As Levi finished saying hello, Faylorna created another table and chairs. A sharp gesture made it clear there was no escaping the uncomfortable topics waiting to be revealed.
As Klaire and Carl sat down, the combined auras of Lillim, Kyubi and Faylorna exploded and lined the hall in a thick barrier.
When the air was filled with nothing but tense silence Lillim clocked her tongue. "I guess it's up to me to rip the scab off."
"Do you mean rip the plaster of?" Carl asked trying to lighten the mood.
"No dear, that's what you do when the healing is finished. Ripping scabs off only leads to blood and scars."
"Lillim, when you said about their child being taken if and whe-"
"Yes, I was serious... Why don't I bullet point the nastiness first?"
"That might be best, we need to know if we're leaving or not." Klaire spoke numbly, clearly not entertaining the idea.
"First, Carl, sorry I can't go into details, but you might not be entirely human. There is a small chance you may actually be Nergal's nephew.
Secondly, your potential mother complicates things dramatically. She was not only incredibly skilled with creation and beasts like you, so much so you might be the product of that skill, but she was also married to him.
Thirdly, Tiamat getting Carl to reveal his aura may not have gone unnoticed and although Nergal contained it we cannot assume he succeeded completely.
Lastly, the game will likely begin when Carl gets his first star, which we have no choice but to push for. It seems your new member Sophie was a trigger of sorts, though it is our fault for leaving you unattended."
"What do you mean Nergal might be my uncle and I'm sorry but did you say he might be my dad or am I just reading too much into it?"
"What's this about Tiamat and aura and the game starting because of Sophie. Most importantly, how the hell does this have anything to do with us having a child? What gives anyone the right to take them from us?"
"Maybe we should go back and start at the beginning?" Danielle said as she tried to subtly move to Klaire's side.
"Fine. Unfortunately there is no chance he isn't watching the memories anymore, so our initiation is over already and we will have to do it the long way."
[ SYSTEM SUB-ROUTINE INITIALISING ]
[ PLEASE REMAIN SEATED, PLEASE DO NOT RESIST ]
"What's this? Everyone, do as it says, we can't stop it anyway." Lillim grumbled as she sat back and relaxed.
[ RESISTANCE WILL CAUSE UNNECESSARY STRESS ]
[ SUB-ROUTINE "SYSTEM OVERRIDE" WILL BEGIN IN TEN SECONDS ]
Everyone else looked at each other briefly then followed Lillim's lead, though Klaire took Carl's hand as they did so.
[ ONLY USERS IN NEO PRIMORDIA'S VICINITY WILL BE SHOWN ]
[ "SYSTEM OVERRIDE" ENGAGING... ]
The world became drowned in pure white, then a figure materialised...
A woman who stood tall and proud, her simple white robes, held in place by a lion-head broach, only accentuated the olive tinge to her skin and contrasted the jet-black hair that draped over her shoulders.
"Apologies I couldn't bring you here together, my masterpiece, his allies and I hope friends and loved ones.
I am unable to see into my future, I can only assume I died, but have no further information on that subject.
My name is Ishtar, wife to the man who built the system I am using to project this message.
This was never the plan, you were stolen from me after it's implementation. It seems the guardian of time, Mobius, was corrupted along with all those elected to play the villains in my husbands game. He sent my masterpiece into a maelstrom of time, I don't even know if you are alive and I could be recording this out of grief alone.
I have lost everything, I will be leaving soon to try and bring this to a close in the futile hope I can prevent you needing to endure the suffering our mistake will undoubtedly cause. I wish I knew who to trust, who I could give the absolute truth to, but I can't even leave the whole story here in case he finds it.
If you do live to see this. I need you to know several things, most important of which is I have given you a unique build, you are destined to be what we had always hoped humanity would become. The Neo Deus, the one that makes us ancient fools pay for our mistake.
You have many questions I'm sure, but my husband's eyes see much and I'm sure those who can answer, refuse to. That is because Margo, cannot be spoken of lightly, but I have devised a way to make it possible.
