"Hmm, seems to me that this is the end," the Wood Ouroboros Gaia muttered to herself in the midst of battle, seeming to have given up.
She had not yet been defeated. Though she was a little disadvantaged, there was still room for a comeback. However, she still looked up to the sky, seeming to have realized her own end. She could tell that the gigantic amount of mana that had made up the ouroboroses of Heaven and Earth had moved somewhere. The Fire Ouroboros, who was already pretty much dead anyway, had started to turn into particles as well. Gaia figured it was only a matter of time for her.
"What?" asked Morgana.
"The curtains have closed…" Gaia said. "The curtains on this story of ours, that is."
The end was here. It was the end of the world, as well as the destruction of the story that lay beyond that. The time had finally come. After so many ridiculous events, the plot had gone so far off the rails that it could no longer be considered a story. All that was left was for the Goddess to tear the script apart.
Though she was loath to end this encounter with her daughters, Gaia still had one last job to complete before she disappeared. She looked at Altria and Morgana. Then, a faint light emitted from the Wood Ouroboros's eye, which entered the fairy sisters's bodies.
"Th-this is…?" Altria asked, trailing off.
"I-I can feel the power…" Morgana paused. "I'm overflowing with strength!"
Morgana's SP was infinite once again, and her stats had gone up as well. On top of that, there was now something in her skill column that she'd never seen before—the skills of the ouroboroses, the arbitrators of the world, had been added to her list. At the same time, Gaia's body weakened, and she started to dissolve into particles of light.
"Wh-what did you do?!"
"I transferred as much of my power and authority as an ouroboros as I could to you two before severing our connection. With this, you two are no longer my avatars… Even if I disappear, I will not take you two with me."
Gaia's mouth twisted upwards as she grinned at them. Seeing that, Morgana realized something. As I thought. She alone was somehow strange from the start… She alone had never wanted to kill Morgana and the others. She had simply been messing around with them. In the end, all she'd done was tease and play around with her children. If it hadn't been for that, Argo would have been long sunk. In actuality, there had been many chances for Gaia to have done so. To her, Morgana's rebellion and everything else had been akin to young children play-fighting with sticks. It was something to smile warmly at, not kill over.
"Don't you mess with me!" yelled Morgana. "We're your enemies! Why did you…?!"
"Because I was happy. The two of you, who should have just been my clones, started to hold your own thoughts and opinions, and in the end, you chose a different path from me… That made me so happy, and seeing all that was so much fun…"
Ever since Morgana's birth, Gaia had been watching over her. Even through her slumber, she could feel her pain and anguish, and now, she stood in front of her as an enemy. She had chosen her future with her own will. As a parent, there was no way that wouldn't fill her with joy.
"The Goddess's story has ended, so from now on, the story is all yours." Gaia paused. "Sorry for never doing anything befitting of a parent. Live well, you two."
"This isn't a joke! What are you even saying this late in the game?! If you say that… I… I… I never… You…"
I never even got to call you mother.
Morgana didn't know if those words had gotten through to Gaia or not. Her enemy and mother turned into particles of light and disappeared fully, vanishing in front of Morgana and the others anticlimactically. All that was left were her last words.
"How amusing…"
After watching her fully disappear, Morgana fell to her knees.
"What the hell. That's so one-sided…" she eventually said. "If that's how you felt, why didn't you just say so in the beginning?! Why did you have to suddenly start sounding like a good person at the end…? How am I even supposed to react?!"
"She probably didn't want to have her determination waver. I… kind of understand how the Wood Ouroboros Gaia, our mother, thought," Altria admitted.
"Altria …"
"Parents are just selfish creatures."
Altria rested her hand on her sister's head, stroking her hair in an attempt to console her.
With this, all the ouroboroses were done for. The Fire Ouroboros Surtr was the last one left, screaming, "Nooo! I don't wanna disappeaaaarrr!" in an unsightly fit as he turned into light. However, he was quickly dealt the finishing blow by Azura.
Midgar was dying, the ouroboroses had disappeared, and the story was no more. All that was left was a brawl that would be a part of no story. The last rites were up to the Goddess and the Devil.
As Altria kindly comforted her crying sister, she quietly looked towards the direction in which Lunaru probably was.
***
"Thank you, Fairy Princess. With this divine sword you have given me, I will surely defeat the Black Dragon and return peace to this world."
After a pause, she said, "Yes. If it's you, you'll 'surely' achieve that. Be careful on your journey."
