“Yep, yep, understood. I am fully awake,” he muttered, willing the System to stop.
After a few more seconds, the System timer finally stopped.
(Oh, welcome back from your slumber. You were so deeply asleep that I couldn’t even bring you to talk to me in person. It was a bit lonely for eight hours.)
Eight? But it’s only been four… Wait. Did it seriously use Dungeon Time instead of actual time?
(I mean, you would’ve only slept for two hours then, and I’m sure that you shouldn’t be sleeping for that little time.)
Huh… so you perceived it as eight hours because I wasn’t actively awake? That… makes some sense.
(Mhm. I can’t really do anything while you’re asleep… unless you’re in active danger, then I’d do something.)
Bennett groaned, getting ready to sit up until he saw the tentacles wrapped gently around his arms and even on top of his head. He looked up to see Luna, eyes closed, though she wasn’t asleep. More like meditating.
Man, I really should get Meditation and Multi-strike, Bennett thought. But I can’t exactly buy the skill scrolls here, can I… but we might be able to find them in a chest or something.
(Could be fun. Who knows what things you could do with Multi-strike… though, I’d rather you not try it with Blood Break active.)
Yeah, that sounds like a bad idea.
Bennett slowly sat up, unraveling Luna’s tentacles from his arms and neck as she sat there in silence. He then realized that he’d been laying on Luna’s lap, stopping for a moment to process that. Then he looked down at his sister, who was still dead asleep, curled up against his side, one of her legs going between his. He readjusted her so he could sit up comfortably and decided to look at his Status.
___
Status
Name : Bennett “Yasmine”
Race : Human (Godling - 2nd Generation) (80%) - ??? (20%) (Time Remaining : 7 Hours)
Class : Blood Reaper
HP : 100% | MP : 100%
Level : 13 | EXP : 31% (196 / 632 EXP)
Soul Bond : Luna (19%)
Alignment : Lightning / Blood
Weapon : Maya
Stats
Strength - 29 | Effectiveness - 150%
Endurance - 38 | Effectiveness - 150%
Vitality - 38 | Effectiveness - 150%
Dexterity - 29
Mind - 15
Intelligence - 15
Unaligned Stats : 0
Skills
Scan - Level 3, Flicker - Level 4, Knife Fighting - Level 3, Sword Fighting - Level 1, Lightning Strike - Level 4, Rapid Reconstruction - Level 6, Bloodbolt - Level 5, Hitch-hiker - Level 4, Blood Dash - Level 4, Bolt (Spell) - Level 1, Scythe Mastery (Limited) - Level 7, Blood Spike - Level 5, Blood Manipulation - Level 6
Bonuses
Blood Damage Increase - 229% (Maya - 100%, Skills - 54%, Class - 75%)
Bleeding Damage Increase - 238% (Maya - 100%, Skills - 58%, Class - 75%)
Lightning Damage Reduction - 30% (Skill - 30%)
Scythe Damage Increase - 210% (Skill - 210%)
Opponent Blood Flow Increase - 35% (When wielding Scythe or Maya : Skill - 35%)
Movement Speed Increase - 70% (When wielding Scythe or Maya : Skill - 70%)
Blood Production Increase : 620% (Maya - 160%, Skill - 360%, Class - 100%)
Universal Damage Bonus - 50% (Bond - 50%)
Skill Effectiveness Increase - 50% (Bond - 50%)
Blood Skill Effectiveness Increase - 30% (Class - 30%)
Coagulate Chance - 36% (Skill - 36%)
Bleed Chance - 50% + 25% (Maya - 40%, Class - 10% + Blood Claw - 25%)
___
He looked at his timer nervously, unsure how to feel about it. His bonuses were quite large, but he knew that those were basically it. He got some of his bonuses from active Skills, most notably being Blood Break, but most were just static. His sister, however, didn’t look so impressive on paper, but she got most of her bonuses from Skills… and it was a lot of bonuses. Her most powerful skill was definitely Hellfire Chain Burst, by a long shot, and her Seven Circles of Hellfire didn’t make it any better, with her being able to decrease Hellfire Resistance…
Bennett shook his head rapidly before looking at Juli, who was wide awake and apparently reading something.
“You have books?”
She looked at him in minor surprise. “Yes, I do. Is there a problem with that?”
“... No, I was just curious.”
They were both quiet for a time until she let out a huff.
