4 Chapter 3 - Forged Mentality

Entering my forge, is more like entering a little world apparently… as I expected something a bit less or a bit more than what I am currently seeing. Around me is nothing but stone walls, looking to be a cavern; then the floor is worked stone to look like a spiral… eye? Pillars in four separate locations, each the same distance apart from each other and the center. Passed the worked stone, there's a basin where water would normally be. From the way things are set up, I feel the water would seep into the eye to create some form of… illusion of life?

I will admit, this looks frichen eerie to all of my senses; the cold stone beneath my feet, the silence surrounding me, and the lack of smell. It's almost as if I had entered a sort of… dead world… a place where not even sound exists. Perhaps it's due to me lacking something?

Directly behind me from my entry, there's a staircase leading up towards a rather large doorway with many… runes surrounding the molding. Statues stand guard on either side; both looking rather similar to the other, only one is holding what looks to be… a falcata, and the other… crossbow? I must admit; I have no fucking clue what is going on anymore…

<"Don't ask me either…"> Not helping mysterious voice from nowhere… <"Not trying to help, just letting you know… this is odd."> And the award for useless comment goes to…

Ignoring the voice at this point as he continues to speak to me; I continue to look around without moving; and from looking up… grated holes in the stone ceiling show the sky beyond… and holy fuck. If the term 'Star Ocean' ever had a use, this would be it I believe. From all I can see are stars, moons, planets… it's a universe within a self.

<"Are you going to move on?">

'Do you mind, I am admiring the view…'

<"This is your mind, and you're admiring it. Sounds like a narcissist?">

'Shut up, I'm moving.' Seriously, ruin my mood why don't you. When I find you; I am going to punch you right in the face you annoying little shit.

<"Now that's the spirit.">

'Fuck.off.' With my small growl, the voice stays silent as I continue to take things in, before moving towards the large door; taking each step slowly just in case… which is odd… paranoia is a bitch. There are no traps within my own mind… is what I think before finding the door sealed; with some kind of riddle keeping it closed. 'Okay, all of my whats?'

-The Tyrant wields the Falcata while smiling-

-The Lord readies the Crossbow with a relaxed grin-

-These two bow to only one-

-What does their Sovereign use?-

'Well, this is a bit awkward…'

<"Why is that, oh annoyed one?"> Moving my hand, I point at the 'Lord' who wields the Crossbow…

'That's me.'

<"What?">

'It's a mentality thing; you'll know in due time if my hunches are correct here; but I don't want things to get ahead of me. But the… Sovereign… as this one says… must have put this together as a test to see if the one in control was on Agenai.'

<"And the… thought process?">

'Because on Earth, I didn't see this. There wasn't the notion of the forge on that world. Here there is, and here I am.'

<"Who is the Tyrant?">

'My polar opposite, and a dear friend of mine.' The voice was starting to sound annoyed at me…

<"Okay, fuck it; so what is the answer to this riddle?">

'Oh, that is simple. The Sovereign uses no weapon, as the body is their weapon.' At my proclamation, the large glyph which held the riddle started to crack; then shatter… along with the giant stone doors keeping me here. Behind the door is a courtyard; one that you woulds see in the center of a rather large… oh… there it is…

The courtyard holds no flowers, no life, no color itself; the only color coming from the celestial bodies above my head. There are stone formations that looks to be statues of… people? Things? Places where plants would normally be is also around the desolate place. Again, no sound exists up here as well nor smells of any kind. However, what is most surprising is the rather large castle directly before the entrance to the cavern I was just in. Gothic style; looks like something one would see in a medieval fantasy… maybe with a couple more towers. More towers equals more coolness, right?

<"Turn around, idiot.">

'Let me take everything in… this is eerie.'

<"Trust me, it gets better."> Following what the voice states, I turn around completely… and a gothic cathedral greets me opposite to the castle.

'Why is a catholic cathedral in my forge?'

<"How do you want me to answer?">

'Stupid question, so I take it there is where you want me to go before exploring anything else?'

