Xibalba

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

Oh, was that all. He let out a little yawn and gave the lich a casual wave. "Sure, sure. That's fine by me." Joseph didn't mind a little busywork. He might even find something to unearth over there! But all the things he had in his lab today were just so much more interesting! All of the runoff could be put to proper use here anyways.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Zeke

He was grinning ear to ear, all happy and pumped.

Then he heard Joseph yawn. And so he practically froze in place.

"Y-yeah. Um, whatever."

He pouted though. A lot. "Kids these days... no sense of flair... hmph."

[Aiden]

Serana

"Excellent." Whether she was referring to Zeke's crushed spirit, or to his earlier enthusiasm and Joseph's acquiescence, she did not specify. "It pleases me to have your cooperation, gentlemen. I shall leave the timing and method of devastation to You."

She reached out to tap him twice on the chest, and then moved past them both, heels clicking as her hips sway in time with her steps.

"Now then, I have marching orders to give to those heralds I mentioned." She looked back over her shoulder, past her long butt-length hair. "Do be dears and keep me in the loop regarding when your tasks are complete."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

"So, how did the eye work for you?" With a leisurely little stroll Joseph moved over to one of the many pits in the ground. But this one was slightly different. Where the others were chimeras or half formed, the beings in this pit where almost done. They didn't have beards yet and they had both eyes yet... this was undoubtedly the same warrior that had given Zeke so much trouble before. Younger, definitely, but the structure of the face and body shape did not lie. There was only one major difference visible right now. When they all opened their eyes, they gleamed with the same golden irises as his own.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Zeke

"Pretty well actually. Ill probably be able to avoid any strain now that this body is fully assimilated though."

He shrugged, and tapped his foot around before... Plucking one of his eyes out. What came out of his socket were multiple screens of light, showing those he encountered.

Among them, the beastkin, dark angel and flame elemental stood out the most.

But suddenly, a single raven haired girl appeared on the hologram.

"These three are quite the pests, but better yet, one of the district lords seems to have a god like perception. She was able to ascertain my nature, something even I could not until now. I think pulling the rug under her might be too difficult."

Despite the serious subject matter, he was describing all this in detail... Like a holiday beach venture. Their whole fight was displayed, including data analyzed by his organisms.

"I suggest we capture and sample her eyes to merge them with their genetic code. Oh, but leave the squirrel and angel to me. They have something... Something that belonged to a dear friend of mine."

He mentioned that casually. Like it was nothing.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

"I didn't think you had friends!" There was almost a note of surprise in his voice, as if hearing that a dog had gotten along with a starving lion. "Does it really matter that much to you though? I'm sure you can always find another one. Or grow them."

He stared down at the pit again, wondering exactly how to bring out that energy he had seen before. There were already improvements made to the body, basic ones but nonetheless effective. Perhaps he needed to go deeper.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Zeke

He smiled kindly and shook his head. "Ah, I never said it was an irreplaceable friend. It's just... well, call it an old man's sentimentality. I'm a nostalgic fool at heart."

He looked down for a bit, and the light in his eyes turned dimmer... harder to read. He walked back and forth a bit and finally... sighed. His back turned from Joseph, it was impossible to tell what kind of face he was making. Only his ever casual tone was an indicator and an ever unreliable one.

"Oh, fine. I'm not fooling anyone, am I? It's more complicated than that. Say, you've heard the legends, right? That it was angels who came down from heaven to teach humans how to use fire, right?"

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

There was a mildly irritated look on the boy's face for a moment, as if he had smelled something rotten. "Something like that, maybe. I didn't hear anything about them bringing down fire. That's a bit too simple for what they are. Or were."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Ezekiel

Zeke grinned cheekily like he was remembering a jolly good time bit by bit.

"Ahh, well that's just a story. You know, people make up all sorts of nonsense when they're backed against the wall. Swords? Dragons? Magic? No, no, no. It's legends that stoke up the masses. And what better story than an all-knowing, almighty benevolent God? I say, an idea as ridiculous as that is something only a human could come up with."

He twirled and laid against one of the large incubators, arms behind his back, and just laid against it like it was a wall. Relaxed as ever... his eyes gleamed.

"And yet, there's truth in these fantasies. Soooo... what came first? The chicken? The egg? Does it even matter?" He smacked his palm with his fist.  "Ah, of course, it doesn't. That's why faith is so powerful. It can make even the wisest man lose wisdom, and the most foolish be hailed as wise. More importantly, if enough people believe one thing, that belief will unconditionally become truth. That's what I was interested in, the power of faith. To turn something that cannot be into something that is. And that's when I saw it."

His eyes twirled, colors that shouldn't be started shimmering in his gaze. Madness. Pure, and utter madness. Anyone who heard such ramblings would have deigned him a true lunatic. And yet, there was no deceit, no doubt. He had complete and utter faith in itself.

"Did you know? Ezekiel is Hebrew, meaning "God will strengthen." It was so long ago... but I swear I can still see it. It was when my world died. On that day, I saw it. I... heard its message. There was no love in it, no eternal compassion. All I saw was a power beyond comprehension... and the infinite of the abyss. Humans created God, and yet God created humans. But before that, before all of it... there was nothing. Just an eternal void. From that void, one can create anything, become anything. So why are we all limited? Why can we only paint this canvas with so few colors?"