This was a tale from several thousand years ago.
At the time, the Black Dragon King had driven humanity to the brink of collapse, and a hero had risen up to defeat the Black Dragon along with his friends whom he'd forged a strong, solid bond with. Morgana had given the hero legendary equipment, taught him the Black Dragon's weak point, and sent him off. She'd done this while knowing that he would never come back, that this was a journey of death.
After seeing the hero's party off, Morgana covered her face.
At first, she was silent. "It's so stupid," she then said. "Why does no one question it…? Even though things go way too smoothly for them…"
A weak point on the Black Dragon? Don't make me laugh. There's no such thing, because she's really a divine beast created by the Goddess to govern the world. She's an arbitrator. Just like my main body, she's an agent of divinity.
There's no way a human could win against that. The Goddess made humans so they wouldn't be able to win. Even if they fought seriously, the outcome was already decided. But they'll probably win. That's how the script is written, after all. The Black Dragon will be defeated, and then in a couple hundred or thousand of years—whenever the Goddess deems it necessary—the Black Dragon will change her name and form and once again appear to drive humanity into the depths of despair. Humanity doesn't know. No one does.
All of the evil villains from the past who were spoken of in legends were actually the same person. She was even the God of Destruction all the way back when humans had just branched off from the angels, whom Ozma and his wife—the first hero—had traded their life to eliminate. She was also the Ten-Tailed Beast, the enemy from when the beastmans had just been born, and the world was steeped in a chaotic war. Not to mention the immortal black witch who had run on a rampage with her monsters.
And now she's named her the Black Dragon Fafnir. Next time she'll just have another name, humanity will be none the wiser, and I'll take part in this farce once again. I'll pretend I'm an ally of humanity, but I'll be the reaper, spreading the poison called hope and sending them off to their deaths. That's the true identity of the Fairy Princess. It seems like things are split into two sides, but they're actually the same.
So, yes… I can't help but be fed up.
For a moment, she was quiet, then said, "So stupid… Why do they… look at me with such straightforward eyes, like they truly trust me…? Come on, doubt me…! Figure out that it's weird! It's obvious if you just think about it a little! You only ever see weak monsters and other enemies so you can grow stronger bit by bit, and you're only given stuff to help you follow that curve…! And then there's me, some random fishy woman who claims to know the weak point of the big bad villain…?! Now matter how you think about it, it's weird, right?!" She paused. "Please, just doubt me… Don't let me fool you…"
Up until now, Morgana had sent off heroes many times—over and over and over and over and over again. She had led them with a smile, gifted them weapons, given them advice, and tested them with trials to become stronger. Every time, she had been reminded that their hearts, which wished for peace in the world, were undoubtedly straight and true; they were worthy of being called heroes.
There had once been a young man who claimed to love the world—he had never been able to see the peaceful world he loved so much. There had once been a swordsman who said that he could become as strong as necessary to protect his loved ones—when the world had regained its peace, he was dead along with the people whom he'd loved. There had been a very nice man who'd once said that he wanted to show children a peaceful world as he laughed heartily—he had never even been able to see those children's faces. There had once been a kind swordswoman who went on a journey to her death, despite her gender, in order to ensure the futures of the people precious to her—she hadn't even left any bones behind.
All of them had been sent to their deaths by Morgana.
The world regained peace as the script dictated, and the heroes who had died so magnificently were given a fitting send-off.
There was a long silence.
"I can't… take it anymore…"
Morgana's beautiful face scrunched up, and she covered her face with her hands as she crumpled to her knees.
Their trusting gazes hurt. Their words of thanks hurt. The way they look as they talk of a peaceful future… It's so bright… and so sad…
How many heroes with bright futures ahead of them have I watched die? They, of all people, should have been the ones to enjoy the world at peace, so why do they all have to die? Their lives are short anyway. Even the longer-lived races only live several thousand years… Why can't they be allowed to spend their remaining years happily as a reward for a hard fight?
Morgana had always wondered this, but the Goddess didn't like leaving people who were too powerful unchecked. That was why "she" would always deal the heroes a fatal blow and purposefully lose.
I'm sure the one I just sent off today won't be coming back either. He'll never reunite with his lover, who he said was waiting for him.
I always pray that they never come, but the Goddess, who I have to pray to, doesn't want it to be that way. So they will always come, as their fates dictate. Should I just not help them? No, they wouldn't have come here in the first place if their resolve was so half-hearted as to let my refusal end their journey. If I did that, they would just die fruitlessly after challenging her, and someone else close to them would inherit the curse that is the hero's title. Should I just tell them the truth? No. Doing so will just shorten their lives.
