BXBX NOVEL Chapter 212: Raise Your Fists.
"Then, ask." She responded to-the-point much like he was talking. "If it does not interfere with the will of fate I will answer truthfully."
"I'm not seeing things, right, those people are just human, right?" Sol furrowed his brows.
"Indeed they are, though the Captain was a bit stronger than most, and his vice captain was exceptionally strong for her rank and age, where they come from... they are considered to be at the bottom of the chain; weak."
"Then I don't understand what's going on, how is a mere human able to grow that strong without augmentation?" Sol stared at her confused and at a loss of conclusions. "No matter what I come up with, it doesn't make sense that there are regular humans capable of doing what they were casually doing!"
"I had told you beforehand that the collective was beyond your comprehension, Godslayer, what you call power, and what they call power are two very different things, the meagre piece of the collective that you possess is but a spec of dust in a much grander machine, you are not even a cog yet." Lumi responded and he watched her eyes bob up and down assuming she was nodding.
"Yet?" He asked curiously.
"As you and your young verse have been introduced to the collective, it is but a matter of time before it sweeps you up as a part of itself; fate chose this path for you, I am merely here to oversee your current progress."
"What does that mean for us then, getting dragged into the collective?" He asked, and Lumi nodded once more and closed her eyes.
"Open your eyes and view yourself as insignificant before the might of the Emporium, you a lone Godslayer are going to face the reality that there exists more power than you can fathom, endless struggles and a fight that will either kill or put you at the peak of true power, you chose to fight, so raise your fists to the skies and keep looking up, the weight of what comes next...
I fear it is impossible for anyone but you to bare." Lumi answered with another warning and then closed her eyes disappearing and rendering the area black again as she left for another part of the void.
While Sol knew that she couldn't hide from him wherever she went, he knew that their conversation was over, the likelihood of her continuing to talk if he followed her across the tree was very low, so he took her warning like a bitter pill and left back for earth.
***
"Where the devils did you disappear to?" Ikaris greeted Sol impatiently as soon as he appeared in the living area and he leaned his head in confusion and looked around, it was night, but everyone was wearing something different than a moment ago, and Eve was there again despite only a few minutes passing and her home being miles away, even Mark was present again.
"What's going on?" Sol asked when Arla as usual greeted him with a big hug, releasing her weight on his shoulders and sighing as she took in his scent. "I wasn't gone for more than a few minutes at most."
"It is Wednesday, Master." Dina greeted him with a kiss on his cheek while Sara ran up before him and curtseyed while Sol conjured an image of the tree and frowned when he realised that he was on the outskirts of Origin, three days had passed in a few minutes.
"That red-eyed..." Sol was going to curse Lumi, but huffed out his frustration and approached Ikaris.
"Is everything okay?"
"We are hungry." Ikaris huffed and turned her head the opposite direction when he attempted to kiss her on her lips, causing his lips to fall on her cheek instead.
"Ikaris, are you mad at me?" Sol asked surprised and looked at the others to which Dina sighed with a worried smile while Arla chuckled nervously.
"Sir, Milady has stayed her sleep for the three nights of your absence in worry, she has been waring down the floors of the estate with her ceaseless pacing about." Sara Gestured to Ikaris and Sol sighed.
"D-Do not tell him that!" Ikaris snapped with a blush creeping up on her face.
"I didn't check, Lumi was in the Origin universe." Sol took Ikaris's hands and began channelling his golden mana into her watching it get intercepted and taken by the baby once more. "It was an honest mistake, Ikaris." Sol smiled at her when she began pouting.
"Do you want to punish your master?" He teased her seeing her blush creep up to her ears before she locked her fingers with his and stared at him.
"You said you would fight the emissary of Fate, and then you disappeared for three full days without a word while Alpha was unable to reach you and we could not either, worry does not describe the feeling well..." Ikaris's eyes watered and she tried leaning onto him but was hindered by her belly in the way.
