141 His Design (2/2)
”He hasn't done a thing for anyone he killed or hurt. To me, that means he hasn't changed.” Althea turned towards me, raising a hand,
”Seriously, did he even stop experimenting on things?”
I remembered the eldritch we hunted down from Springfield. I shook my head.
”What about changing his plans or goals? Did he do any of that either?”
I frowned.
Althea shook her head, walking into the abandoned skyscraper,
”That's what I thought. Let's be glad you're so hardheaded. Otherwise, he might have brainwashed you already.”
I grimaced. Maybe Althea was right. I couldn't tell anymore. Why I wanted to save him, well, perhaps it was his charisma or the contract we made. It didn't matter why. What mattered was quelching the urge in its entirety. Leaving Yawm alive was like giving away a bunch of nukes. It wasn't worth the risk.
With that on my mind, we all reached the shady high rise. Only sunlight illuminated the inside, casting long shadows around us. Entire floors collapsed from the fight earlier, cracks smothering every surface. The post-apocalyptic environment suited us.
By now, it might as well be home.
I dashed through floors of the building towards Yawm. The holes I left behind let Hod and Althea follow me. After a few dozen stories, we reached the world eater.
He landed in a parking lot, several cars plowed out of his path. A glowing green trail of blood led to him. My black armor covered him from head to toe, but he gasped underneath it. His chest wheezed for air. When I stepped up to him, he murmured,
”Is it my maker, perchance?”
I frowned, ”Nope. Just me.”
”And the others? Who are they?”
Hod answered, ”Hod is Hod. Lady friend is lady friend.”
Yawm coughed, ”I see you only associate yourself with companions of the highest intelligence.”
Hod spread out his wings, ”Hod grateful that Yawm understand depth of Hod intelligence.”
Yawm let out a pained chuckle, ”As deep as a puddle.”
Althea stepped up, placing the barrel of her rifle at Yawm's head.
Yawm murmured,
”Ah, so that's who you are...Have you come to kill me then?”
Althea growled, ”Yes.”
”And so the orphan I took under my wing comes to murder me...No good deed goes unpunished, I suppose. My own father told me that after my mother was slain for my own bounty.”
Althea shouted, pain in her voice, ”You killed my own parents. Why are you even talking right now?”
I reached down, pulling my armor back to me. It uncurled from Yawm, revealing what a mess he was. He turned towards Althea, his eyes searching,
”Is that what they told you? No wonder they convinced you to hunt bounties for their own gain. To think they put my most prized possession in harm's way.”
Althea kicked Yawm's side. He coughed up blood, and she pressed her barrel back onto his forehead,
”You just turned me into a freak. I hated myself. I tried killing myself so many times.”
I turned towards Althea, my stomach sinking.
Yawm's eyes softened, ”And there was nothing I could do to stop your fate. You came out half eldritch. I did nothing but expose you to the Tears of Etorhma. It gave you the strength to stand on your own.”
Yawm reached out a hand. ”And so my lotus turned deadly, a viper given fangs. I slew the scientists that tried twisting you. You came out a beautiful young woman. A woman with eyes hard as stone.”
Althea's breath turned ragged, ”Daniel is the one that gave me fangs. He never babied me, and yeah, it was a bit rough at first. He did kill me when we first met.”
Althea grimaced, ”But he's why I can stay the way I am.”
Yawm turned towards me, ”Ahhh...Your armor...A conduit.”
She nodded, ”That's right. I don't even need it anymore.”
She raised a hand, molding it like liquid, ”I choose to be a monster now.”
Yawm radiated a kind voice, ”You turned your curse into a blessing.”
Althea took a step back, ”Yeah...that's right.”
I turned towards Althea. She shivered, her aim no longer straight. Yawm's words left her uncertain.
Yawm raised a hand towards her, ”I want nothing more than for you to flourish. You were never a monster, not to me. I saw you as my most excellent creation. A natural combination of two halves becoming one.”
Althea whispered in disbelief, ”Really?”
I turned towards Althea, dread racing up my throat. Yawm was controlling her within seconds of speaking with her.
”I am painted out like a demon, but I do not lie. I consider myself a poor father, but a proud one all the same.”
Yawm let his hand smack against the concrete, ”Do any of you ever dwell on your future?”
Hod nodded, ”Hod want Eltari safe. Hod want new home for tribe.”
Yawm nodded, ”I as well wanted a new home for my people. Our world was left decayed and destroyed after we were invaded. Schema gave us nothing after we were assimilated.”
Yawm gestured all around us with a slow, weak move of his arm,
”What was done to your city was done to my entire world. Every world thereafter was glassed in the name of Schema. Once I've been here for much longer, this world will share the same fate.”
His words got to me a little with that one.
”The skies will burn with a light that blinds any that see it. Even if you kill me, they will come. Schema will want to disintegrate the world tree. If you let me live, I can help you all.”
Yawm looked up, ”I...I don't want to watch another horizon bathe in fire.”
Althea and Hod looked up at me. Hod murmured,
”Hod like Earth. Earth new home of Eltari.”
I looked back down at Yawm, my eyes narrowing,
”And why should we trust you?”
Yawm shook his head, ”You shouldn't. You can only have faith in my words.”
Althea grabbed her forehead, her eyes darting around,
”I looked forward to killing you...This is all just...some kind of trick.”
Yawm's eyes narrowed, ”Kill me then. Billions will burn for it.”
I didn't know if I could trust Yawm, but he laid the seed for serious doubt. I didn't know who or what to think at this point.
As my doubt mounted, a whisper rang in my ear,
”To think they all fall to his words.”
A figure phased onto our realm behind Yawm. Ajax stood there, raising a thin hand. As he lowered his arm, he cleaved the dimensional fabric in a line towards Yawm.
The world eater was ready.
His ancient voice rang out like iron,
”Finally.”
Yawm snapped his fingers. Green spheres of energy appeared over each of us. We froze, all of us unable to move. The glow permeating Yawm's blood dimmed, making it a sickly yellow. Vibrant waves of cascading energy rained over Yawm, healing him in seconds.
He rolled onto his chest, pushing himself from the floor. He brushed off his shoulders, some dirt and pebbles clattering against the floor.
He stared at each sphere, his eyes wide.
”You appear once more, Volan.”
He tapped the orb over Ajax. Yawm laughed slow at first. The laughing edged into madness. Malignance rushed into the laughter.
He spoke,
”And here I believe I lost you.”