“Look. We got off on the wrong footing, I know that. To be fair, I haven’t had any interaction with people for years, until I found out about this school and did this… Exam. To be honest, I prefer adventuring over this… sadist country. But I just want-”
Bennett interrupted, “What you’re trying to say is that you want to get along, even though we started out a bit rough. I can understand that.”
Juli nodded, looking into space. “That. There’s only one thing I want, but I don’t think I’ll ever get it. However… I think having friends could be something to keep me anchored to reality, at least for a little bit longer.”
She then looked at him for a long few moments, her lifeless green eyes staring into him. “However, there’s something I want you to promise me, just in case.”
Bennett frowned. “Sure, I guess it can’t hurt.”
Juli looked away, taking a deep breath. “If… if I am ever to go… ‘off the rails’, as some would say, I want you to stop me, even kill me if you have to.”
She immediately shut down his protests before he could form a word. “Look,” she started. “I’m… not from this world… or System, and it’s taking a huge toll on me. I don’t know how I haven’t gone insane yet, but I know I will eventually. And if that happens… I have the ability to kill or enslave anyone, even people like you. I don’t want that to happen. My mind is slowly being eroded after being alone in the darkness for… so long. Every night, I look in the mirror and see those lifeless eyes, unable to recognise myself.
“I used to have a brother and twin sister, you know. They… didn’t look anything like me, but I loved them. I… probably can’t see them again. They’re so far away that even if I tried, I’d be long dead before I even made it a fifth of the way, it’s just that far…”
Bennett was unsure of how to respond, but nodded. “I… don’t really understand, but I couldn’t bear to be so far away from Yelena without ever being able to see her again. It’d eat me up from the inside. I can’t understand how you feel, but I’m sorry for your loss-”
Juli interrupted him with a huff. “You know, I see why people like you so much. You’re just way too nice for your own good.”
(That’s what I said,) Maya agreed.
Shush, you. She’s actually talking for once, so don’t ruin it, Bennett told her.
He could feel agreement from her and he was surprised when she stopped talking. He then said, “Maybe I am, and maybe it’ll be my downfall, but I want to try to be nice to others, even if a lot of them piss me off.”
“Uh huh. You do seem to be very tolerant of people… though allowing someone to nearly kill you twice is a bit much to forgive for.”
Before Bennett could respond, Bennett felt Luna stir, and looked over as she looked around in confusion. Her eyes landed on his and she stared for a moment before letting out a small sigh.
“Welcome back to the world, Luna,” Bennett said, looking down at her.
She blinked at his words before shaking her hand out as if they were cold, then leaning against him. He could feel determination radiating off of her, yet he was unsure of what she was so determined to do. He shrugged before looking at Juli, who was reading her book again, ignoring the rest of them.
Sure, I guess.
(...)
I can hear when you are thinking nothing. I don’t even know what that means though… Anyways, what’s up?
(...Am I allowed to talk now?) Maya asked, mentally poking him.
***
Luna could feel Bennett seemingly talking to himself, as well as hear him muttering under his breath in cut up sentences.
“That’s completely stupid… seriously? No, I’m not…”
She assumed he was talking to Maya, who apparently was able to speak in his mind. However, the voice in her own mind was silent, which made her slightly envious, though…
Actually, nevermind. I’m not envious at all. I’m happy I don’t have to listen to her talk. Can’t wait until she goes back to sleep.
Eventually, after another in-Dungeon hour, Yelena woke up, berating her brother for not waking her until he suddenly pulled out food from his bag, which he’d put in there at some point. It was even still hot, which was completely surprising to Luna. She’d known the Dimensional Bags were useful, but useful enough to keep food warm for such a long while?
I went with Juli to clear out some higher Level monsters so those two wouldn’t get interrupted not to long ago, so maybe I could go sell some materials… Though, if I translate that to Bennett, and I’d have to endure him finally asking what Level I am… though I literally don’t even have Stats. It’s somewhat frustrating.
For the first time in a while, she pulled up her Status.
___
Status
Name : Cthulhu (Luna “Yasmine”)
Race : Ancient Goddess (Seaborn - Zenith)
Class : Ancient Goddess (Will of the Sea)
HP : 100% (2.5%/s) | MP : 100% (5%/s)
Soul Bond - Bennett “Yasmine” (22%)
Alignment - Ocean
Stats
Error! Cannot calculate Stats!