"I was scared you had been dragged off somewhere outside of our reach and was unable to come back!" Ikaris punched his chest weakly. "What would we do without you to guide us, husband?" She asked, and upon her question Sol felt them all fall into a deeper depression at the thought.
"It's okay, I'm here." He hugged her from the side resting her head on his chest and kissing her while Dina who had been playing tough quickly approached and hugged his side and Arla joined as well at his gesture to them, all three of them releasing a collective sigh of relief. "I'm here."
"I don't understand what's going on at all." Mark looked at Eve, confused but it was Uriyu who sat on her opposite side forming a trio of powerless bystanders that answered.
"Uncle Sol has been defending the galaxy for years now, he looks young because he keeps going through time dilation from places where time runs slower than here, Aunt Ikaris is the same except the last time they left she got pregnant, Aunt Sara and Arla are from one of those other places, and Aunty Dina is a hero like-"
"You expect me to believe that bullshit?" Mark looked across at Uriyu skeptically.
"How do you explain him being able to destroy a giant spaceship the size of an island?" Uriyu asked.
"We don't know what blew it up." Mark snapped back heatedly. "My sister spent three years fighting at their side before she came back for me-"
"More bullshit, you expect me to believe in sincerity... that man standing right there is some kind of galactic hero, are you stupid?" Mark scoffed and regarded Sol with a gesture. "He's strong because of the system."
"Where do you think Alpha came from!?" Uriyu snapped when he realised his words weren't getting through to the unbeliever's head. "Are you so caught up in your own ass that you can't even believe the truth when you see it with your own eyes?"
"Wait... So Dina isn't actually twenty-two?" Eve asked and Mark went silent, quickly glancing at her and then at Uriyu again for an answer.
"Aren't you listening?" Uriyu asked poking her in the side of her head and then poking his palm impatiently. "It's called time dilation, it was ten years here on earth for us, but for them it's only been ten months, not even a year, that's why I'm their age now." He gestured to himself as an example.
"What would they be protecting us from then?" Mark queried calmly, believing Dina's part and nobody else's.
"They were fighting an evil empire that invaded other worlds and killed the leaders, and took the women for themselves; demons."
"Are you kidding me with this again?" Mark shook his head.
"Aren't you even a little bit curious about why the system only just gave us the tools to grow stronger a few days ago but they're already strong enough to do these amazing things?" Uriyu made emphasis with his hands in chopping motions. "My little niece is only six, but because of my sister's hero magic she's already able to lift-"
"It's magic now?" Mark narrowed his eyes and leaned his head with complete doubt, but Eve raised her fist and punched him flat to the ground with her eyes furious at being constantly withheld from the truth Uriyu was trying to tell them.
"Would you let the man finish talking already!" She snapped loudly calling everyone's attention to them. "S-sorry everyone!" She called at them and watched them slowly go back to their group discussion while Uriyu gestured Gia over with a wave of his hand.
"Hey kiddo, can you do a magic trick for your uncle?" Uriyu picked up Gia in his lap and covered her hands with his.
"No magic in the living area, Aunty Sara will get mad again." Gia shook her head, but adamantly Uriyu smiled and pointed at Sara.
"Aunt Sara isn't looking, can you make the funny fire?" He asked, and the little girl's eyes lit up as she focused and held her hands before herself causing a little blue spark before a little farting flame ignited and began dancing above her palms.
"What the fuck..." Mark gasped in a whisper while Eve went speechless as they watched the little fire bounce from one hand to the other fizzing in and out of existence and creating a farting sound each time it happened.
"Good job, now put it away." Uriyu praised her while smirking at Mark's ajar expression.
"Uncle wait, I can make a big one hahaha!" Gia raised her hands and exclaimed with a loud laugh causing Sara to look over as her and Arla sensed an Arkadian mana signature that was neither of theirs suddenly ascending to the ceiling.
"Gia!"