<"Technically? Sure, go there before anything else.">

'Yes, my liege.' Ignoring the rebuttal of the voice, I make my way to the gate that lays before the cathedral… with three statues in a triangle facing each other; first covers its throat, second covers its heart, third covers its head…

-Beast, forever in anguish, screams out his frustrations until he is mute-

-Martyr, with his heart feeling all, crumbles from everything building up-

-Philosopher, wracking his brain, finally snaps and loses grasp in reality-

-What would cure these three souls, from their eternal torment?-

<"Who, what.. nevermind.">

'Keep quiet, this won't take too much time. Each of these three fit into the triangle of the passions; three differing actions which bring fullness to the soul.' Waiting a second, but the voice doesn't seem to want to chime in; better for me.

'Beast is Instinct, which means he has many… hormonal urges flowing through him. To cure his frustrations, one needs to take up a passion that lets your body flow. Combat training, body building, weight lifting… anything dealing with sexual urges also works.' With this, the statue of the Beast begins to move, his face of anguish turning to one of elation. Head turning to the sky to let out a roar with his arms spread wide, claws ready to strike at all that come before his Sovereign.

'Martyr comes from the need for emotion; every living mortal requires emotions to be a whole being. His heart has crumbled because he has no outlet for all the emotions he stores within himself. So to cure him, one just needs to take up an artistic passion; crafting, music, sing your fucking heart out you beautiful man!' Almost as if taking up my offer, the statue moves with a flourish; one hand resting on its heart, while the other holds out to the side, eyes closed and mouth open. Singing to an audience of one, but singing his heart out with a smile on his face.

'Philosopher, you are the one who holds all rationality within the core. Why are you run down trying to keep your mind in check? This is why a passion for knowledge is paramount! Research something, learn, know everything… and keep learning. Pick up that book, take up your quill; let us figure out how to become someone to be feared.' The statue of the Philosopher, his hands moving away from his head to pick up a fallen book and quill; looks forward with a steady and determined glint in his eyes. No smile spreads on his face, but you can tell from how he now holds himself straight… he is ready to take on the world.

With all three looking as if they have been lifted of burdens; the statues turn towards the gates; which open with the force of a thousand fucking suns. The rusted metal slamming against the stone fencing; creating a large resounding crash in the vacuum, causing me to jump from the sudden violence. I guess this means I can move on… waving to the statues before making my way to the front door of the cathedral… knowing I will have to face them at some point…

…

Well, there are no pews or even a pulpit within this cathedral.. but there are at least rather large statues that depict some form of deities… wait…

'This world has no deities, only Patrons…' Stepping closer to the statues, I notice there are three standing;

Left: A rather beautiful woman stands with a veil covering her face, a gown elegantly falling to her feet, which show bare. One hand hovers over her heart, while the other holds onto… is that a scythe? Well, if I had to guess… no need to guess, the plague at the base of the statue itself states; ["I am Yrmala, Patron of Life, and mother to all. To please me, all one has to do is grow and learn; to lead those as a guiding light, and heal the sickness of the world. Take heed that I will love you, my Childe."]

Center: Robed male with glasses adorning his face; a book in one hand with an hourglass in the other. He wears the clothing of what could only be seen as a scholar… so of course… the plague does say it; ("I am Hannash, Patron of Knowledge. Drink deep the mana of the world, chase your dreams; befriend spirits to bring life to your realm. You alone, can make me move; my Master.")

Right: A cloaked male that carries a lantern in one hand, and a dagger in the other. Looking closely at the statue, I notice the visible ear is pierced with what looks to be a bell. Features can't really be seen beneath the hood, nor through the mask; guess Death does not want to be known… {I am Ugdralath, Patron of Death. I do not ask much, just respect the dead; bring honor to your family, and know the darkness is a friend in times of need. My Holder, you are never Alone."}

Yup, these three are the Patrons which I chose when I started my life here on Agenai… so the statue of the chained man; sitting in a cross legged fashion with a wild smile, long and crazy hair, with only rags keeping his lower half concealed… resting in the center of the other three…

<"For I am Baalish; Patron of Consumption. My smartass Friend has already thought of this, no? Bring chaos to the world, desire change, consume those who harm your family. Those are all I ask of you… now that you have seen us, you don't really have to bother with us…">

'Oh I most definitely refuse that fucking notion.'

<"…what?">

'I am not religious I any way shape or form, so why the fuck is a cathedral here with statues to the patrons that are to guide me through life? Am I supposed to worship them?' I look at all the statues before me, with a serious face… a seriously annoyed face… 'Each of these statues… are annoying me… why don't you fucks get out here and speak to me in person if you want me to follow these tenets!'

