Oath Under Snow

John watched Asako speed off in the distance after switching cars with one of her men instead of using her rigged BMW.

As she left, it seemed like she wanted to say something to John. But, like the first time they met, she made a quick escape instead of lingering.

Still, John had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time he saw that yakuza heiress, so he didn't keep her there any longer.

Not to mention things would likely get worse if he did considering the pretext he used to start the race in the first place.

But anyway, there was something... or rather, someone more important to deal with.

John swept his spiritual sense in the surroundings to make sure that they were really alone and that there weren't any disobedient subordinates lingering in the shadows. But the only ones there were himself, Alpha, and the shadow servants he crafted in the image of those Yakuza legends.

Since that was the case, John got rid of his copies of the Yakuza legends. Afterwards, he tossed his recreation of the Toyota eight-six into his Heavenly Realm before walking over to the Ferrari and where his daughter was standing in wait.

The snow had picked up, making it seem like a dramatic scene. And with Alpha standing there, her head lowered in shame and guilt, it was like a scene out of a k-drama or something.

But John put that thought aside and held out his right hand. "Keys."

"...Yes, Father." Alpha reached out and gingerly placed the keys to the Ferrari into her father's hand.

John took it and then walked over to the driver's side. After getting in and doing some maintenance to ensure the car wouldn't drop dead from the beating it took being used in a drift race, John started the car.

Taking that as a signal, Alpha quietly opened the passenger door and stepped inside. That done, she buckled herself in and then quietly folded her hands on her lap, keeping her head lowered.

And then John drove off.

The digital clock showed the time. 11 PM. Hours after Rin's stream, and longer still after the time Alpha should have at least called to tell where she was.

Snowfall, gradually increasing in quantity. Fat snowflakes, landing on the windshield before being brushed off by the wipers.

Seeing that, John reached out and turned on the heat to preempt the windshield fogging up. After that, he leaned back, quiet.

Silence, with only the low roar of the Ferrari and the passing roads to fill it.

An unnecessary act. Both he and Alpha knew that. The car drive wasn't something that needed to be done. If John wanted to just head home, he could have immediately sent them both back.

But there was something else more important than just heading back. And that...

"Alphy. What's wrong?"

...Was to have a talk with his oldest daughter.

-----AI|IA-----

[Recommended BGM: THIS ILLUSION (piano ver.) - F/SN OST]

Alpha crumpled up her black skirt, avoiding her father's gaze.

Wrong. A mistake. Failure.

She had caused everything to crumble.

Because she couldn't keep herself in check, her father had to reveal himself and then resolve the situation personally. But because of that, he had sown karma between himself, those men, and that young woman.

Which meant that trouble would come.

The peaceful life they had, the careful balance that her father had been trying to strike.

Because of her, everything-!

A deep sigh. Her father's.

"Alphy. What did I tell you about bottling up your emotions?"

Alpha winced and then muttered, "Do not do it."

"That's right. Now, tell me what's wrong." John glanced over at her and said, "This isn't like you." He paused. "Well, the whole trouble aspect is definitely like you. But I've never seen you so down like this. What's wrong?"

Alpha shook her head.

What could she say? That she was upset that she had yet to accomplish anything worthwhile since arriving in this world? That the only things she had done were to ruin her father's studio and be beaten by mortals?

That was ridiculous.

At least, she thought so. And because of that, she did not dare voice her thoughts.

"Alpha." A stern voice this time.

She flinched and turned her head to stare out the window.

A city glowing in the distance. A country landscape slowly being dyed white by fresh snowfall. A clear night sky with twinkling stars, so foreign to the ones she recalled.

John sighed and said, "We won't get anywhere like this. And I'm not taking us back until you answer me."

Alpha shook her head. "...Nothing is wrong, Father."

"That's a lie."

Alpha flinched again and kept staring out the window. Even so, she could sense her father's gaze on her, like piercing lights burning into her skin.

"Did they threaten you? Or did they threaten Rin?"

"No. None of that."

John frowned. "Then what happened? I know that I had some karma with that Asako woman from running across her earlier, but that shouldn't be enough to cause all of this. At least, not completely. So... what happened? Were you upset about earlier at the cafe?"

Alpha bristled, remembering that. She felt the flash of anger on recalling that arrogant blonde girl, but she also felt a flash of guilt and regret at how she acted as well.

"I thought so." John nodded.

Alpha's eyes widened and she turned to look at John in a panic. "F-Father. Did you read my mind?"

"No. But parents do know their children best... at least that's the saying that always gets passed around. And while I admittedly haven't been the best father, I still know you, Alphy."

Alpha crossed her arms around her body, as if that could help hide her thoughts.

John let out a long sigh. "It seems like I really shouldn't have left so suddenly, huh? So many things are getting messed up just because I was impatient."

