1315 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

How should I even describe this? I arrived at a location after sensing a presence, only to be met with an inexplicable situation. "...That." I tried to speak, but fell silent. What should I say? There's not much to be said. No, there are no words I could possibly utter. What should I even say after witnessing this? "What is going on here?" The only words I managed to muster were in the form of a question. There was Tolly, inexplicably nestled in the arms of a youthful version of my father. What on earth was that supposed to mean? I stared in disbelief as Tolly widened his eyes, looking at me. "Oh... it's Dad." "Calling me Dad, are you nuts?" I moved closer. As I did, I saw my father moving, but I ignored it and picked up Tolly. He was light as a feather. "Yikes." Tolly made a small sound. Holding him up, I locked eyes with him. "Who are you, really?" "Ugh." "How did you get here?" I asked, and he responded with a whine. "Uh...?" Tolly suddenly began to sniffle. "I'm hurt..." "What the—? Why are you acting like this?" His sudden tears caught me off guard. It wasn't like I'd done anything to him. Why the tears as soon as he saw me? "Hey. Stop crying." "Sob..." "Why are you crying?" Whack! "Ouch!" I gave him a light chop on the head. I made sure to control my strength. "..." My father watched this in silence. Feeling the strange tension, I turned to my father and asked, "What are you looking at?" "..." My father merely began to lift his body. Seeing that, I instinctively hesitated. Oh, I really don’t want to get into a fight right now. I'm not in a great condition. Though I managed to find Tolly, it's far from ideal. What should I do? No, my eyes drifted naturally to a tree. That's where Mother is tied up. Do I need to use threats again? Just as those thoughts crossed my mind... "We should move." "Excuse me?" "There's a child here." "...?" "Let's leave him behind." Out of nowhere, a reasonable suggestion came up. Who knew my father could suggest having a private conversation because a child was present? I was taken aback. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "It's just... it doesn't really fit with your usual demeanor." "...?" My father looked at me as if to ask what I meant. "Never mind." I shook my head. If we don't fight, that works for me. I followed my father. "You stay here." "Why...? I want to come too...!" "Behave yourself. Are you going to start acting out as soon as you arrive?" At my irritated tone, Tolly flinched. It was a bit pitiful how quickly he cowered, but I had no choice. "I'll talk to you separately when I get back." "...Okay." Leaving Tolly behind, I went off with my father. * * * We didn't actually move far. We just put some distance between ourselves within the space. As soon as we settled, my father looked at me. "And what exactly are you?" "You get right to the point." I expected some preamble, but it seemed like he was skipping that. Then again, that was just like my father, whose style was always straightforward. "What should I explain?" "Everything." "...Isn't that a bit too much to ask for?" Whoosh-!!! My father suddenly summoned flames. Seeing the grayish fire, I clicked my tongue briefly. In this ridiculous household, no one listens unless you take drastic actions. 'Seriously...' This place never gets any better. "Would knowing really change anything for you?" "...What?" "Seems like you don’t even remember much from your human days." "..." "What memories do you have? Do you even have any?" "..." No answer. How petty. He asks the questions but doesn’t reply when I ask back. "If you don’t even remember, why should I bother telling you anything—" "You need to be killed." "...Wow." I grimaced. "You casually spit out terrifying words." 'I have to kill you,' he'd said. Sure, it was shocking because my father said it, but... 'Oh well.' I remained relatively calm. My already broken mental state played a part, as did past experiences of having killed my father with my own hands. "Why? Am I that displeasing to you?" "It's a necessity." "So, are we supposed to fight now?" I glanced around. I first needed to determine Muah's location and the Dark King’s. "...No." My father, having seen me look at Muah, contradicted himself. He said he didn’t intend to fight? I focused back on him. "Why not?" "I don't know." "...What?" "I don't know. I'm struggling with why I should kill you." "..." 