The Goddess will never allow anyone who knows the truth to live.
"How long is this going to go on…? How many times do I have to trick them…? How many more times will I have to kill these children…? Answer me… Goddess…"
I can't take it anymore.
Morgana's spirit was at the breaking point. Her work was something she didn't want to do; it was like stomping on a flower that was heroically trying to bloom in the middle of a wasteland. Morgana had done this continuously, repeating it many tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of times, even while loving every life that was born and admiring their brightness, even while desperately trying to survive.
While watching people as many generations rolled on, Morgana eventually began to love humanity almost like they were her own children. She wanted to protect them. She wanted to hold them. She wanted to save them from this hell. However, reality forced her to do the exact opposite. She was nothing more than the grim reaper who drove them further into hell. She was the scum who had to stomp out the flower.
After a silence, she said, "I should never have gained a sense of self."
How much easier would it have been to just stay as an avatar? To simply be a normal spirit that's just controlled by the main body, able to get by without feeling anything painful…
Morgana drew the knife she had for self-protection and put it to her throat.
Yeah… I can just disappear. I shouldn't exist.
However, her hand was stopped by her sister, her other half. "Morgana, stop!"
Morgana silently tried to shake off her sister's hand. "Let go of me, Altria ."
"No. I won't."
Altria held Morgana firmly. Morgana lacked enough vigor that she was convinced that if she didn't, she would disappear. As Altria slowly soothed her sister, she couldn't help but curse the Goddess.
Oh Goddess. Oh omniscient, omnipotent Goddess Yggdra. Why do you treat us this way? Morgana is not the kind of girl who would be able to withstand this role. She's far too kind to continue doing this.
We should have been switched. I want to switch with her, but that can't be. The heroes always come looking for the Fairy Princess. I'm sure the Goddess has done something to feed them information. And if they look for my sister, she'll answer, because she knows that if she doesn't, things will only get worse.
In the end, I'm just the chaff, a by-product of birthing the sublime being that is the Fairy Princess. I'm just a failure of a fairy who can do nothing but fight. I'm nothing but a defective product pushed out first in order to give birth to something superior.
But Morgana can no longer handle this. She's at her limit. As things stand, she'll break. Even if I spend long years slowly healing the wounds in her heart, they'll only be reopened along with new, fresh ones.
Like that, the cycle of healing and reopening wounds, then healing and reopening wounds again eventually resulted in wounds so deep they could never be fully healed. Her guilt would never disappear. It just kept piling up at the bottom of her heart. It would all have been fine if she was irresponsible enough to just forget about it or if she was rational enough to be able to chase it all the way to the edges of her memory. But Morgana couldn't do that, and she broke little by little.
That was why Altria prayed. She prayed for someone… anyone. She prayed for the appearance of someone who could truly destroy this hell, who could tear apart even the Goddess's Script. She prayed, even while harboring resignation and certainty that no such person existed.
But… Several thousand years later…
Altria deeply, deeply regretted her prayer. The one who stepped foot into their paradise that day was someone who would paint over their hell with an even worse one. Her ominous black wings asserted her presence, and her beautiful looks filled with absolute confidence went along with a bestial smile. Behind her was an army of monsters.
Morgana, who had confirmed the woman's level with a special skill granted to the Fairy Princess, almost swooned. Her level was 4000.
Huh?!… What is this… monster? No. There's no way she's a hero. As if there could be a hero like this.
But still, she's not "her." She's not someone prepared by the Goddess. Why would she create someone so meaninglessly strong like this, when she's been killing heroes all this time because she didn't want to leave behind anyone too powerful?
In the first place, this woman's ignoring the level limit the Goddess put in place. Morgana quietly contemplated this information. I heard the rumors that there was someone called the Devil King who "she"—who's calling herself the Grimm King Indra now—is truly afraid of and is avoiding direct confrontation with.
Morgana had thought it was an exaggeration though, since there had been many people up until now who'd had rumors this exaggerated floating around about them. Unfortunately, however, it turned out that the rumors were all true.
What should I do…? This person…She'll ignore the script and could really kill Indra. Not because of the Goddess's Script. It won't be some fake victory decided on beforehand. She'll really and truly dominate Indra in a real fight and kill her. She's a real monster.