Alpha quickly shook her head. "No! Father was completely in his rights to return home. After all that you had struggled with in the Three Realms-"

"I should still have at least talked with you and Beta about it instead of having you two find out by hiding in my Heavenly Realm." John sighed. "Dammit. And just earlier I was getting upset about girls having Daddy issues. The world's going around to make me eat my words, huh?"

"Father?"

John sighed and said, "Alpha. Tell me honestly. Are you worried about me leaving you behind again? Is that why you've been acting like this?"

Alpha froze.

At the same time, her heart throbbed. Pain that she didn't even realize she had experienced.

Before it could set in, Alpha smoothed her face and shook her head. "Of course not."

"You're lying again."

Alpha shook her head and said, "Even if Fa- Even if Master left me behind, I would not mind. After all, I am an automaton in the end. And just a combat automaton at that."

Right.

That... was all she was.

Even if her father decided to treat her differently, that fact remained unchanged.

She was designed for destruction. She was created to fight. Unlike her sisters... that was all she was good for.

Wasn't that true?

The world had even showed it to her in these past few days.

How she couldn't even defeat a child. How she had the immaturity to argue with a girl who had yet to even realize how vast the world was. How she lost against a mortal in a racing competition of skill and dexterity.

And even if her chest hurt at the truth, that was fine.

Because she was just a tool. The fact that her father- That her master had begun to treat her like a real daughter was just a fortunate happenstance. An illusion. So-

So...!

The car screeched to a stop.

Alpha blinked, pulled out of her thoughts at the sudden action. She turned her head to look at her father- No, her master.

But then she froze.

A wrathful expression. His eyes, instead of the usual clear blue, had turned a sharp jade hue. The color he had as the one who surpassed the Celestial Jade Emperor and bound the entire Three Realms to his will.

At first, she thought it was directed at her. That her master was upset about her actions.

But then she realized it.

The focus of that chilling wrath was... himself.

"...Turns out that I was the idiot, huh?"

"Mas-"

"Stop that."

Alpha flinched. "W-What do you mean?"

"That." John shook his head and said, "I am not your Master."

"...Master is-"

"Alphy. Please."

Alpha froze and then slowly shook her head. "...I cannot. B-Because..." Against her will, her vision started to blur. "M-Master is aware of it. I... Magnum Opus Alpha is nothing more than a created automaton. A t-tool you created to help with combat and protection. I... th-these emotions..."

Saying that, all that Alpha had been bottling in poured out.

The frustration at losing. The envy at seeing Beta so close to their father and helping him with his tasks. The guilt at messing up the rest and relaxation that her father so deserved.

The countless negative emotions swirled around in Alpha's heart in a chaotic mess. Unable to sort them out, she looked at John and then screamed. "Why?! Why did you make me like this!?"

"A-Alphy?" John flinched.

A destructive mass of energy swelled up, ripping the car apart.

John's eyes widened and he quickly contained it. But the destruction didn't stop.

Alpha staggered back. When she saw that she had ripped the car apart, her crimson eyes trembled and she quickly withdrew her energy. But because her heart was in such turmoil, it suddenly surged, even more powerful than before.

Caught off-guard, John managed to contain it, but his skin was cut, like razor winds had grazed it. As a result, thin crimson lines spread across his skin.

Alpha flinched and then she crouched on the ground, hugging her body. "N-No. I didn't mean... I didn't want to...!"

She hurt him. She had hurt him. Alpha had hurt her father.

She had been angry, but she didn't mean to. She never meant to. She didn't want to-

*ba-dump*

Pain in Alpha's chest. A bittersweet warmth. Emotions that she should never have had.

Footsteps approached. Afterwards, John's soft voice called out. "Alphy..."

Alpha shook her head, still hugging her body. "Why? I was fine without these emotions. I was fine being just a doll. So why!? Why... why did you have to make me like this?"

John let out a long sigh and then crouched beside her.

Alpha flinched and tried to scramble away. But before she could, John grabbed her and pulled her close.

Alpha froze, unable to react. But then her eyes watered up and she buried her head in John's chest. "...You're going to scrap me, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

Alpha shook her head. "I'm a failure. Now that you're back home, you don't need something like me." Against her will, Alpha's eyes grew hot and she felt something wet dripping down her cheeks.

"Alphy, what are you-?"

"It's fine! I... I already thought it might happen after you made Omega. After all, my core is the fragment of the Dao of Destruction. It's your most valuable possession, isn't it? S-So it's fine."

Right. She had considered it a long time ago after her father created Omega.

The youngest of the automatons that John created had been made in the image of him and Mistress Yue, using both of their energies as well. A true 'child' in that sense that inherited from both of them, just not one of their flesh and blood.

And Omega had been even more brilliant than either Alpha or Beta.

A genius at comprehending emotions as well as combat. One who was already studying her own path to immortality instead of simply being given one like Alpha and Beta by her father.

And after Omega had been created, her father had spent less time with them.

Entrusting Alpha and Beta to watch over his sect, he had gone off to take his path to the end. And when he used it to break past the Three Realms, he had left without a word.