He wrapped his arm around Joseph's back, grinning slyly.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

"Your conclusion is faulty." It wasn't that Joseph was especially interested in faith-based dynamics. It just didn't match up to his perspective at all. "You're working from a human centric perspective, so the evidence of human legends is the the foundation for the creation of a God. But there are things that were here before man. Their memories are different. The way they perceive the world is different. God lies outside of man's domain."

It seemed like he was going to keep going but his tongue fell out of his mouth. The muscles disconnected with the scent of rot as the blackened organ hit the ground. He mouthed an "oh" sound before repairing the damage, but that put a stop to that. "Sorry sorry, don't know what came over me! Go on."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Zeke

He blinked wide-eyed. He patted Joseph on the back comfortingly, almost as if trying to ease the pain. He even knelt so they'd be on even ground... or almost even. He was still massive compared to Joseph.

"Don't be sorry. I care about your insight and opinion. Only a stubborn fool would close his ears to wisdom." He smiled genuinely. It was truly strange, there was no hint of mystery or deceit. Zeke did not lie, to begin with, only twist a convenience. But at this moment, his heart was true, and he was silent for a bit.

Almost like for a moment, he was scared Joseph could have died there.

"You seem to.... dislike the idea of God. No, maybe it's not dislike... would hate be a strong word here?" He asked him, casual as ever.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

There was a contemplative look as his face scrunched up a bit. By the time he opened his mouth again he had a fresh new tongue. "No, not really. The thing that gave me this curse could be anything. The what doesn't matter." Bitterness began to creep into his voice.

"Being punished for something you can't remember, for something so long ago no one could remember, and to be like that forever. Fixing that is more important than whatever caused it. That can't be helped."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Zeke

"Ho. I see."

He nodded and smiled as if he understood. How could he not? They truly were so similar. Their only difference was one of degrees...

"You say could, so we're not even sure it's not a divine being. Honestly... that's pretty lucky. Relax kiddo, this might be a good day for you after all. Didn't I promise? I'll save you, no matter what, your cute tiny hands will reach that dream of yours."

He tapped his back lightly and hoisted the kid on his shoulder.

"It's a gamble, but hey, worked fine for me, might do something for you. See, that quote on quote God or whatnot... I wouldn't say it's exactly the same one humans look up to. It's probably not the same MVP hotshot one other creatures preach to either. It's weird, but I really have no way to describe it. Like trying to visualize a color you've never seen. All I wanted was to see that color... being stuck in canvas or in darkness became just as mindnumbing. And trust me, there's no worse poison than tedium."

Smiling, he ascended the stairs of the laboratory and exited. Walking still, he just kept marching to the horizon.


4:45 AM

By now they had reached the outskirts of Xilbaba

"Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I wasn't. But just because I saw a prophecy doesn't mean I should sit idly." He raised a finger up to the heavens and pouted.  "No no no! You should always do everything you can! So I salvaged what little scraps were left in the dark and searched for remnants of the gods. It took me years just to gain the capacity to move freely in that prison. And that's when I found it.... an angel. A true, veritable angel. Not conscious, nor alive, nor dead. It's as if God itself smiled and granted me a fortune. I could study it as much as I wished. It was my key to freedom... at least at the time."

His tone was that of a patient teacher, happy as one could be to share his knowledge. It's as if he had not a care in the world. No, he truly didn't.

"I mean, imagine. Foreign energy that ties all of us together. AN invisible connection that transcends space, time, even the heavens. A system that binds us all and controls us. But what if you could use these bonds to travel? What if you use that power in order to communicate outside spacetime, and gain access to the power of any history or possibility? These PATHS... remember that island earlier today? That was one of the first prototypes of that theory. All thanks to the visions and faith given to me... like a good fortune cookie winning me a lottery!"

He stepped over each blocky asphalt block like it was a giant game to him, hopping on one leg and making all sorts of crazy pirouettes... all with Joseph above him.

"Light, darkness, magic, power, belief... all of that shit's overrated. There's only one thing that matters in this world. It's the bonds between one another. Every deed, good or bad, sends ripples that can change history and overturn fate itself. But manipulating said bonds... you could become a transient being like me... or even gain a body that would never feel pain or suffering. And maaaybe there's a relic out there that miiiight just be one of those prototypes that mimicked said angels. And maaaaaaybe it'd be super useful to our plans. And maaaaaaaybe it'd be really worth a shot. But maybe, just maybe. Not making any promises, tut tut."

He glanced up at Joseph.

"So how about it? Wanna try?"

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

Bonds? Bonds. Bonds... These things that connect people together. Joseph knew that it was certainly the kind of thing that could cause miracles, paths or no paths. He remembered it almost clearly. A hole in his memory that just barely managed to fill up.

Cartaphilus, let's live on. Together.

Then he shook his head with a small smile on his face. "Nope. I don't think I will. That kind of power doesn't really work for me. I don't really think about other people after all!"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Ezekiel

"Oh really? How strange." He cooed, that mad swirl ever present and sucking the life out of the sun shining on them.

"I can tell, you know? There is a strong bond emanating from you. A connection. Well, don't worry. I won't pry."

And so he forgot about it, and moved on like a cat passing by a tasty morsel to catch a juicier one.

"Bonds, miracles, power, God... They are just tools. Don't doubt a friend. I can assure you, that relic will be very interesting for you. It might just be your ticket to freedom, boy. And mine."