<"…since you were just born, you wouldn't know… I shal--">

'Shut it.'I glare at the statues each in turn, before taking in a deep breath; 'I bow to no god, nor will I bow to statues. I will refuse worship; with my very being.' Raising my left hand, and facing it towards the statue of Yrmala… 'This is my realm…' crunch, goes the stone as my hand closes to a fist, Ugdralath following suit as my right hand clenches. The statue of Hannash turns to dust as I slam my fists together; before looking at the statue of Baalish… 'We will speak more later…'

<"WAIT--!"> All he got out before all the statues converge and smash his statue to nothing… all the dust spreading out and the pieces clattering here and there… I will admit, maybe a bit much. But my world, my rules; fuckers will listen to me.

…

When the dust clears; I move to the place where Yrmala stood, and look around the statue base… to find a door behind it. Knew I saw correctly when I was looking around; minute details don't leave my vision. Most of the time. Making some room to the door, I notice some runes on it, not really understanding them though�� oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Reaching up, I knock on the door; do not enter a woman's room without knocking, just proper manners. And I wait there, for a bit… then knock again…

["…who's there?"]

Oh, I am going to like this…

'Hatch.'

["…Hatch Who?"]

'Bless you, may I come in?' As I smile like an idiot from my stupid joke… I am mostly surprised at the ridiculous giggling from the other side of the door.

["Okay, seriously… why are you asking permission?"]

'It's proper manners, and I destroyed the statue here, so I am asking.' Silence… more silence…

["You what?"]

'I destroyed the statue in front of this door, you're Yrmala, correct? I wish to talk, so may I come in?'

["…fine. Come in, I wish to see which Childe did something so… interesting."] I should run, far away, right now… but that would make me a coward… and Sovereign did not create no coward. Grabbing the door, thinking better of my first instinct… and just opening it and walking in… shoulda run, as it shuts behind me.

The room I just found myself in was rather… well, sunny. A meadow with flowers, birds, other animal sounds inserted here. In front a field of some form of grain, stood a bare footed woman with a scythe… and as I walked to her, she turned to face me…

["Hello childe; I am Yrmala, been a while since someone has entered my dream. Now I must ask, how old are you?"]

'Why?'

["To know if you beat the record of the ones before you."] She holds up a sheet of parchemtn with… well, looks like squiggles. Runes of a language I did not know;

'Well… I was born… maybe an hour before I came into my forge.' Yrmala stood, and stared at me from behind her veil… I did not know the look on her face, but I can sense some kind of… danger?

["Come again?"]

'I was just born, yes, shall we continue on?'

["Well, you beat out all other competitors… the last one came in at the age of… forty."] She rips up the parchment, and holds her head before looking back down at me; ["So why did you decide to come into my dream?"]

'I hate religious statues, was going to remodel; decided to bring you guys out before doing the full remodel.' The smile I gave her, made her look at me as if I was insane;

["Are you mad?"]

'No, I am the sane side of the coin.'

["What?"]

'Well, shall we leave, I still need to drag the other three out of their dens, but I'd rather have you walking miss Mala.'

["…other three? You have four?"] Ignoring her question, I reach up for her hand; Mala sighs softly before taking my hand… the silver form gently shivering from the touch before I begin to walk towards the exit;

'How many invited you out of the… dream?'

["None… it's unheard of…"]

'Consider me a first then, as I hate a powerful being inside my own self; unable to interact save for a statue. Religion is stupid…'

["You are going to hate the Church of the One… or many temples dedicated to worship of Patrons then."] A sharp intake of breath comes from me as I grasp the door, and rip the fabric of reality from the very essence of my realm. The dream as she calls it, disappears as we walk into the empty cathedral… well, empty save for rubble. ["You weren't kidding…"]

'Your dream connected to my realm, and I am the Lord here. While I am in charge, this place will bend to my whim.' I turn to smile up at her; 'Just wait a bit, I need to get the others. Then we can meet… them…' Ignoring her as I walk to the next statue… I also ignore the giggle from the Patron of Life…

…

I've already knocked around six times, at the door of Hannash, and I am beginning to lose all forms of my patience… if Wrath is my Demon variant… guess Patience is not my Angel variant. Starting to non-stop pound on the door with my fist, I yell out;

'I will count to ten, and if you do not answer, I will rip the fabric of reality to collapse your dream to force your ass out of there!'