If not for Mistress Yue telling them both to hide in his Heavenly Realm while he was grabbing his belongings, she would have been left behind.

So... So it was clear.

The thought of being father and daughter was just an illusion. Something her Master played at to practice for the real thing. And so...

"...A-At least do it properly next time, okay?" Alpha lowered her head and muttered that small wish. "Don't give her false hope or emotions when you're just going to hurt her. Okay? That's... that's all I ask of you when you scrap me to make a new automaton."

Silence.

Alpha closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

And then she heard it. Felt it.

Her father, slowly raising his hand, no doubt to plunge into her heart and remove her core to start anew-

"You silly, silly girl."

A soft touch on her head. Instead of the harsh pain she expected, a warm and gentle gesture was what she received.

Alpha blinked and leaned back. "M-Master?"

John brushed the tears away from Alpha's cheeks and said, "I guess this is my fault for not noticing, huh?" He sighed and then pulled Alpha up.

Dazed, Alpha didn't react and let him do so.

"Alphy. Listen carefully, alright?"

"Y-Yes."

John stared into her eyes and said, "Although I treated you as a servant in the Three Realms, I never once thought of you as just a tool. Even before you had emotions- No, even before you could even speak, I always thought of you as my daughter. After all, I spent just about as much time making you as a mother would carry her child to term, you know?"

Alpha blinked. "I... don't understand..."

"Then let me say it simpler." John grabbed Alpha's hands and said, "Alphy. You're my daughter. Even if you weren't born the normal way, you're still my child. I don't care if you mess up, and I don't care if you're not perfect. In fact, I expect you to mess up."

"B-But..." Alpha lowered her gaze and mumbled. "It's troublesome, isn't it? And now you'll have to deal with those men and-"

"And that's what parents do." John gave her a gentle smile and then adjusted her ribbon. "Cleaning up after their children's mistakes comes with the role. Though I'll admit that I've been doing a pretty poor job of that..." John shook his head and said, "The point is... You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to put on a strong face. And you definitely don't have to pretend to be flawless."

"...But I'm your Magnum Opus. If I'm not perfect, then-"

"You're still my Magnum Opus. And no matter what happens, you're still the proudest achievement of my life."

"E-Eh?" Alpha blinked, confused.

"Alphy." John shook his head and said, "You said earlier that the fragment of the Dao of Destruction is my most valuable possession, right?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Do you know why that is?"

"...Because you spent thousands of years searching for it and traded all of the divine treasures you possessed at the time?"

"No, silly. It's because that's what let you become 'real'. What let you 'live' instead of just 'exist.'"

Alpha froze.

John pulled Alpha into a hug and said, "I don't care if you make a mess of things, screw up, or whatever... Ah, that's a lie. I absolutely will care. I'll scold you, I'll make fun of you, and I'll ban your games. But in the end... You're my precious and irreplaceable daughter. Got that?"

Alpha's throat hitched and then she hugged her father, holding him tight.

-----AI|IA-----

John patted his daughter's back and then said, "Now come on. Since it's snowing like this, we could use some hot cocoa, don't you think?"

She didn't respond.

"...Alphy?"

Silence.

For a split second, John panicked, thinking that something went wrong.

But then he heard it. Alpha's soft and regular breathing.

She was asleep.

John let out a deep sigh and then carefully lifted his oldest daughter up into a princess hold. That done, he removed the traces of the destruction from Alpha's outburst and then warped back to the studio on the top floor of Myth Inc. HQ.

Like before, Beta was typing at the computer there. But she stopped typing and looked up when John arrived. "You took a while- Hm?" She paused when she noticed Alpha. "Eldest sis-"

John placed a finger on his lips and shook his head. After, he conjured a bed near his work spot in the corner. That done, he walked over and gently placed Alpha on the bed, tucking her in beneath comfy wool blankets.

As he did, Alpha smiled, a serene and relaxed expression that was at complete odds with her usual neutral expression or carefully managed smile.

When Beta saw that, her eyes widened, trembling in shock.

John fixed a few strands from Alpha's bangs that had gotten loose and then pulled out his laptop, setting back up in his chair by the corner, ready to work.

As he did, he looked back up to check on Beta.

His second daughter still seemed shocked. But then a warm and understanding smile crossed her face. She looked to John and, for a split second, he could have sworn he saw her eyes tearing up. But then she went back to work, as if nothing had happened.

Of course, John wasn't about to let it end like that after what he just went through with Alpha.

Talking would wake Alpha up, so he didn't do that. Instead, he sent Beta a mental transmission.

'Hey. Betty. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate you and-'

Before he could even finish, Beta responded back.

'I know, Father. And I love you too. But if you really care for me, then please, get to work.'

'...Got it.'

And that was how the Smith family spent their first snowfall on Earth together, with John and Beta working in a comfortable silence and Alpha slumbering peacefully for the first time in countless years.