they're really quite stupid. All you have to do to override one's directive is to pose a threat to its God."

Hana had no idea what he was talking about, but at least he did. Ereth swiped at Mica, and he dodged. "Anyway," he said, running away as the Angel chased him, "tell Herra Crowe I've saved his life twice now, so he owes me. Goodbye!" He zoomed off, the abomination behind him.

Hana looked down at her uncle, praying he'd regain consciousness, but he didn't. She frowned, and using all her strength, pulled him into the alley with her, hiding behind the dumpster while Zagiha and Isaana dueled. She hoped Mica would be okay. That boy really was something else. Once she was sure they were out of sight, she opened the bag and looked into it, pulling out the directions.

"Activation of the Sealing System," said the title. She read through the steps.

It is recommended to have at least three Sorcerers perform the Sealing on younger or weakened Gods, but stronger Gods will require more. One Sorcerer shall bless and apply the talismans while the others fill them with ritual magic. The usage of one talisman will lock away the God's powers and trap them inside their physical body. Two talismans will send the God's body into a long sleep and trap them in the Celestial Heavens. Three talismans will not only put the God's body to sleep, but will also send their consciousness into stasis until they are removed.

"Whew, Zagiha~n's gone and done it this time, hasn't he?"

Hana freaked and looked up. Lying stomach-down on the dumpster lid, legs swinging carefree in the air, was a woman. Hana scrutinized her, wondering where she met her before. That skimpy black dress, the bushy grey hair done up in a haphazard ponytail, those pointy teeth…

She was the woman on the train back then! The strange lady who gave her the locket!

"What are you doing here?" Hana asked.

The woman chuckled. "Is that how you greet a friend after not seeing them for a while?"

"No… no, I didn't mean it that way!" she stammered. "I meant, how did you sneak in here?"

"Hmm." She tapped her chin with long, painted fingernails. "Good question! Your dear friend has many resources at her disposal, such as thingamabobs and thingamajigs. Does that answer it?"

No.

"Well, I'm here for the show, darling!" the woman continued, leaning over the dumpster. "Zagiha~n tries to be serious, but he's just so funny! A Law God who disobeys the Laws of the Gods and inflicts the insanity of love upon himself? That's wonderful madness."

"Nothing about this situation is wonderful," said Hana. "He lied to me."

"Ah, yes, he certainly did." She nodded. "But are you quite certain you know what exactly it was he lied to you about? Have you been taking good care of the necklace?" She hooked her nail around the necklace chain and pulled it out. The woman examined it a bit, and nodded again. "Yes, you'll be fine. Darling, I don't want to overstep, but I'm certain by now you know how terrible Zagiha~n is at deception. You have a choice to make."

"A choice…?" But Hana only understood what she meant as the Message Crystal vibrated, signaling the start of the Sealing.

"Better make it fast," the woman said.

--

"You're a thorn in my side!" snapped Zagiha as he and Isaana exchanged potshots. In her full-powered form, Isaana too could counter his blasts with her own.

"Show your true power, False One," she replied. "Using your true form and your Angel at the same time… if you can do that, I know you have more!"

"You're a damned arrogant woman, Isaana, if you think you can defy the will of the Outer One without any consequences," said Zagiha, throwing a punch at her throat. Isaana grabbed it and pushed it away, changing its direction. "It is ORDERS that mankind must come to an end. So why are you interfering?"

"Because, Ziggy," said Isaana, "I've always loathed rules. Without people there are no bakeries, and without bakeries there is no chocolate cake. It's as simple as that."

Zagiha let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Although, perhaps I do feel a bit of affection toward mankind in general." Isaana prepared another attack. "So that's why I'll do anything to protect this world, no matter what it takes!"

She launched herself at him once more, but midway there, her eyes widened and the power surrounding her sparked out. Isaana plummeted to the ground.

"You said it yourself, Isaana," said Zagiha, looking at her ruefully the moment she hit the earth. "The one with more stamina wins the battle. I'll take care of you later. First, I'll end things here." He stretched his hand to the sky, and the light above him grew more intense, more violent. The ultimate missile was ready to fire.

Ready… Aim…

"Zagiha!" Hana flew to him on her staff. He made eye-contact, blinked, and rapidly dispelled the energy in his palm.