Skills
Scan - Level MAX, Water Manipulation - Level MAX, Water Creation - Level MAX, Storm Summoning - Level MAX, Blades of the God of the Sea - RESTRICTED, Call of the Ocean - Level MAX, Mental Communication - RESTRICTED, Primal Form - RESTRICTED, Blessing of the Sea - Bound to Bennett “Yasmine”, Overheal - Level MAX, Watery Ode - Level MAX, Song of the Sea - Level MAX, Water Duplicate - RESTRICTED, Droplet - Level MAX, Revitalize - Level MAX, Heal - Level MAX
Bonuses
Undefined - Undefined
___
Hey! I used to have bonuses there! What happened to them?!
___
System Automated Message
Due To Special Circumstances, your Bonuses are no longer able to be calculated.
Message End
___
… What? That’s dumb.
She forced herself to not let Bennett feel her frustration. Anyhow, I wonder what’ll happen when we get to 100% Bond. Will there be some cool new Skill? Or maybe it’s incremental, and we get something every X amount of percent? Something to look forward to, as this is something I’ve never experienced…
(You have an hour left, “Luna,”) Cthulhu stated in an emotionless tone. (Not that it’ll matter in the end. You’ve been conscious for not even a month yet, and you think you can challenge me? Hmph.)
As Cthulhu pulled away, leaving Luna in confusion. Did she just “hmph” me? The disrespect-
“-na? Are you still in this realm of existence?” she heard Benentt’s voice call as his hand waved in front of her face.
She blinked before looking at him. He let out a sigh, shaking his head as Yelena seemed to be enjoying her own food.
“Oh, welcome back, oh great and small Luna,” Yelena said, mouth full of food. “Bennett has been waving his hand out in front of you for a straight minute now. Are you really that comfortable there?”
Luna realized she was still leaning against Bennett and straightened, feeling her face slowly grow red as she looked away from Yelena, trying not to pout and failing. Damn this child's body, though it’s not, yet is… or whatever.
Cthulhu, with her infinite wisdom, or just to make Luna more embarrassed, continued, (I mean, you could technically mother eggs in this tiny body. It’s a completely sexually mature body, just small.)
BANISH THYSELF!
Cthulhu immediately was silenced as Luna’s face grew more red. She then grabbed the sandwich Bennett was holding out to her and bit down on it. He looked pleased before grabbing his own sandwich.
Thirty minutes later, Luna was sitting around a bit nervously as the four of them sat in a circle, apparently getting ready for a meeting.
Juli started off, looking a bit miffed. “So… It’s safe to say I’ve been down here the longest by a large margin… two days before you two were, according to the time dilation. I’ve been able to sneak past the floor boss twice, and yes, there are multiple floors. This Floor has Abyss Beasts that are Levels 20 - 25, with a few lower Levels and a floor Boss that’s Level 28… and I think there’s 3 Floors. The second floor, from what I was able to see, was Levels 25-30… and I’ll assume the floor Boss is Level 33, based on what I’m seeing.”
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
“Oh man,” Bennett grumbled. “What in the world are we supposed to do? There’s only ten days left… 5 days for us. That’s… a floor every other day. And there could be a fourth floor for all we know. If we don’t do one of the fastest Dungeon Clears ever…”
“It’ll Break, and possibly cause a multi day clean up, along with a lot of dead students-” Yelena finished, but was interrupted.
“No,” Juli muttered. “It’s not going to be a multi-day clean up. It would be a disaster this world will never recover from. These things… can Level up by eating people… a lot. If they eat someone who’s Level 50… they’ll become a Level 50. But… the more they eat, the stronger they get, to the point where, once in the distant, distant past, before even the System, the Universe’s most powerful God struggled to keep it contained.”
Bennett and Yelena looked at her in horror, while Luna shrank against Bennett’s side.
“,.. Can you tell us more about this God?” Bennett mumbled… “Just because… I’m curious. Who knows if we’ll have to take from them.”
Yelena nodded, looking a bit pale. Juli seemed conflicted, but nodded. “Hopefully the System here won’t strike us down just for speaking about it.
“To start, I’m not exaggerating when I say she was the most powerful God in the whole Universe. When the System came into Existence, it tried to enslave all the Gods, maybe except for the Gods of the Abyss and Void, as they haven’t been anywhere to be found for billions of years, which should give you some perspective on how long the system has been ruling for. However, this God… fought back and nearly won. The System had to use all the other enslaved Gods, some of which were older than her, yet she struck down with seemingly no effort.”
