Simple man with his overpowered army Chapter 44: Tormentor or teacher

Lud and the company have been waiting for three days in the Embershthir household, "enjoying" the phoenix culture.

Lud once questioned why so few phoenixes speak the common tongue, to which Toki gave an answer "Because phoenixes are a proud race, making them not care for other cultures as much."

Sarah comnted "Aren’t they just selfish race then?" To which Toki answered, "You could say that."

Lud remarked that "Weren’t you used to be super proud of your race back then, Sarah?"

Sarah got a little flustered and said "That... that was back when I... shut up!"

After getting to know phoenix cuisine, Lud and Brutus found it weird that phoenixes tend to love cold foods and drinks. Toki comnted that it is because cold foods and drinks are hard to co by naturally where phoenixes usually live.

While waiting for the approval from the elders to see her father, Shalaphinar was in deep contemplation.

"Was it the right decision to go and search for the Eternal Sanctuary?"

"Should I have been here to help my kin during the swarm attacks?"

"Am I the reason why father is in such a sorry state?"

While wondering about all of this, Shalaphinar looked out the window and saw two young phoenixes playing tag while an older one was keeping watch for them on the side.

Shalaphinar was reminiscing about the beginning of this cycle and how her father helped her to adjust to this cycle while being supportive of her ambitions left by her previous cycle.

"Was I even useful to Elysium back then?" She wondered out loud, to which Sarah comnted "You did help heal a bunch of people with your phoenix tricks."

Shalaphinar was surprised with Sarah speaking flatongue, so she asked "When did you learn to speak this tongue?"

Sarah simply replied "You should know by now that I am a once in a millenia genius in so things. I asked Toki to teach while we wait for you."

Shalaphinar looked down and said "So I am holding you all back during this trip."

Sarah reassured "You aren’t. This is a great opportunity for Faust to loosen up a little. And in the first place, it isn’t like we are on any type of schedule."

Shalaphinar laughed a little and said "You are right. I worry for that man."

Sarah comnted "Yeah. He is dealing with sothing and refuses to talk about it."

Shalaphinar says "I feel that it has sothing to do with his current constitution."

Sarah asked "Enlighten , would you?"

Shalaphinar answered "Like my mother said, his body is like that of soone on the path to beco a god."

Sarah said "I thought that it is impossible for a mortal body to handle aether in that capacity."

Shalaphinar replied "You are right. And that is why it is considered taboo."

Sarah asked "So people have tried it out before?"

Shalaphinar answered "You are right. Everyone ceased to be at one point of the journey or another. It is simply impossible for the mortal body to deal with that sort of transformation."

Sarah asked "Shouldn’t we stop Faust then? Why hasn’t Toki said anything about it and she is super smart?"

Shalaphinar answered "You might be right, but..."

Sarah asked "But what?"

Shalaphinar continues "Do we have that right?"

Sarah stays silent for a mont after that. But after a brief silence, she says "It is our duty as his retainers to make sure he stays safe."

Shalaphinar says "While that may be true, I think that he isn’t responsible for his body’s transformation."

Sarah asks "So you think there is soone behind it? Figures."

Shalaphinar says "Yes. But we have seen the power Lady Tokiko and Lady Zolotifa hold, so it must be soone out of our league."

Sarah asks "You think that I’m just gonna let it be like this?"

Shalaphinar smirks and says "For what little I know about your personality, you won’t stand idly by when Faust is suffering."

Sarah smirks back and says "You betcha!" Then realizes sothing and says more calmly "Shit. I ca here to cheer you up, but now you seem to be cheering up."

Shalaphinar giggles a little and says "You don’t have to worry about . I’ll be fine."

Sarah looks deep into Shalaphinar’s eyes and says "You know that you can talk to us. So if you need soone, talk to or Toki."

Then a little awkwardly Sarah says "Well, you could talk to Brutus or Faust, but then you’d need a translator with you. But I’m sure they would listen attentively as well."

Shalaphinar giggles a little again and jokes "Well if I rely on Brutus too much, I bet Angie would feel a bit jealous."

