"--several months later I was formally appointed by the senior priest, which officially made me an apostle. My life change was no exaggeration–on that very day, even my curse completely changed into the authority that I have now. About five years later…"
Intentionally leaving his statement unfinished, Zateon turns towards Emma, who understands where he is going, pleasantly smiles. Emma carefully approaches her master's side, as though she was being beckoned.
"I just so happened to find a demi-human runaway. There was nothing preventing me from following normal protocol in such a situation–in fact, I should have. But after hearing her testimony of betrayal by her own blood, selling her into the slave system and leaving her with nothing…how could I not offer her salvation? Together…"
"...we want to purge the vile nature within demi-humans."
"And that brings us here today."
Each line was perfectly in sync, even their body language was one. Despite being deficient species and looking nothing alike, at this moment, no one could deny that there is an underlying bond between Zateon and Emma beyond surface-level assumptions.
Even Vex cannot help but to stare blankly, unsure of the first words he should speak.
So instead, he closes his eyes briefly.
"..."
"...I know that everything my master said can be hard to take in at once, but I ask that you please try to understand his–our perspective."
"Whether I am willing to understand is irrelevant. I just need to know what does any of that have to do with the current situation that all of us are forced to deal with now?"
"An old acquaintance of mine has inexplicably become unhinged to an unfathomable degree. Since she appears to be upset with me primarily, I need to directly address her. And if I of all people cannot reason with her…"
"That's where we come in?"
"Exactly. You see, it's quite simple to understand, isn't it?"
"Not quite–you never once mentioned that woman's curse in your longwinded story. How are we supposed to deal with her if we don't understand her dangerous ability?"
"I never mentioned that detail because I don't know in the slightest–she never told me or even hinted at it. In retrospect, I find it somewhat odd that I never paid attention to it or cared to ask. Regardless of that potential oversight of my younger self, it's clear that her curse pertains to cloning. As for its exact limitations…even I struggle to fathom."
Zateon rubs his forehead, creasing it in a vain attempt to "massage" his brain to no avail. Seeing this, Emma softly rubs his back, giving her support.
"Master, if I may?"
"Go on, Emma. Any insight at all would suffice–especially coming from you."
"Thank you kindly. For the sake of time, I will keep this brief as reasonably as possible. During the time I was kidnapped by Klia, I noticed various organic samples in jars in her lab. Strands of hair and fur were the most common, but there were also samples of nail clippings, skin, and the like. I surmise that she uses these DNA samples to make clones of the original. Even though I was blinded, I could hear the sound of licking just before a clone was made."
"So that means the curse activation clause is licking DNA material to form exact clones. Somehow, she got a hold of both of your hair, hence your clones."
"Well as I observed, it does not necessarily has to be hair–"
"I'd rather not imagine what other sources she could've pulled from, so I'll focus on the majority you noted."
"That's understandable. I apologize for my lack of consideration there."
"Thank you for the insight, Emma. Now that we have an idea of how Klia's curse works, we need a method to counter it. Of course, the ideal situation would be my convincing her, but we must be absolutely prepared."
"Then in that case, may I share my hypothesis? When I was in captivity, I could occasionally hear Master Zateon's clone wince in pain from minor injuries. During those moments–whenever Klia was around–I heard her react similarly at the exact same time, or possibly an unnoticeable slight delay. Even after I shot my…that fake pretending to be me, I noticed a slight unsteadiness in her voice as though she were recovering from the same painful sensation."
"So in conclusion, Klia suffers the same pain that the clones she makes do; they are somehow linked."
"Precisely, master. I share that same conclusion."
"Then if that's true, all we have to do to dismantle Klia is destroy her clones. She'll be in so much pain, she will be forced to stop this chaos."
Interjecting his solution into Zateon and Emma's unified thoughts, Vex clenches his fists to emphasize his point without ambiguity. Displeased, Zateon shakes his head dismissively, as though he were a teacher reacting to his student's incorrect response.
"No no, that would be utterly foolish. The issue with that approach is that she can control the clones to behave exactly like the original, so it would be too risky to aimlessly injure them–let alone slaughter them. As long as we can't undoubtedly identify a clone, inflicting any harm upon them is out of the question, much to our inconvenience."
"The most straightforward method never works out…tch."
Vex, not being bothered to mask his annoyance, clicks his teeth and crosses his arms. Although annoyed, his demeanor is very different from anger. More so, like a student who strives to solve a complicated equation after several attempts.
But being the diligent man that he is, Vex continues.
"If her curse is even capable of copying the curse of the original person exactly, then that means that…"
Coming to a halt, Vex stops in place; his audience awaits in anticipation.
"Please continue, Vex. Master and I are eager to listen."
Even after getting the "approval" he seemingly sought after, Vex shakes his head. After all, perhaps the primary audience he had in mind was within himself.
"There's a chance that my curse could be her undoing–if I can get her to clone me, that is."
"Vex, that sounds incredibly risky! Giving her more ammunition against us can only backfire."
"Hold on, Emma–I want to consider this strategy. At this point, we must consider every avenue at our disposal. Tell us, how would your curse in particular counter Klia's?"
"In short, it should bring misfortune on her–thus causing her plan to backfire."
"How does that work? What are the details of your curse?"
"Even if I knew its exact mechanisms, why in hell would I ever explain it to you or anyone for that matter? Revealing your trump card is foolish, especially to people you can't even trust with your life."