("Wait what?! You can do that?")

'Yes, just did it with one patron with their permission, and I will do it without permission cause you are freeloading in my realm. I collect rent, but I need you out of that room!'

("Fascinating! Do come in, I must ask you questions!") Dual urges, one to run and the other to burst in and punch this bastard. Ripping the door open, and walking in to fight all urges… I notice a study filled to the brim with books; some floating around the robed man as he reads through here and there. When I sit on a stack of books, he turns to me with a grin;

("Hello young sir, has been a while since I had a quest. I would prepare tea, but I can tell you are about to burst, so I will allow you to talk. Pleasure, I am Hannash, Patron of Knowledge.")

'Oh I know, I read it on the plague before I turned the statue to rubble in my realm.' I give him the most innocent smile while trying to hide my lust for punching his face;

("You destroyed the statue? Did you not like me?")

'I chose you, as I did Mala, so I expected you both in my realm. Instead I get a cathedral in gothic style, and statues. So we're fixing this oversight on the administrators part.'

("You have an odd way of speaking, almost like you are not just a newborn…")

'I kept all memories of my past life due to… reasons… and some older memories float in here and there… so I am quite old.' Looking around the stacks of books and giving a smile; 'Philosopher is going to love you.'

("Who?")

'Will discuss later; follow me, and I will show you information the Patron of Knowledge does not know.' A skeptical look crosses his face, before a large smile; and he lets his books drop around him…

("Well, with an offer like that; how will I be able to turn it down…")

'Good, follow me.' Hopping off the stack of books, I make my way to the door, and grab it with both hands; then rip away the dream like it was nothing… my realm coming into view… both Hann and myself just looking at Mala as she dances around the empty cathedral without a care for the world… and then she notices us.

["Oh, Hannash, has been a while hasn't it?"]

("My dearest sister, has been too long. We have the oddest master this time around; though he seems interesting.")

["Yes, this childe will probably keep surprising me."] She giggles to herself as Hannash moves to embrace his… wait…

'You guys are related?'

("Yes, Yrmala is my twin sister actually. We have much to catch up on.")

["So who is going to come up next of the four?"]

("…four?")

'I believe his name is… Ugdralath?' A loud shriek of happiness comes from Mala as she jumps in place;

["Dearest is here? Oh please go fetch him, I have so missed him!"]

("Well… for him to show up too… what are the odds…")

'I chose you two, he was forced on me, and then randomly was given the fourth.' Ignoring them, as they seemed to have some questions… time for the one who will be a little…

…

{"No need to knock or come in, just open the dream to your realm… Holder."}

Never mind, he seems to be the easiest of the three so far. I would like to ask some questions; but you know what, he is freely offering to be ripped from the dream. For the one who was forced on me…

'Dralath, I am starting to like you. Ya bastard.' I raise one clawed hand high in the air with an smile that could not belong to a sane man; and force is down; five long shreds showing in the fabric of the realm and into a rather… dark world… the cloaked man walking out on his own before the tears close up. He looks down at me, his dark eyes showing no life; the bell on his ear giving a chime as he steps by me to Yrmala… and hugs her.

["I missed you too, my dearest."] He stays silent, but you can tell that this man, who represents death, dearly loves the woman who is life. As she rubs his back I walk to the place where the fourth statue was… and begin looking for the way to him…

("So, you said you had four Patrons right?") Dralath twitches; ("Who is the fourth?")

'Some bastard named Baalish, he was the one who told me how to get here..' Turning to the silent trio, 'Why are you all looking like that?' Indeed, each looked as if I had just told them the world was flat, the sky was the floor, and pineapple was amazing on pizza.

("This cannot be coincidence…")

{"What race are you?"}

'Nephilim, Wrath Demon Variant.' And now Mala was laughing as if I just said a joke;

{"Are you a single birth?"}

'Nope, triplets. My poor mother… okay seriously why are you people… patrons… beings like this?' Mala was laughing harder, Hann was looking like he wanted to write something down, and Dralath… just stares at me…

{"You're serious?"}

'Would you laugh if it was a joke?'