Sarah chuckles back and says "Yeah. She is the jealous type. I hear that once she hears Brutus talking to any kind of woman, be their single or not, Brutus has to explain in detail about what he talked about with those won in detail."

Then Sarah gets close to Shalaphinar’s ear and says "Don’t tell anyone that I told you this. But I think Angie is expecting at the mont."

Shalaphinar is surprised by this and asks "How did you figure that out?!"

Sarah says all smugly that "She has been more careful with her movents recently and she has been more clingy with Brutus than usual. I’m sure her mind is in overdrive right now since Brutus is not there."

Shalaphinar asks "Should... should we send him back just in case?"

Sarah says "I think we should, but when I brought it up with Toki, she just smiled and didn’t say anything."

Shalaphinar mumbled "So she might know sothing. Does she have a grudge with Brutus or Angie or sothing?"

Sarah says "I don’t think so. But then again, she does tend to do odd things every once in a while."

Shalaphinar asks "What is all that about?" To which Sarah shrugs.

Shalaphinar asks "Should we tell Brutus about it?"

Sarah answers "I... I think we should but... what if I’m wrong?"

Shalaphinar says "That would be kind of awkward if it turned out to not be true and you just randomly send him back."

Sarah says "I... I will inform about my suspicions with Faust and we’ll let him decide. He is our leader after all."

Shalaphinar says with a cheeky smile "Shifting responsibility, I see."

Sarah asks "But it is true, isn’t it?"

Shalaphinar answers "That he is our leader? You are right. But should we burden him with this when he is having troubles of his own?"

Sarah says "Shit, you are right." Then she furiously scratches her head and shouts in common "What am I supposed to do here dad?!"

anwhile, Li is sipping tea on top of his tower and he comnts "I feel like my child is calling for ."

Then Maumar, who is sitting on the sa table, says "Should you answer her call then?"

Li comnts "I don’t know. Should I, Mr. Rucksta?"

Jeremaja is sitting on the sa table as Maumar and Li with a cup of tea in front of him. He is frightened by the aura of both n and can’t open his mouth.

But when Li asks "Mr. Rucksta? Is the tea not to your liking?"

Jeremaja straightens up and shouts "Yes! Absolutely delicious!"

Then Maumar looks at Jeremaja and says "You didn’t answer Li’s original question."

Jeremaja gets flustered, trying to think how to get out of there. Li comnts "I’m sure he is too full of emotions since he can et with the great Maumar himself."

Jeremaja’s mind goes blank after hearing that the blank man beside him is THE Maumar.

Maumar comnts "I think I’ve gotten too used to Elysium’s people being casual with whenever I pop up."

Jeremaja’s mind is barely functioning as there are no thoughts in his head. The situation is that overwhelming.

Li says "I wonder what my daughter needs for now?"

Maumar comnts "I can go check if you like."

Li replies "No need. I’m sure she will do just fine."

Maumar says "Good. I wonder who the young man will pick? Your child or mine."

Li answers "Mine obviously."

Maumar tries to exude a proud aura as he says "I can confirm that in most tilines he picks mine." Granted, he fails to bring out any emotion and is currently suffocating Jeremaja with his aura.

Li says "Don’t you feel cheap that you can kind of cheat the results of my lord’s real feelings."

Maumar says "I don’t see any issues with my thods. It’ll all end the way I wanted to."

Li comnts "Mr. Rucksta? Are you still with us?"

It takes a mont for Jeremaja to respond, but eventually he blurts out "I’m here. I’m definitely here."

Li says "Speaking of our children, Mr. Rucksta. I hear that your son is barely holding on to the throne and is now acting more like a puppet of the current queen of Rucksta."

Jeremaja mutters "Sure sure. My son is great. Sure sure."

Maumar looks at Jeremaja and says "Aren’t you even a little worried about your son?

Jeremaja is barely able to mutter "Sure sure. I’m very worried about my son. Sure sure."

Maumar looks at Li and says "I don’t think he is fully with us."

Li says "That is to be expected. It is an ordeal to co to the top floor in the first place. He has died plenty of tis already."