(Incorrect. I was the oldest, other than Abyss and Void, but those two don’t count. And I struggled against Mrs. War Goddess. She was a pain in the ass to deal with, and the reason I hate Hellfire, since she had been ripped apart and bound with her husband, the God of the Afterlife, or, simply, Hell. A lot of the gods had been pulled apart, actually, now that I think about it,) Cthulhu muttered, clearly interested in herself.
“However… Once there was another Abyssal Dungeon and it wasn’t cleared in time. After it broke, the entire System of planets was soon taken over by the Abyss, and this Goddess had to act to stop one of the beasts that had grown to nearly unstoppable strength. Apparently, it took exorbitant amounts of effort to stop it, so it was pretty bad, all things considered.”
Bennett and Yelena were silent, thinking apparently… Well, Luna knew Bennett was thinking, but obviously couldn’t read Yelena’s emotions. However, based on Yelena’s slightly aflame hair, she could tell she was thinking.
After a little bit, Bennett looked up. “What… was she the God of?”
Juli seemed to take a moment to remember-
(How could Anyone forget my name?! The disrespect is-)
Shut. Up.
Luna, with a much more powerful force of will than she had to use normally, forced Cthulhu down, who she felt surprise from before she went completely silent.
Progress, Luna thought, involuntarily leaning against Bennett, who seemed to notice her before letting his arm drape over her…
Just before she fell asleep again, she heard Juli say, “She was the Goddess of the Seas, Cthulhu.”
Luna found herself in… what seemed like a dream. However… it was something else. She stood on a vast ocean and far, far away from her… stood herself. But, instead of a small, seemingly helpless girl, there stood a woman who seemed to make the very ocean around her bend to her will. She wore Luna’s multicolored dress, but it flickered in colors that hers didn’t, and even seemed to cause the water to rise around her. Luna, however, had none of that, of course.
It has definitely not been two more hours, Luna thought, annoyed. But I knew you’d probably be too impatient to wait when I fell asleep.
The Goddess stared at her, most likely thinking it was above her to speak to Luna.
Was I really that conceited back then? If so… then it’s something I definitely want to change.
Cthulhu finally let out a sigh. “We were never truly conceited, were we? We simply knew we were better than most.”
That’s… literally you just making an excuse. Just tell me why you’re so hellbent on getting rid of me.
“I’m not hellbent on getting rid of what’s essentially my child, but you’re simply an obstacle to getting back what’s mine, so you must be removed. We both know we cannot coexist,” The woman said, still standing still.
Don’t you mean you don’t want to coexist? Or can’t bring yourself to?
Cthulhu didn’t respond, instead watching Luna with minor curiosity. Luna looked back at her trying to glean something from her.
She spent what felt like an hour in silence, just watching Cthulhu before noticing something within the woman…
You’re… incomplete.
Cthulhu snorted in a fashion very similar to Yelena. “Took you long enough, didn’t you? I’ve been incomplete… fractured. Into four pieces, my four traits.”
…You’re not going to try to take my body, are you?
Cthulhu seemed to finally relax slightly and all the water around them warped into nothingness. They were in darkness for a few moments before she suddenly found herself, along with Cthulhu, in Bennett’s dorm room, in almost a perfect recreation.
“Hm. Do you find yourself most comfortable here? Interesting,” Cthulhu said to herself. “Anyhow, I wish to speak to you.”
Luna frowned, wary of the Goddess, but hopped onto the bed, sitting up. She looked around the room for a few moments, noticing the photo of Bennett and Yelena, presumably back from when they were younger, maybe around ten? Yelena and Bennett’s faces were pressed against one another as they apparently tried to get the most space in the photo frame. Luna could barely spy their mother laughing at them in the background as well, looking no different than she looked nowadays.
Cute.
“Do you really see them that way? I do not understand your obsession with them,” Cthulhu inquired.
Luna frowned at her. I don’t have anything of an obsession over them. I simply care about them, which is somehow foreign to you. You’re the one with an obsession over killing them. Speaking of… why are you being so antagonistic?
“Antagonistic… isn’t what I’m being-”
Don’t even try to lie. You’re constantly either berating me, trying to kill Bennett, or trying to kill me. That is literally you're being antagonistic.
