Flight Test

"Onii-chan is the best!" Yotsuba screams joyfully, his grin stretching ear to ear as he flies through the air.

"I mean, come on." Isane mutters, her lips curled in a displeased frown. "This is unfair. How am I supposed to beat this?" She glances down. The ground is several kilometers below, and she feels a chill creep up her spine. "How do you deal with this?"

I shrug. "I got used to it after a year or so." I say unhelpfully, jabbing my thumb towards my little brother, who's still happily flying around using that coat I gifted him. "I think our little brother's just built different. He's flying around like it's no one's business."

She snorts. "Can't disagree with that."

I smile back.

It's early in the morning, and I'm floating high in the sky. My big sister is by my left, kept afloat by my magic. My little brother's not too far away, giggling as he flies freely through the air. The rising sun is just behind us, painting the skies a gentle orange.

I didn't plan this, really. My siblings had woken early for some reason, and they both asked if I could bring them to fly. And, I mean, I don't have any reason to deny them. So here we are now, with my big sister and I floating in place as we watch our little brother fly around like an airplane on oiled drugs.

Is it dangerous? Sort of. I'll be there to catch them if they fall, though it won't erase the trauma. 

Is it funny? Yes. Isane's reactions are especially hilarious. 

On a more practical note, this is useful. Getting the two of them used to flying means that they'll know what to do when they're in danger. If the defenses on Yotsuba's cloak happen to fail, then he can just take off into the skies.

Isane's situation isn't as simple, but getting used to the sky will help her regardless. I can't give her a coat like Yotsuba's—that'll build a bias inside her, and once she gets access to her own flight, it'll be much harder for her to learn.

It won't be long before her gift matures.

…

My smile falls as my mind wanders.

A couple weeks before, one of the chains keeping the Trihexa sealed snapped. It'd happened abruptly, and without me knowing. 

It shouldn't have happened. There should've still been months before the Old Satan Faction begins their plan to unravel the seal on the Trihexa. They haven't acted, and yet the seal on the Beast has loosened.

Why? How? I don't know. The predictions my eyes have given suddenly changed, and now I have maybe two months before everything goes to hell. It's as if something has stirred the Trihexa awake, and it's now actively trying to break the chains binding it.

I have a feeling it might be related to the fragment of YHWH that's being kept inside the Eyes of God, but the guy's remained adamantly silent throughout it all. 

I can feel some of his emotions diffusing into me. It's a complicated mixture, but inside it is a penchant of shame. It's almost as if the god is embarrassed that he's indirectly speeding up the end of the world.

I don't blame him, really. He died to seal it. He'd done a lot more than he should regarding it.

That aside, it does mean I'll have to discard a majority of my plans. I just don't have the time. Which is rather annoying, but I at least know now.

Well, it's fine. The most important aspect of my plan is still feasible despite it all.

Akeno and I have undergone a major transformation, and we've grown. We haven't reached our peaks just yet—and I'm seriously debating that we never will—but we're far above the general curve of the rest of the world.

I'm confident the two of us can stand before the Trihexa and not immediately go insane.

The same can't be said with the rest of my friends and family.

And previously, I'd wanted to elevate their strength slowly. I wanted to let them acclimate to our pace without just shoving everything in their faces.

That's impossible now. Two months is just too short of a time frame.

My plan is simple. Now that my Primal and Divine Energy can seamlessly work together, it gives me the capability to 'awaken' others, for a lack of a better word. Any limitations that come from their health, their race, or some other restriction can be torn apart with my influence, and they can grow exponentially.

Some have managed this on their own. Yasaka and Nurarihyon have. Dulio did when he awakened his Balance Breaker. 

That's not enough. Relying on just a few to ensure our victory just won't do. If one of us falls, our chance for survival will plummet. 

Really, the only thing I'm pondering about is what I'm going to give to them in the first place. A Sacred Gear? Multiple Sacred Gears? Giving them magic? Divine Energy? I have a plethora of ways to turn even an ordinary man into a walking nuclear bomb. I just have to pick one option from the-

"H-Hey! Come back here!" I hear my big sister scream.

I blink, and suddenly I see that Yotsuba's getting awfully far from us. I reach out my hand, and a golden thread shoots out from my palm. It snakes right around Yotsuba's waist, and the boy giggles as I gently yank him back. He turns to me, and his smile quickly drops at my stern glare. "What did I say, young man?"

He gulps. "D-Don't fly…too far?"

I raise an eyebrow. "And what did you do?"

The boy guiltily looks down as he pouts. "I-I flew too far."

I huff. "So you know you're wrong." I say. He nods slowly, and then yelps as I flick his forehead. "Don't do it again." I warn, and the golden thread bound around his waist flickers away. 

His smile returns. "Okay!" And with that, off he goes.

"You really can do anything, huh." My sister says, and I turn to her. There's an odd expression on her face, as if she can't decide whether to be jealous or proud. 

I shrug. "Not really."

She scoffs. "Sure, Kami-sama." I shudder. She grins, before it falls. "Are you fine, though?" She then asks, crossing her arms as she leans forward. "You're not going to start bleeding all over the place, right? Akeno-chan said that tends to happen when you're trying too hard."

I roll my eyes. "We've both lost limbs and organs before." I say simply, ignoring the dead stare she's giving me. "Some bleeding isn't going to stop me."

"...you're scary." She eventually says.

I smile. "I say that to Akeno every other day."

She smirks. "While you're doing the frisky?"

My smile widens. "Especially during the frisky."

She laughs. "You know, I'm surprised." She says. I raise an eyebrow, and she idly spins her fingers. "Like, Akeno pounces on you like there's no tomorrow. I'm surprised you haven't knocked her up."

I hold up two fingers. A certain circular-shaped object appears between them. "Always have protection. You can never be too careful."

She pouts. "You're no fun."

"I don't disagree." I then grin. "By the way, when should I be expecting a niece?"

"Wha-!?" Her cheeks immediately turn red. "Why are you-, n-no!"

I frown in faux pity. "Why not? You drag Dulio to bed pretty often. Unless-" I gasp. "You haven't done the deed yet?" My sister sputters, steam practically rising from her ears, and I can't restrain my grin. "You're surprisingly shy about this. How cute."

She grimaces. "Fuck. What the hell?"

I tilt my head. "What might you mean?"

She shudders. "Stop it. You sound like Akeno when she's drunk."

That only spurs me on. "Well, that is a good thing, isn't it?" I ask, gleefully clasping my hands together. "She is my destined other half, after all."

She looks physically sick. "Disgusting. Keep those flowery words away from me."

I chuckle. "You didn't answer me, by the way." I say. She stares at me, and I grin. "So why haven't you and Dulio fuc-"

"Stop." She interrupts, cheeks and ears fully red. "Just. Just stop. The Call Center's closed for today."

I smile back.

…

Deep within the earth, a rumbling voice sounds. "It wakes." It says—a booming voice formed from the echoes of a million dolls. "It wakes."

In its wake, a golden chain snaps.

Only eight chains remain.