You will need three things; one hundred thousand DIV, at least one star and something divine in nature you are willing to sacrifice. As for the last thing, do not worry, I'm not suggesting you need to kill anyone. I mean you need a divine tool, Mobius' hourglass, Pandora's box, any tool that has been in divine hands since before the realm gates first exposed humanity to the horrors beyond.
Unfortunately no one else is able to produce it, the divinity you produce is unique, compounding with your mortal vitality in a way that causes a paradox that beings like us can't perceive.
Synthesising a vast amount of it, with a divine tool that is bound to reality and the knowledge that will be granted at the first stage of enlightenment will make it possible to extend the paradox over everything you own.
Unfortunately it will only shield what you own, not yourself, but you will be hidden from view on any world you own.
If you have any immortal allies, they will know several such tools, unfortunately Mobius disposed of his hourglass and pandora, whilst unable to part from the box, is engaged with Cronus and should not be approached lightly
One last thing, your build will grow with you, the system it uses is not like the others which were based on Margo. The one you have will become more effective and eventually grow into an independent being that will be fully interactive.
I also hoped you would find someone you love, someone who can protect you from your idiocy the way I couldn't for my husband, when you find that person my system will overwrite theirs.
If you are here already, thank you and I beg you please, do better than me and protect the one you love...
The woman disappeared, then the white light returned and faded, allowing the normal world to return.
Klaire immediately squeezed Carl's hand.
"Leave it to her... Telling us so much and absolutely nothing at the same time." Lillim ranted. "Need I explain that that was the woman we believe may be your mother? Or did the vague phrasing and talk of Klaire doing better than her make it clear enough?"
"I for one certainly see the resemblance in that regard." Klaire muttered to the nods of everyone. "Still though, at least she told us their is a way we can talk more freely."
"Ha!" Lillim laughed sarcastically. "An untested way, neither of them were known for their creations coming out as intended. I'm almost certain she would find Carl's temperament just as exhausting as us."
"On the other hand, we now don't have to worry about Klaire, that is a true relief." Kyubi sighed as she bounced Kitsunoko on her knee.
"Worried about me?"
"We were concerned. We thought the only one who could alter the system, was its creator, we were waiting for you to betray us under his influence and were relying on the Howling to change that." She explained.
"Now to answer your other questions." Faylorna spoke with the sole purpose of getting things finished.
"Yes, we will draw attention if this stays up much longer... On the matter of Aura, it is something that anyone with a plus possesses. Unfortunately, proper control is impossible without a star and because she was curious, Tiamat encouraged Carl to release his. The issue is that it is supposes to be almost non-existent until one has at least a star and Carl's was able to not only fully encompass Lugaria, but almost made two gods succumb to it."
"Sorry, I'm missing something clearly." Klaire said, feeling like a student who had just zoned out in class.
"If word spreads dear, some might see that as a threat and refuse to meet with him. Few immortals will actually ally themselves with someone they haven't looked in the eye. Luckily, Nergal covered the world in his, not only to shield it from sight but also to liberate the Lugarians who had become enthralled by Carl's aura."
"Enthralled?"
"It seems that because he has no control over it, it was infused with his titles effects and made everyone touched by it fall for him and idolise him." Faylorna said with a glance at Klaire.
"Don't even start, if I was under his auras effects then surely I would have been released when everyone else flexed theirs near me."
"It would have, we were simply worried the news might make you doubt your own heart." Faylorna nodded with approval at her descendant's perceptiveness.
"As for your friend Sophie, she is a half-vampire, their most powerful entity is actually a creature that Samael created in the same way Nergal created Faylorna. Once a human, his rebirth gave him access to powers that rivaled mine at the time and he kept up with my growth.
He is also one that we know to be an elected villain in the game, all those under his power joined him in hibernation, but if word reaches him that a half-vampire is with the designated main character.... The game will begin in earnest."