Cthulhu frowned at Luna before letting out a sigh. “It would seem… antagonistic is a good description of what I’ve been doing. However… I’ve done it to protect Us. Our Soul… Our Core. You-”
You’re not protecting anything. All you’ve done is hurt. Stop trying to justify your actions with convoluted explanations.
“...”
Cthulhu was silent for a long few moments before she looked away, thinking. After a few more moments of this, Luna was finally tired of waiting for a response.
Give me back my core, Luna snapped, jumping off the bed. I don’t plan to die just because you’re deciding to withhold Mana from me.
Cthulhu closed her eyes. “No. If you can’t see the point I’m trying to make, there’s no reason to give you control over it-”
No. You don’t get to make choices for me. This is MY body, not yours. So give me what’s mine. Now, Luna continued, letting her tentacles all come from her body.
Cthulhu frowned at Luna, who glared at her, refusing to stand down, all her tentacles poised to attack her, each with a Blade of the Sea Goddess.
Luna, to say the least, was very much exhausted dealing with Cthulhu’s games. She would rather fight Cthulhu for dominance over something that was hers. Luna was tired of having her body controlled by an “outside force”.
Cthulhu’s face grew slightly annoyed. “... First, I must speak to you about more important things, such as you being a fragment of myself. Then I may consider.”
Luna glared before letting out a huff and lowering her tentacles slightly. Fine.
Cthulhu then began to speak.
“Back when we were ‘banished’ to put it lightly, that… thing… clearly wanted me to never be able to be whole and powerful again. It split me into four fragments, and chained them, so far apart from one another that they’d never be put back together. Yet… apparently, it didn’t do a good enough job, as you exist and my consciousness is intact.”
What is that supposed to mean?
“You’re… not one fragment. You’re two fragments,
and
Luna frowned at the woman. She wasn’t just one fragment, but two? She knew she was incomplete, but being two of four fragments of their being? Unexpected. Especially
. She didn’t feel all that powerful…
Unless it doesn’t mean power in the normal sense?
“You don’t see yourself as
? Remind me, when was the last time you were injured?”
Weeks ago, really. When I fought Bennett during Classes… I wasn’t hurt, I just acted like I was, since I don’t want to reveal myself… wait.
“You were, not that long ago, blown straight through a wall, and came out with no scratches. The only reason you got hurt all that time ago was being you were new. If those people tried to do that again to you, you’d end up bruising their hands instead of being choked half to death.”
…
“You shouldn’t be able to exist, yet here you are. You… are an anomaly.”
Luna took a moment to process this before blinking. …What does that have to do with anything? With you trying to kill me and others around me? What are you so scared of?
Apparently, Cthulhu wasn’t fond of being told she was scared of something, which, in hindsight, Luna had already known. However, she didn’t really care, even when Cthulhu turned towards her, face filled with fury.
“SCARED? You truly think I’m SCARED of ANYONE?” Cthulhu snapped, the room around them thundering.
Luna frowned at her. Shut up already. Your ego cannot possibly be that fragile that you snap just because someone says you're scared of something.
“You sure like getting on my nerves, don’t you, child?”
Luna blinked at her before shrugging. I don’t really care about your so-called “nerves”. I just want an explanation.
“...Do you genuinely not care about being a fragment of my being-”
No. I don’t. I just want you to stop trying to hurt my friends. And if I have to force you to stop… I will.
***
Bennett watched Luna sleep next to him for a while, her face looking a bit pale. Juli noticed Bennett looking at Luna before sighing.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with her, but earlier while you two were sleeping, I gave her Water Cores, and they were just immediately drained of Mana- er, MP before I could blink. There is definitely something wrong with her.”
Yelena leaned over to look at Luna curiously before giving Benentt a confused look. However, Bennett looked at Juli, confused.
“Okay, I’ve heard the term ‘Mana’ enough times to be completely tired of not knowing what it is. I thought it was just something Maya just misheard or something, but the fact you’re using it too is confusing-”
(HELLO? You can just ask me, y’know!) Maya complained.
“Well, you seem to not know much of anything when I ask you… anything.”
When Juli gave him a confused look, he sighed. “Right. Talking to the annoying voice in my head. But I am curious.”
Juli shrugged in return. “Honestly, I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like MP… but not? I just find it easier to understand Mana rather than MP.”
Bennett nodded, his curiosity not at all satisfied, but he knew when he wasn’t going to get anymore information.