{"Mala is the one who laughs at jokes, not me."}

'Good, cause it is not a joke; I'm Zeriq. Zeriq Tigrerious Haruk, my brothers are Yehai and Xihlis.'

{"And of course it is that family… no wonder you said I was forced on you…"}

'Yes, now if you will excuse me.' I continue to move rubble, looking for the way down;

["Will you release that childe?"]

'Of course, I did promise to speak to him again. He might be an annoying bastard, but he is in my realm; so he is friend and brother.' While I dig through the rubble, I notice they are now silent… and then a sigh comes from the air…

<"Come in…"> With that, a staircase down appears where the front of the statue was; a smile on my face as I make my way down;

'I'll be back with the bastard, you guys talk and get comfortable.' Ignoring their looks, I make my way to the door with chains, and just rip it open and walk through…

…

Sitting in front of the chained man before me, I smile up at him while mimicking his sitting pose; before getting tired of it and leaning back on my hands;

'So, you're Baalish, the demonic patron of consumption?'

<"That I am, little friend. I felt you were different, who knew I was way out of my league.">

'Don't feel bad, you've lived longer than me, but I've learned from the best when it comes to certain things.' I grin at him before we both begin to laugh; settling down as the rattling of the chains get a little… much… 'Explain.'

<"I've been sealed for crimes against mortals, and for turning my back on family.">

'Says the man with family in his sphere of influence.'

<"Just explaining my charge. Never said they were true…">

'Truth?'

<"Someone tried to harm my dearest; so I slaughtered him and his family. My grandfather decided this was going too far, so sealed me with chains to keep me where I am today.">

'Well, sounds reasonable to me.'

<"Yes, the punishment was reas--"> He does not get to finish…

'I meant the retaliation against the man.' Baal looks at me with a quirked brow; 'He tried to harm what was yours, so you had to teach him and his… the basics of fear.'

<"You're messed up.">

'I have been told that before; Mr. Mass Murder.' We both share a laugh, before I stand up and walk to him; 'So how do I break these… wait, never mind; I can see the annoying insects here and there…' Before Baal gets time to ask what I mean, I begin grabbing his chains and ripping them out of the wall; turning them into shadows. As I work, his body seems to get a bit better than when it was weighed down…

<"Kid… do you know that you're strange…">

'So I have been told many times; wanna know what's scary?'

<"Do I want to know…">

'Remember the statues; Tyrant, Lord, Beast, Martyr, Philosopher?'

<"…yes?">

'Insanity, Sanity, Instinct, Emotion, Rationality.' I smile as he seems to think this over; the final chain turning to shadow as I turn around and head to the door… and his voice from behind…

<"You're expecting me to believe… that you're Sanity?">

'I am the Lord, Sanity incarnate of the Sovereign. Follow me, and you will understand.'

…

We walk out of the door before I collapse the whole thing, and begin walking to the door of the cathedral; a smile on my face as the four of them follow me. That was rather entertaining, and felt very good; though I can hear them speaking behind me…

["Hello there Baalish, my baby boy. Did you miss mama?"] And I stop before the gate leading to the courtyard… slowly turning around to give them a look of someone… who just heard something strange…

<"Now you know how I feel, with that Sanity nonsense…"> Ignoring him;

'We will talk later; the others are waiting in the castle… well, three are waiting, the Tyrant may… still be there…'

("Where is this… Tyrant you said? What aspect is he?")

'Insanity.'

("Sorry, but I think I heard something strange; is that not you?")

'Oh I am quite sane, now come come.' I hold my hands up as I walk towards the courtyard; 'Please follow me tour group, as I have only a slight notion where I am going; been a while since I've been here.'

{"How long, esactly?"}

'At least eleven lives?' As we get to the center of the courtyard, I stop to turn to the cathedral to finish my work… only to see all four of them looking at me;

{"Eleven Lives?"}

<"Kid, you sure you're Sanity?">

("It's fascinating how the insane say they're sane.")

["Well, I for one believe you."] I can start to feel my blood boiling, before I point towards the cathedral… all four looking over; making a flicking motion to cause the entire building disappear from my realm. A blank plot of land where it once stood; and I feel refreshed.

'God I hate religion.' With the tour group silent, I make my way to the front of the castle.