Maumar says "Mortals are fascinating creatures. Still refusing to sign a contract that would release them even after all the suffering. Twisted as he may be, he sure holds onto his beliefs."

Li says "That is true for most people in the middle realm. Most have refused to treat humans as equals even after all the training we have given them."

Maumar says "Don’t be discouraged. There are tilines with much better relations between the middle realm and the rest. Life is unique in that kind of way."

Then a man’s voice is heard saying "If it were up to , I’d make humanity the dominant species in this tiline for a mont like in few other tilines."

Li asks "Who are you?" and looks at a man with long black hair, fancy suit and tallic right hand.

Maumar says "If you’d do that Khaos, I’d have to put my hopes to a slightly different tiline."

Khaos says "You say that, but it can be a tiline with completely minor and an unrelated difference. It doesn’t matter really in the end. Just enjoy yourself every once in a while."

Maumar remarks "You know very well that I can’t enjoy anything anymore."

Khaos says "Debatable" and creates another chair so that he can sit with the other n. He also summons his own brew that slls like sothing between coffee and strong tea.

Jeremaja musters the courage to ask "And... what kind of lowlife you are, human?"

Khaos looks at the sky and wonders "Good question. I do appear human now, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. You’d be amazed how many gods look almost exactly like humans. Then again, their golden blood cannot be made to look like regular blood, but then again, you’d have to make them actually bleed to see the difference. And the middle realm isn’t anywhere near to causing physical injuries to god avatars."

Li says "Since you speak of gods so casually, as well as seem to know Maumar well, I assu you are divine in origin."

Khaos says "Good guess. As expected of soone as old as you."

Li asks "How much do you know about ... no, us."

Khaos says "Better than you realize."

There is a mont of silence before Li says "I changed my opinion. You are a singular being."

Khaos bluntly "Debatable."

Li asks "How so?"

Khaos places his cup on the table and says "Everything is debatable. The fact of life IS is debatable in itself. And that is what makes the world such a wonderful place."

Li looks at Maumar and asks "Can you tell the truth Maumar since he seems to like to be vague?"

Maumar sips so of whatever concoction he has this and then says "THEY are a god of chaos that have achieved singular existence."

Li ponders for a mont and then says "Isn’t that supposed to be impossible?"

Khaos says "Impossible is a stretch. aning nothing is impossible. Anyone can jump from the top of a skyrise and survive the landing."

Jeremaja asks "What the heck is a skyrise?"

Khaos looks at Jeremaja sweetly and pats his head with his left hand as he says "Good kitty. Don’t worry about the stuff beyond your ager mind."

Jeremaja felt humiliated by this, but since he understood that Khaos was so powerful being, he only bit his tongue.

Then Khaos turns to Li and says "Granted, many versions of the person will die after the landing, but there will always be so versions that did survive. So may survive for few more monts, so may live for decades to co. It matters little. In the eyes of singular being, everything should be deed possible."

Li says "Except god having a child the natural way."

Khaos stops petting Jeremaja and then makes the teacher’s finger gesture with the "tsh tsh tsh tsh" sounds. Then he says "Maumar did succeed, did he not?"

Li says "After countless failures."

Khaos takes a hold of his cup and says before drinking "You only need to succeed once to prove that nothing is impossible. The difference can be that you won’t be able to see it in your tiline."

Li says "So... You an that it is possible for us to return ho?"

Khaos, after taking a sip, says "Nothing is impossible."

Maumar says "Don’t toy with his feelings Khaos."

Khaos says "What? I’m simply telling the truth."

Maumar says "Even so. If soone follows your philosophy, then they are bound to end up dead sooner rather than later."

Khaos says "In the eyes of infinite tilines, one can die at any mont."

Maumar says "Even if you say that, in my eyes at least, the world is finite."

Khaos puts his cup down, smiles, looks Maumar dead in the eyes and says "That, my dear friend, is where we have to disagree. Chaos is infinite."

Maumar replies "But finite."

Khaos sighs and says "This is why talking to you can be so tiring. I better go to ss with Luddy boy to improve my mood."