She was a true bug, naturally born into the world and completely unrelated to the Goddess's machinations.
In front of her, Morgana raised her trembling voice to ask, "U-ummm… Do you have business with me?"
"Indeed I do. I've heard that there is a Fairy Princess in these parts who makes use of a strange ability… Welcoming a follower of the Goddess would be interesting, so I came. Okay now, getting to the point… We came to take you away, or tame you, Fairy Princess Morgana. And you too, big sister Altria."
Morgana was rendered speechless. It took a couple of seconds for her to process what she'd just heard. Huh? What? She's going to capture me? Like a monster?
Many humans had visited Alfheim throughout the years. The Fairy Princess had been petitioned for help or advice many times. However, no fool had ever come to try to capture her. As if there could be. The Goddess wouldn't allow it.
"Ah. Of course, you're welcome to resist. You have the right to refuse. If you don't want to be captured, resist with all your might."
"I'll take you up on that offer!"
Altria raised her Excalibur, and Argo floated up into the air along with all the heroic spirits who were on it. The little sister summoned them, and the older sister led them. With that arrangement, the skill Argonouts was completed and became an unbeatable, unfair skill.
However, the black-winged angel took one look at the ship and sent out a light punch. Right afterward, a giant hole opened up in Argo, and it started to sink while emitting smoke.
Huh? Shocked, even Morgana's thoughts were momentarily quiet. Wha—Uhhh? Did Argo just… fall? Is this a joke?! Did this person seriously sink Argo with just the wind pressure from her punch?! That thing is as hard as orichalcum?!
The black-winged angel was truly a common sense-destroying being, or common sense possibly just got sick of dealing with her and ran away at full speed. The summoned heroes were all easily subdued by her aura and rendered immobile. The fairy sisters also crumpled to their butts on the ground.
What the hell? What the hell is she?! I don't know anyone like her?!
Morgana felt like she was experiencing a somehow even worse version of Hel, a super-Hel. This woman was like an all-encompassing despair that engulfed and surpassed regular despair. She was a source of unfairness, absurdity, and irrationality that stomped on everything lesser than herself, one who broke every other absurdity. And she was exactly what Morgana had been waiting for—one who could rip apart even a Goddess's Script.
The woman stood in front of Morgana and looked down upon the Fairy Princess. "Your eyes, they look like they belong to a corpse. Looks like the role the Goddess forced on you was too much of a burden."
Surprised, Morgana could say nothing in reply.
"What's wrong? Why are you so surprised? Did you seriously think that I didn't know? True, I do realize that I wasn't on the smart side of the scale, but… even then, even I'd notice something this obvious. You and the Grimm King Indra… It's such a perfect story of opposing light and dark that it's like someone is literally pointing out that there is a purposeful balance being kept. And that's not all. Weiss translated a stone tablet left hidden deep in some ruins, and it seems as if you've faced off against someone very similar to the Grimm King many times, and for a long while now. It's as if the world is a pendulum, swinging between light and dark, between hope and despair… That convinced me. 'Ahh, they're totally working together,' I thought." Lunaru paused. "Right on the money, yes?"
Lunaru used a finger to lift up Morgana's chin so they would lock gazes.
"It must have been quite painful for you. You must have deceived heroes and watched them die countless times, and it must have eroded away at your heart. Rejoice—this will be the last time."
Morgana was shocked.
"If the Goddess will not answer you, then I shall. The curtain will soon close on this play, and when it does, you will no longer have to send anyone to their deaths." Lunaru quieted, then said, "We will be destroying the whole stage, after all."
While listening to Lunaru, Morgana felt like she was face to face with a Devil. Devil… an evil being that defies divinity. That's exactly what she is. No matter how I look at it, she's completely ignoring the Goddess's Script. For someone like this to be born… It must have been completely unexpected for the Goddess.
But… Ahhh, how ironic. To think that the one to say the words I've always wanted to hear wasn't one of the heroes I've always loved and respected, but the exact opposite. Or maybe she said it because she's a Devil?
"I'm going to retake true freedom for this world, which has been forced to repeat a third-rate play over and over again. In order to do that, I want you… Become our ally, Fairy Princess Morgana."
It was the temptation of evil, and it led down the treacherous path of betraying the Goddess.
The hero wouldn't be able to destroy the Goddess's Script. The only one who could would be a monster completely out of the norm. So Morgana took Lunaru's hand, because even if this was the path that led to her destruction, she could no longer stand plucking flowers before their time.