"Klaire, I'm sorry, I didn't kn-"
"Carl, shut up. You don't need to apologise, none of us knew, all because the ones that do can't tell us. Besides, I have a feeling I know why you took her in, I remember her telling some girls her family were pure-blood supremacists..."
"Yeah, they abused her, told her she was filthy. They even left her in the sun until the sun-sickness caused seizures... I don't know if I have it in me to ignore stuff like that..."
"Don't worry love, you done very well considering you were already at the end of your rope because of me."
"Yes, yes, super-gooey, lovey-dovey... Children pleas, He is not one to be underestimated, luckily his "Sire" ability, which allows him to control any vampiric entity might not reach her since she is so diluted. Also, the contract will count him exerting that control as her betrayal and activate the stipulated punishment you definitely weren't stupid enough to forgo in my absence."
"I made sure to include it. "Any action voluntary or otherwise, which endangers the faction, its land, its allies." Just as you wrote and drilled into our heads." Carl said, reciting the clause in question.
"Perfect, maybe Klaire didn't run off with your entire brain after all. As for the most important point, it is not a cruelty, but necessity." Lillim's words made Klaire's mood and demeanour shift immediately, as if she couldn't believe they were still playing some horrible joke.
"What do you mean "necessity". how is it necessary to take our child from us!?"
"Well for starters you are grossly ill-equipped to raise i-" Lillim was interrupted by a starlight arrow which would have pierced her forehead if Faylorna hadn't waved it out of existence. "You are a human dear, albeit half-banshee, you are not equipped to raise a divine child. By my estimate, I would say the child would need to absorb roughly four-million units of DIV a year to survive."
"What do you mean divine child? What do you mean absorb?"
"If Carl is truly the son of those two, then all his mother did was hide his race in the system she created or changed his race to human whilst he was in utero. If he was a creation, we have no idea... Regardless, a divine parent would usually be nourished with the limitless energy of their parents or the surrounding world."
The news was too much for Klaire, she wasn't particularly wanting children immediately. She wasn't stupid enough to think it was a good time for child rearing but knowing that if she did find herself pregnant, then her choices would be either seeing it taken away or die from malnourishment, scared her more than she knew how to express.
"Klaire, listen. It isn't like you will be banned from seeing them. Unfortunately, the only ones capable of raising your child in that situation reside in realms you cannot remain in without dying yourself." Kyubi spoke with maternal understanding.
"Yes Klaire, think of it like your time at SATS. I had to let you go to see you grow." Danielle said, trying to empathise with her situation, but also knowing it wasn't the same.
"Klaire, I'm sorry..." Carl finally spoke, defeated. They had just as good as told them it was his fault, that if she had been with anyone else it would have been fine.
"Why are you all trying to push us to have a child if it's going to be taken away from us? You've all mentioned it several times..."
"Do you want us to lie, or would you rather hate us?"
"I'm sorry, I already hate you all, if you had stopped this back in that meeting we wouldn't be here."
"Carl definitely wouldn't be... I can go back and try to kill him if you wish, the three of us could go help Cronus and then have him chuck us back in time. It might stop Carl from ever being born or made." Lillim shrugged, her spitefulness revealing how hurtful she found the statement as her gaze made Klaire realise the state Carl quickly descending into.
Carl was gone before she could turn, the portal he had opened closing as she finally did and Klaire sank to her seat sobbing. "I didn't mean it li-"
"It doesn't matter how you meant it. It's what you said." Lillim snapped. "Did you even hear him apologise for it a moment ago? Did you even think how much more he's processing? You banshee and your single-mindedness..."
"Lillim, do you know where he went?"
"No... I doubt he has gone anywhere easily followed, all we can do is wait."
"Klaire, tell Lydia to let us know if she sees him with that message system, I'll contact Leanna, someone should go to Alisha's in case he turns up there."
"Faylorna, you go... She is a half-banshee and she may be able to teach you something we haven't learned yet.