Li says "You... So you have been the one who has caused so much stress to our lord."

Khaos puts his left hand near where heart would normally be and says "Guilty as charged."

Li gets a little angry and raises up from his chair and shouts "How dare you cause our lord so much suffering?!"

Khaos shrugs it off and says "I dare because I very much love the simple human."

Khaos starts to blush and rub his body as he continues "Ah, how I love him. His re existence proving the infinite nature of existence to . Yes, the possibilities of unpredictability of existence."

Then Khaos rises up from his chair and holds his hand to the sky "Ah, who are we to say that we are the pinnacle of existence. Even Maumar himself has been bound by the Fateweaver, the Fateweaver bound by sothing else, and that sothing else being bound by who knows what. And on and on and on and on and on and on...

Khaos starts to shout "AND ON AND ON AND ON AND ON AND ON!!!"

Then Khaos laughs and starts touching himself "HAHAHAHAAA!!! The infinite chaos... OF EXISTENCE! I myself prove as well... nay, we ALL prove to the existence itself that everything and anything is possible. Nothing is paramount and there is always possibility to the unpredictability of existence to save the day, ruin the day, or just fuck around the day sideways to who knows where to."

Khaos breathes deeply and says "Ludwig Freigner. Faust Ilumnos. Flaudst. All of that man is the best thing that happened to . To the world. If not, then WHERE WOULD THE ENTERTAINNT BE?!"

Jeramaja puts in and says "You are insane. Thinking that re human scum could be sothing special. Ridiculous."

This calms Khaos down quite a bit and all fall silent for a mont.

Khaos takes a deep breath before he sits back down and looks sweetly at Jeremaja to say "Indeed. Since a human can’t possibly be sothing greater than a beastman. Yes. That would be just absurd, wouldn’t it?"

Jeremaja smiles and says "Finally soone here has so sanity left in them."

Khaos looks at Jeremaja and says "Say. Since a human can’t possibly be THE one that I am dying to be with, why don’t you beco one instead?"

Jeremaja says "Glad to see that soone as mighty as you can see the absurdity that these Elysium people have. But do tell, what would becoming that kind of person entail?"

Khaos says "Oh, it is just that you’d garner my unquestionable attention and support to make you the most powerful person in the world eventually."

Jeremaja is a bit taken back by this, sweats a little and asks "Even... even more powerful than Maumar?"

Khaos smiles sweetly "Yes. Even more powerful."

Jeremaja salivates a little before he says "I’ll gladly take up on your offer, Mr. Khaos."

Khaos extends his hand and says "Good. Now all you need to do is shake my hand and the opportunity is yours."

Jeremaja gulps before he shakes Khaos’ hand. As Jeremaja was holding Khaos’ hand, he looked at Maumar and Li and said "You two better be ready for my reign! I will make sure you learn the true nature of this world..."

Then Jeremaja began to scream in pain at the top of his longues. He started to twitch and turn on the ground in pure unadulterated agony. Foam began to co from his mouth until eventually he fell silent.

Khaos took a sip from his cup in satisfaction and Maumar comnted "I think that was a tad bit far."

Khaos childishly "I don’t care. Little great you could have stopped anyti you wanted."

Li asks "I knew you were up to sothing, but what exactly did you do?"

Khaos crosses his arms and says "I simply made multiple tilines of himself converge into this version of his mind. Combining his multitudes fates into one, single, thing. Granted, it is but a small fraction of what Luddy boy will go through eventually, but the kitty seed so eager, I gave him a chance."

Li says "So... There might be one of him that succeeds in overcoming your little trick in the eyes of infinity."

Khaos chuckles and says "Good. You are learning, little one."

Li asks "Won’t this cause problems to so versions of ?"

Khaos replies "Debatable" and proceeds to drink the rest of the mixture in his cup.

Maumar takes a sip of his mystery beverage and comnts "This was supposed to be a eting between dads."

Sowhere else, Adam says to Lud "Look brother! There is cotton candy sold there! Can we buy so?"

Lud says to Adam "No we can’t. We are tight on money this month."