…

Of course there's a fucking gate, of course there's a fucking statue… with a fucking riddle…

<"I can hear your teeth grinding… which is amazing considering you're mana.">

'Shut it.' Taking a deep breath; I look at the statue of… a single man, standing and staring down at me; a warm smile on his face. The plague only has one line on it.

-Explain the process.-

("Wonder what it means? Process of what?")

<"The kid knows, I have learned to just listen…"> A sigh comes from both Baal and myself… and then I stand there silent… staring at the statue…

'Damn Sovereign…'

["Childe?"]

'Want to hear a story?' I sit on the ground, staring at the statue still… not looking at them so they do not see my face…

{"What story?"}

'It's a sad story, that turns odd.. this is the Sovereign.' I lean back on my hands to stare into his face; 'He was a pale man, with pale hair… who was incredibly lonely.'

["Why was he lonely?"]

'Because he had to leave those he loved behind; due to a mistake on his part.'

("What did he do?")

'He… ignored his family, to chase after a man; who killed his beloved.' Silence from the peanut gallery, as I smile… this oddly sounding familiar; 'He killed the man. His family. Spared no innocent, and was finally killed by blood loss.'

["How did he deal with his loneliness?"]

'This is a metaphor; but he grabbed either side of his head, and with a sane but manic laugh, tore himself in half from the loneliness.' Mala gasps, but I ignore them as I continue; 'And now he had a friend… but he was no longer himself, as both were him. The body they inhabited, could do nothing but sit absentminded. They were friends; brothers even… but they argued, they could not decide on anything.'

{"The main self split in two… of course the body would be like that. What did they do?"}

'One took a crossbow, the other a falcata… and tore each other to shred.'

["Oh my!"]

'From the shreds, arose two more of them; four now in total. They each had a color… silver, white, red, and black.'

("Well… maybe they could make some decisions now… but mathematically, they tied more often?")

'Correct, they could move the body here and there… but with an even number; ties were normal. The four took council and decided they needed a fifth to make odd the evens!' I laugh at the insanity of the story, but smile as I look at the face of the one who started this; 'Lord gave his right half, Tyrant his left. Beast gave his arms, and Philosopher his legs. Martyr came to be, his orange self; Emotion came final to the rest of us…'

<"Kid?"> I could feel the concern…

'Metaphor… I am still whole, am I not? But with our fifth with us…' The statue of the Sovereign smiles down at me, a tear falling from his face before crumbling to dust before me; the gate to the castle opening; 'We realized something… Sovereign was no longer with us. However…' I stand up and begin walking into the castle… not completing my thought before moving on.

…

Standing on this side of the main room of the castle, the door closed… I was just staring at it while listening to the argument going on the other side…

'The lord has returned...'

'Indeed, and now we can finally voice our concerns!'

'Shut up, both of you; do you know what this means…'

I kick down the door at this point; dramatic timing and all, and grin at the three other versions of me that are around the circular table. Each turn to me and the four following me, the orange one, Martyr, smiling and coming to me;

'Lord, it's good to finally see you again! We're on Agenai right? We're finally home!' He's cute, emotions come naturally to him where they don't to me. I pat his head before turning to the red one, Beast…

'So, what does this mean?'

'He's going to come out of the dungeon…'

<"Hold up… this is kind of confusing…">

'How so?'

<"Who is talking?">

'Oh right… guess it would be confusing when I am talking to myself here… don't give me that look; sometimes one needs intelligent conversation, so talking to one self is natural.' I ignore Baal while I think of a fix for this situation…

P: 'Perhaps we speak with our… tones? Instead of utilizing archaic methods, this seems more fitting.'

M: 'Oh, that works, Philosopher is the smartest!'

P: 'Of course, it only makes sense due to ones we have never seen before, so they can't tell us apart… thought our colors would do the trick.'

B: 'Can't be too sure… wait… who are these guys?'

L: 'Oh; this is Mala, Hann, Dralath, and Baal. They're our patrons while we're on Agenai. Get used to them, as they're going to live in the castle from now on, or wherever they want. The realm is open to them.' It is then that all four of us notice Mala is quite silent… and then we're all wrapped in a tight hug, and pulled over to Dralath…

["CAN I KEEP THEM?!"] Oh dear…

{"Dearest, they're technically all mental selves of our holder… so… yes."} Traitor. Mala gives us a squeeze as she sits in a big chair and snuggles the four of us; Martyr enjoying every moment of this while Beast tries to pry himself free.