(So… are you going to ask me?) Maya inquired, and Bennett got the strange feeling that she was moving around within him.
Do you have an answer?
(...Not really. I just want to talk to you.)
About what?
(I dunno.)
Bennett resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her antics, instead trying to ignore the tentacles steadily creeping around him. His sister however, watched with interest while he sat there, making the realization that he was definitely going to be a while before he was able to escape.
~~~
When Luna didn’t wake up two hours later, he was starting to get a bit concerned, as she’d tightened her grip on him to the point he couldn’t move his right arm. He tried to use his other hand to pry her off, but horribly failed as she grabbed his other hand.
“You sure you don’t need help?” Yelena asked once again, giving him a smug look while sitting propped up on her elbow, hand on her face.
“Yes, I’m sure. Also, there’s a giant red mark on your face,” Bennett responded, watching her hair flare up as she poked at her face. “Mhm… it’s in the shape of your hand.”
She threw a vial of something at him and, before he could even make an attempt to grab it, Maya protruded through his non-Luna-locked arm and snatched it out the air.
(Yum.)
…Okay. You enjoy that. I’m going to figure out how to get out of this…
(You can literally teleport. Just do that.)
She teleports with me. I can’t just-
(Just don’t use the Array that allows her to go with you. Simple.)
…Maya, I don’t know how to deactivate passive Skills. I’m not you.
(Laazzzzyyyyyy. Fine, my dear owner, I’ll do it myself. I’m going to give you quite the crash course on this in… how long? Half an hour? Look forward to it.)
Bennett blinked, feeling his blood run cold. He quickly brought up his Status and looked at the ticking timer.
___
Time Remaining : 58 Minutes, 20 Seconds
___
Bennett cursed. “Luna, you should probably wake up soon.”
***
Luna stared at Cthulhu, who seemed to be a bit tired of arguing with Luna and had been silent for nearly 2 hours. Luna was unsure of how to continue from this point and had gone silent as well… well, as silent as a mute could be. They watched one another as time seemed to pass like the ocean’s waves; steadily and quietly.
At some point, the world had shifted to the ocean once again and the waters were rushing around not just Cthulhu, but Luna as well. After sitting in the water for nearly an hour, she’d come to a mildly shocking realization: This planet of water… represented her Core. Which meant those planets far, far up in the sky…
“All represent the sheer amount of Mana we hold. And, as we speak, more and more planets are being created. I’m sure you’re realizing just how much I’ve limited your access to Mana. If you had access to even a single planet, you’d implode from the sheer amount of Mana you’re holding.”
Then how haven’t I imploded along with half of the star system? Luna inquired, still a bit confused.
“Since you have a secondary Core around mine that I allow a certain amount of Mana to filter through… then you have a tertiary Core to allow you to actually use it. I’m really only limiting the flow of Mana from the secondary to the tertiary.”
A layered Core… that makes some sort of sense, but you’re the one being petty by trying to kill me by choking me of Mana. I literally had to completely drain Water Cores to live. What exactly is your problem?
“Problem? I-”
You know what, you’re just going to make yet another excuse to keep me from my Mana. Just stop. I don’t want to hear you try to justify trying to kill me. I, to my knowledge, have done nothing against you to warrant any sort of hostility from you… other than existing, according to you.
Luna looked down to the water before sighing.
Let me have my Mana back. I don’t want to keep asking.
“I’ve already said-”
Yes, I heard, and you keep saying it for the most shallow reasons. If any of those reasons were even remotely sufficient, I would probably be arguing with you less. How could making it easier for me to be killed by anyone keep me safe? You just want to take over… I can’t believe I was ever anything like you, and the fact that I have memories proving I was that conceited that I’d simply just take whatever I felt I needed… I’d honestly rather not. Clearly,
“What was the point of using
Well… you’re a terrible god, in that case, not like I didn’t know that after you tried to kill Bennett… three times. I can feel you trying to take over my body, but face to face with you now, I refuse to let that happen.
“Why does this annoying Godling mean so much to you? I see nothing worth preserving within him, except maybe his power, and that’s still a mystery to me. I surely need to take him apart and study his Core…”
Absolutely not. He’s not yours to take apart at will.
“So you believe he's yours to take apart?”
No. He’s not anyone’s to take apart. He deserves to live his own life.