'Struggling,' he said. The word sounded oddly significant. "Why are you struggling? Why must I die in the first place?" "Only by your death can I obtain what I desire." "And what is it you desire?" I instinctively knew who my father was working under. "Is it because of that girl?" At my gesture to the girl bound to Muah, my father stared right back at me. It seemed I hit the mark. My father was acting to rescue my mother. "How did she end up like that?" "I can't say." "Why? I might be able to help if you tell me." "Aren’t you the one who often threatens to burn her?" "..." For a moment, I was lost for words at his remark. He was right. I did often use her as leverage. I scratched my cheek awkwardly. "Back then, I had no choice. It was the best option available." "I can’t understand." "...You don’t really need to understand. Like I said, it was just a method—" "I'm questioning how you even entered this space in the first place." "Excuse me?" "This place cannot be accessed without permission. It's the sole domain that tree governs." "Tree, you say." Was he talking about Muah? 'Ah.' I realized. Even the Dark King couldn’t penetrate it from outside. 'So that’s the power of Muah.' No wonder it felt off. So, it was indeed her power. Being used by her owner, it was somewhat different. "State your true identity." "My identity..." I paused, contemplating the right response. "If you understand me, will you not kill me?" "...We'll see." What's with that ambiguous answer? "That's too much to ask without a clear answer." Speaking now seemed like a debt I couldn't afford. The only thing I could say was, "Well, my goal is to kill the Sword Queen and go back." "Go back?" "To return to the Middle Kingdom. And... if possible," I gestured towards the tree, "I'll rescue the person tied over there too." "Why?" "Well, I don't feel like explaining that part." I had stated my aim. My father, who seemed surprised at first, kept his eyes on me, trying to decipher my intentions through my gaze. "I can't understand. How can you even...?" "There's nothing on this land that makes any sense." The bizarre realm, fraught with the influence of Blood Demons, the cultists, and my mother's condition—why had the Sword Queen coveted her power? I have no clue what transpired during the year I was absent. "So, let me ask you." Now it was my turn. "Can you explain why things are like this, Deputy Lord?" "..." "If the constraint prevents you from speaking, no matter. I can't share everything either." I flexed my fingers, feeling the crackling sensation as I continued speaking to my father. "I'm in a bit of a rush. If you're going to do something, make it clear." There was no time to delay. "Are you planning to kill me? If so, let’s fight." "......" I spoke with calm resolve. I meant it. If we were to fight here, so be it. My approach would be rather underhanded and ruthless. And... 'Over there.' I sensed Tolly glancing at me from near the World Tree. 'He said everything that afflicts me would disappear with him around.' I needed to verify if that was true. Of course, if my father started a fight now, there wouldn’t be any time to find out. I didn’t know. I had to stand my ground. "What do you want to do?" I calculated my route. If a battle happened, I needed to ignite fire immediately and move towards the tree... "Are you serious about saving that woman?" Father interrupted with a different inquiry. "Yes, I'm serious." None other than my own mother. "Why? Are you now able to share what's going on?" Would he really explain the situation? The possibility excited me. Perhaps the constraints didn’t bind my father. "Are you able to speak here?" "In this space, yes." "If you mean this space—" It seemed he referred to the space Muah had created. Speaking was possible here? Could it mean... 'Could the constraints not work here?' That might be the case. I wasn’t entirely sure what Muah’s power entailed, but I was aware she wielded something exceptionally unique. "Then please, enlighten me." Father's gaze shifted slightly, revealing his contemplation. I decided against pressing him and simply waited. I believed he would eventually speak. As I awaited his response, "The reason the Sword Queen created this realm and the cultists comes down to one thing." Father finally spoke. "Blood Demon." A rather familiar name came to light. 'The Blood Demon.' I hadn’t expected that from my father's mouth. As I swallowed my surprise, he continued. "He's aiming to absorb the vast power your mother once held..." And then. "And to reclaim fragments of the senses he had scattered." His last words made my vision crumble.