"Hana? I was about to hit you dead-on…" He shook his head. "Not that it matters anyway. You're going to die, no matter what."

"Really?" Hana closed in on him so she floated right in his path. "Then why did you hesitate?"

"You…" He summoned another energy ball. "I…"

"Do it!" she shouted. "If you really mean to kill me, then do it right now! I'm wide open, and I can't use any other spells! What are you waiting for?"

He raised his hand, and then lowered it weakly, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"… Of course I can't kill you," he said at last. "I could never hurt someone so precious to me."

"I knew it. I knew you were bluffing all along. When you sent that first blast at me, you aimed it so it'd land a few inches in front of me, right? And Ereth actually has powers, right? There's no way me and Uncle Crowe could've survived a direct hit if she were fighting for real, right?"

"I…" His lip trembled. "L-Looks like you called my bluff."

"So, why?"

"I…"

Zagiha didn't get the chance to explain himself. Humongous chains of blue light surrounded him and coiled around his limbs, jerking tight. Zagiha cried out in pain as soon as they hit, as though he were just lit on fire. "Gah!" he screamed, thrashing against them. But the more he struggled, the tighter they got.

The Sealing! The Sealing had begun!

"No way," he muttered, still struggling for his life. "No way!" He screamed again. The chains started dragging him to the ground, and no matter what he did, he couldn't escape. "Hana, get out of here. You know the Sealing System can affect humans, too. Let them do what they want with me, but please, get out of here!"

"I won't let you get Sealed!" she shouted. "I promise. Just let me…" She reached for him, but as she did, another blue chain came from nowhere and knocked her off her staff. Hana gasped in shock, not even able to scream before she, too, fell to the ground.

But unlike Isaana, there was no chance for her to survive.

"Hana!" Zagiha screamed. "No!" With one last thrash, he finally broke through, zooming toward her at breakneck speed. He caught her at the last second, soaring back into the sky before landing on top of a building, crouching behind the parapet. He let her go, and Hana sank to her knees, hyperventilating. "It's okay," he said, "it's okay. I got you." The tears rolled down his cheeks. "I've… got you…"

"Zagiha," said Hana, gathering her wits, "you're not the False One, are you?"

"Of course I'm not!" he cried. "I lied. Everything I said was a lie. I just needed to take my anger out on someone… avenge Astrid in some way. But it's not worth it if I hurt you. It's not worth it if anyone gets hurt. It's not worth it." He slumped down and buried his face in his hands. "I'm so weak," he said quietly. "I don't want to destroy Modrica. And I just said I was the False One because I hoped you'd run away."

"I know," said Hana. "You can't lie to me."

"I know." His chest heaved. "But I have to be seen as strong! I have to BE strong!"

"Does taking your feelings out on others make you strong?"

"No." Zagiha sighed and shook his head. "No, it doesn't. But I need the people to know I have power, that I have the means to end this conflict, that I'm their perfect God!"

"Oh." Hana glanced over the parapets. Sorcerers, Workers, and Unforgivables alike swarmed below, the Sorcerers pointing their staffs, the Unforgivables brandishing their rifles, waiting for Zagiha to make his appearance so they could shoot. So they put aside their differences and worked together for this, huh? Was that supposed to be ironic? "That again? This isn't just about Astrid, is it?"

Zagiha's fingers curled inwards.

"Why do you need to be perfect? Even if you're a God, you still have a human's soul. And no human is perfect."

"Because," he said, gritting his teeth, "I'm a monster and I need to redeem myself."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I started the Continental War five hundred years ago. Because of me, so many people died. All because I was jealous of Aypos. This guilt will always be with me. All I can do is protect the people of Gesmaura now, but I can't do that. I just destroy, as always."

"Oh." She sat back down and folded her legs under her. "Maybe it wasn't really like that, though?"

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe they didn't die for your sake, but for some other reason? It was five hundred years ago. You might be remembering wrong…"

"I am not!" he snapped.

"How do you know?"

His teeth clenched further, and he jabbed his finger in her forehead. "I'll show you."

She didn't know what he did, but static flashed in her mind's eye, and when her vision cleared, she was no longer in Modrica, or Gesmaura, for that matter.

She was in the heart of the Aclarian Empire.