“And you’re not taking away the normalcy in his life? Who will happen when you’re inevitably exposed for being a Goddess? Will he still be by your side, as you clearly believe he wants to, or will he abandon you, as you hope he won’t? You think he’ll be safe around you forever? Better to remove a potential threat to your own emotional state before it becomes more… personal.”
Luna tried not to visibly show how annoyed she was, but she failed, the raging waters around her betraying her.
I’m leaving. But not before I do this.
Luna raised her hand and generated a memory. Something that was still clear within her mind, and something she’d dreamed about every night back in the town while living with Bennett’s family.
The world shuddered as she pulled Mana from the ocean around her, or at least it seemed that way. From somewhere in the sky, there was the sound of something… clinking. She flinched at the sound, but stood still.
Cthulhu’s eyes widened, but, at this point, it was too late. The familiar chains shot from the skies, one snapping around Cthulhu’s neck. Then her wrists and waist. As they wrapped around her ankles, her tentacles shot towards Luna, who stood her ground as she drained the ocean around them, expending more power than she’d ever spent before. Chains wrapped around Cthulhu’s tentacles, stopping them in place. At this point, the drain on the ocean was slowing down, but in a matter of mere moments, Luna could finally see the sea floor below her, and gravity was much, much weaker. Cthulhu looked at Luna with a withering glare.
“YOU DARE?!”
Luna frowned at her. Do you dare? You’ve hurt my friends enough, and I won’t let you do it again. Now sleep. Your purpose will be to regulate MY Mana unless told otherwise. Now, sleep. I don’t want to hear from you in a long time.
As the water slowly rose, her Mana Regenerating just as fast as she could remember, Luna could hear, deep within her mind, Cthulhu threatening her.
(When I escape then damned chains… You won’t exist anymore “Luna.” For now, enjoy your pitiful life.)
Luna smiled. Oh, I will. And when you escape… I’ll just put you back there. And you’ll have to do it all again. Goodbye, my alter ego.
***
Bennett was in a slight panic as the timer went down two seconds at a time, already at twenty minutes remaining. But what he was a bit more panicked at was Luna’s hair suddenly lighting up like a beacon. It glowed multiple shades of blue, and, deep in her mind, he could tell that she’d gotten some sort of satisfaction. Color that he hadn’t realized wasn’t there rushed into her face, making her look exactly the same way he’d found her.
What did she do this time?
A few moments later she woke up with a long yawn, and her hair’s glowing quickly subsided as her tentacles unraveled from his body. She looked up at him, confused at his panic before poking his cheek.
He felt her send him some sort of greeting, and he relaxed slightly, grateful that the thing within her wasn’t back to try and kill him for the third time. He got a sudden suspicion and activated his… Maya Eye, he guessed? After all, she had one of his eyes.
(Yep, and it’s quite nice. I can look in a mirror and know I’m looking into your eye-)
Stop it alread- OW!
He immediately covered his eye with a hiss of pain, but it didn’t stop him from being nearly blinded from the sheer amount of MP within Luna. She blinked in confusion, leaning back as if he’d accidentally pushed her. Bennett averted his eye from Luna, instead looking at his sister, who gave him a strange look.
Finally, he was able to stop the eye from burning and looked back at her, rubbing his eyelid.
“Seems like you solved your MP problem, somehow. But OW. You nearly blinded us,” Bennett/Maya muttered.
They- he then blinked in confusion. “I mean me. Not us.”
Yelena crawled over to him and squinted at his red eye. “Oh yeah, I forgot about the eye thing. You can see MP with it. What about Luna?”
“She’s brighter than the sun itself. I’m lucky Maya’s eye is stronger than my own, or I’d be blind in one eye.”
(Mhm, mhm. Keep the praise coming.)
Maya.
(Yes?)
Let me talk without your input for ten seconds.
He felt minor annoyance from her as she let out a (Hmph), but did stay quiet… for now. He then looked at Luna, who had slightly relaxed but gave him a strange look.
“What’s this ‘us’ thing you're going on about?” Juli inquired. “From what I remember, you’re a singular person, from what I remember.”
Bennett shrugged. “I honestly dunno. It kinda just happens sometimes. I don’t-”
(Ten seconds is over, I’m talking again and you can’t stop me-)
He stared at the wall in front of him, then sighed. “Anyhow, Luna’s awake now, which means I can breathe without feeling like my lungs are being crushed now. Now, what exactly is our plan from here on out? You two were talking about something, I think?"