"That's…reasonable. I won't press further, but I will leave that up to you if the opportunity arises. Now then, for the final piece to the puzzle we need before committing to action–Klia's location. Although I cannot be completely certain, I have a strong feeling that she is currently operating from my office within the temple. I think it would be best to look there first–at worst, she won't be there and we will be able to peacefully observe the city from my monitors. A great outcome nonetheless."
"Master, shall I transform again?"
"Oh no that won't be necessary at all."
A subtle sigh of relief escapes from Emma's mouth as Zateon withdraws a small button-shaped switch. He presses the button, causing a semi-translucent tube to come down from the ceiling in the center of the room.
"This chute leads directly to my headquarters…the 'refresh' room to be exact, but its colloquial name is irrelevant. It works like an elevator, so all you have to do is…never mind, I'll just demonstrate. That'll make it easier for all of us."
Once he clears his pathway by spreading his hands, Zateon approaches the chute, pointing at a glowing button. It is the only button, and given its size, it would be impossible for anyone with sight to miss.
"First press this button firmly–only one press will work. That detail is crucial since unlike conventional elevators, this chute is designed to move one person at a time. I'm not cruel as to make any of you go first, so it's up to you to follow after me. Assuming that Klia is there, I'll try talking to her alone, but remain hidden away on standby. "
"Yes master, I will ensure Vex and I are in position."
"Excellent as always, Emma. Vex, I'd advise you to follow Emma's lead–she will receive my signals directly. We must do everything in our power to end this fiasco reasonably."
"All of us have to work together to clean your mess; I got it already, I'll do my part."
To the sound of a ringing bell, Zateon bites his tongue and fully faces towards the elevator–and for good reason. The door of the chute began to slowly open.
"Ah, finally. Last time I checked, it did not take this long for the door to open; I might need to get repairs on the mechanism. No matter, at least it's still–"
"--Compress."
The second the doors opened wide enough, about halfway, a limb darted outward, making direct contact with Zateon's chest.
"?!!"
Before anyone could react, a round projectile jetted forward, right into Emma's open mouth. Immediately, her body's gag reflex shot the projectile back in the direction it came from. Due to its greatly reduced momentum, the object shortly falls to the ground and rolls its way towards the elevator chute.
The object's true form could be identified: a softly glowing orb.
__________________________________________________________________
An endless void of darkness envelops its complete opposite element within itself–a bright young girl. Though even she must succumb to its overwhelming presence and thus, sits with her legs folded and a look of dissatisfaction.
...oooooh, Lily can't take this anymore! It's way too quiet and empty and boring! I can't see anything around me–it's too dark…is this Lily's dream? This is one of the lamest dreams ever! Why is Lily stuck here?!...
…
I'm all alone…this…this isn't what Lily wanted…not at all.
Even though this is Lily's dream…I'd still like to see…
!
If I'm dreaming right now, then that means I'm sleeping! If I wake up, I can be with Vex again!
But why won't I wake up? Nothing is working…
…
But I don't remember feeling sleepy–how did Lily fall asleep? No matter how hard Lily tries, I can't remember anything.
No…the last thing Lily remembered was…was…
"Your recent encounter with Vex, correct?"
?!
Where did this light come from?! It startled me! It's so close to Lily's face!...
Hey, Lily recognizes this!
"That bright light and voice, and copycat of Lily–Miss Goddess?!"
"Yes, it is I, my child. I have taken this form to speak with you about something important."
"Something important?...I don't want to think about that anymore…"
"Think about…?"
"He still avoided me. Even after everything Lily has done to become redeemed, he still would not embrace me. Is…is there still something wrong with me?"
"Lily, please look directly at me–do not sulk. You have nothing to be ashamed of–if there were anything of the sort, I would correct it."
"There's no point–even if it's true that Lily's okay, if Vex doesn't think so, then…"
…
"Have you ever considered the matter from his perspective? Have you tried to understand why he would set certain boundaries?"
"Lily doesn't know…mother didn't teach me about that. I'm sorry for what I did–really sorry. I thought he'd forgive me after Apostle Zateon redeemed me, but…"
"Tell me, how long have you and Vex been together as partners?"
"Um…for several weeks?"
"Do you know everything about him?"
"Hardly anything, no."
"Does he know everything about you?"
"Lily hasn't told him everything, Lily doesn't know much anyway…is that a bad thing?"
"Not at all, it is to be expected. Both of you are still strangers to each other; you cannot expect to understand everything or get along with acquainted friends so soon. Building such a relationship takes time, so if you want to build that trust, you must show respect to him as he does to you. Eventually, even someone like him is bound to open up, but you must be patient. You two still have a long journey ahead–use your words to communicate, and just as important, listen to him. You are still just a young girl, Lily, so it is expected that you will make mistakes–and that's okay. Just remember to try your best no matter what. Can you promise me that?"
"Lily promises to try her best."
"That makes me happy to hear. With that in mind, now is the perfect time to put your promise into action; the next crystal is near."
"A crystal?! Where?"
"I understand your eagerness, but please listen carefully to my instructions. This time, this particular crystal is in possession of a vengeful person–none of you will be able to take it from her outright, nor do I want you to attempt to do so."
"So what should Lily do?"
"You must promise not to tell a soul the instructions and information I have for you. All will be revealed in due time, it's imperative that you obey this."
"Okay, I promise!"
"Very well, draw your ear close to me…"