B: 'GAH! Unhand me! I am evil incarnate and will claw you!'

L: 'Beast, give it up… we all know you're not evil; just an edgy boy.'

B: 'Fight me!'

L: 'After the final piece of business is settled.'

Making my way out from Mala's grip, I head down a hallway; waving to everyone, let them get to know each other… but am followed by Baalish, when I wanted to do this alone…

L: 'Why are you following me?'

<"Interest. Wonder what the other side of you is like; and to prove if you're really sane.">

L: 'Funny thing, sanity. The sane never think themselves sane, while the insane say they're sane. You would never be able to see a perfectly sane individual.' Baal seems to try to comment on that as he begin to go through passages, down corridors, and down stairs at an alarming rate… 'Fuck me, been a while since I've been around here. Wonder if I am lost.' The sarcasm in my voice is nearly lost on Baal, before he sighs;

<"Seriously… where are we going?">

L: 'Oh, Tyrant is chained in the dungeon, due to the world we were in didn't so much like the insane for a long while.' More stone, wish this place had some actual decorations… making our way down into what appears to be a cellar… and then the cells on either side of the hallway.

<"Homey… isn't it?">

L: 'Oh he loves it; a lot like a presidential suite.'

T: 'I can fucking hear you. I don't appreciate the jokes; just let me out.' Oh there he is, a smile crossing my face as I slowly make my way to the cell… unlocked and open with Tyrant's pure white mana form sitting against the wall…

<"Wait… is he even locked in here?">

L/T: 'Nope.'

<"Then why is he still here?">

T: 'Well, it would be rude to leave a spot I myself said I'd stay for the time being until such a time that I am called back by my twin.' A smile crosses his face and Baal looks from Tyrant to me…

<"Okay, I am now lost on who is sane or insane…">

L/T: 'Baal, that's a very thin line between both aspects… you can't even tell by looking.' I look to Tyrant and motion;

L: 'Come on, the others are waiting, and I'm getting hungry… might want to get out of here before anything actually happens.'

T: 'Fair enough, hey Lord; what's our mother like?'

L: 'You should know, we share memories, or were you out of the loop while in here?' He laughs as we begin to talk and walk back to the conference room; Baal following behind us… whispering to himself as he wonders what exactly he has gotten himself into…

…

T: 'Lord.'

L: 'Tyrant?'

T: 'What is going on?'

L: 'I am not an expert… but…' I sigh as I am currently with Tyrant, in the arms of Mala, and being snuggled with everything the woman has in her; 'I believe they call this snuggling?'

T: 'I hate you, smartass.'

L: 'Shut up, you love me.'

We continue to pass lines like this back and forth as I slowly focus my sense of self back to the outside; opening my eyes, to look at… nothing. Still cuddled close to mother's chest, with dad making weird noises towards my younger brothers. How much time went by, I don't know…

["You were in your forge for roughly… an hour and thirty-seven minutes."] Okay, that's strange in many ways… now I am hearing Mala in my head. I don't mind, but at the same time, am I losing it?

<"Kid, you released us into your forge; we can converse with you now freely. Get used to voices in your head.">

T: 'Been there, done that, got bored, killed it; then went there again.'

Oh dear fucking god; might as well get the best of this…

'Philosopher, I want you to run a full diag on Keeper's Eye and Guide to Life, see what synergy they have, and decent ways to utilize them in a sort of… window format. Ya get me?'

P: 'I get ya, it'll take me an hour at most; have fun getting fed again.'

<"Oh, that reminds me; now that you have full access to us… well first, parents are gonna get a shock, second: you can use Consumption to copy one of your mother's traits."> Oh fuck, do not make me one of those babies that gets fed from multiple women. Read that story, and holy fuck was it cringy in many ways. <"You don't have to worry about it; since she is willingly giving you her essence through milk, then the chances of success are higher. Give it a try on… well; you decide.">

'Fun… if I didn't require sleep; I'd already be bitching about being tired…'

B/P/M/T: 'That was your fault dumbass.'

Everyone's a critic.