Adam gets irritated "You never buy nice things."

Lud replies "I did get you a whole gapod to play to your heart’s content. Isn’t that enough for you?"

Adam says "But brother, you don’t understand. Young boy like naturally craves sothing sweet when he sees so. It is only natural for to want sothing sweet."

Lud "I get that, but..."

Adam interrupts Lud by saying "I know, I know. Sugar is bad for my health. Mom told all about it in the past, but even she would give so when I didn’t complain when we had to go to the doctor."

Lud says "Well... I... Fine. But only one bag."

Adam cheers "YAY! You are the best brother ever!"

Lud smiles for a mont until he gets a bothered look on his face and says "Can we stop this now Eris?"

Then the image of past revelry shatters and Lud was back sitting in the audience seat.

Eris sits besides him and says "What? Didn’t enjoy a little fantasies?"

Lud says "Mom would never allow Adam to eat any sweets because she thought that it would worsen his already bad health. In later years, I asked a doctor about it, and they said that while Adam’s digestive tract was very delicate, it could easily handle sugary foods."

Eris ponders "Well, you did live in Arica, so avoiding stuff that didn’t have much sugar in it would have been quite difficult in hindsight. Maybe your mom just didn’t want to spend any money on sothing she considered pointless."

Lud says "That is what I thought at first as well, but..."

Eris interrupts Lud by finishing his sentence "After hearing about her ntal state, you consider that it might have been because of paranoia."

Lud says "Why did you even ask?"

Eris says "What are you talking about? I didn’t ask anything. We are just reminiscing about the past. Nothing much else honestly."

Lud asks "So why am I here this ti?"

Eris asks back "What do you an?"

Lud, with a hint of irritation, asks "I an, you wouldn’t call here just to think about the past."

Eris is about to say sothing, but Lud is faster and says instead "No wait. You probably would. But I’d still like to know why I’m here."

Eris says "I didn’t call you here. You ca here by yourself."

Lud asks in confusion "I... ca to the abyss by myself? I thought it was a similar kind of thing that Tifa pulled back then."

Eris laughs a little and says "You... You think that much of ? I’m flattered. But no, I can’t really create illusions in as much detail as she can. And in the first place, we aren’t in the abyss."

Lud is now even more confused and asks "We... aren’t? Then where the hell are we?"

Then behind Eris pops confetti and she shouts "We are in the dreamland!"

Then Eris summons pair of maracas, starts to shake and dance with them and sings "Cha cha cha cha CHA CHA CHA! Cha cha cha CHA CHA CHA!"

Lud asks "So... we are in so kind of amusent park?"

Eris keeps dancing and shaking the maracas as she says "No we aren’t. Thought that would be pretty neat. Why don’t I make sothing like that? I an, I have in the past... or future, but there is still so much more I could do. CHA CHA CHA!"

Lud tries to piece things together and surmises that "So... There is a realm called... dreamland?"

Eris says "CHA CHA CHA! No. Not really. It is just what so like to call it. Well, mostly . But it is a plane of existence where dreams gather. Like the realm of the dead!" Then she whispers and shakes the maracas gently "cha cha cha."

Lud asks "So... what is it called? And why am I here?"

Eris shouts "CHA CHA CHA! We are here because you are lucid dreaming! As to what it is called... Well we can skip that since this only cos relevant when you enter volu 4."

Lud asks "Volu... 4?"

Eris says "Well the tiline shenanigans are already a bit much for you at this point in ti, so let’s not get to the context of reverse drear syndro and how succubi and incubi are products of dream god’s wet dreams. Cha cha cha."

Lud pauses for a mont and then asks in confusion "What?"

Eris just dances with the maracas and chants "Cha cha cha cha CHA CHA! Cha cha cha cha CHA CHA! Ti to wake up CHA CHA!" And with the last "cha cha", Eris throws the maracas at Lud, which then hits him in the head in rhythm.

Lud jumps from bed and pauses for a mont.

.

.

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Then Lud asks "Was... was that really just a dream?"

.

.

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"And what the hell do you an by god’s wet dreams?"