Myridia, 50 light-years from Earth
Kari Zel has seen her planet in the midst of a civil war before, so she expected to see the ravages of conflict upon her return. Instead not only the damages brought by Ares have been repaired, but Null City looks better than ever.
<I have to say, you really took care of the place.> she admits to Ganos Lal, as the Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Null escorts her to a secluded section of the Grand Cathedral.
<Very few people wanted to oppose us, after Null had defeated Ares. Even nonbelievers thought that Null would have our back.> Ganos replies.
<Have you told anyone that the one who ordered the militarization of the Church wasn’t the actual Null? Maybe they wouldn’t want her as queen if they knew.>
<I wanted to say it, Kari, but it would either undermine the authority of any actual appearance or require me to reveal that Null has died and risen from the dead… and she doesn’t want that.>
<Right. I guess it would make it pretty hard to convince them that she’s not a goddess.>
<Indeed. Kari… can I ask you a personal question?>
<Sorry Lal, but you’re not my type.>
<No, I was just wondering… as a member of the Vanguard you have personally witnessed countless miracles that Null performed. How can you still not believe that she is a goddess?>
<Again with this stuff?> Kari sighs, rolling her eyes.
<You don’t have to answer, and I don’t want to push my belief on you. I’m just trying to understand your point of view.>
<Lal, I know Noriko has done some amazing things, but come on. Haven’t you two shared a cell for weeks, when Ulysses imprisoned you? You must’ve seen her go to the bathroom and stuff.>
<I have had that privilege. Gods work in mysterious ways.>
<You’re sick, Lal. Now, speaking of mysterious, is your guest alone?> Kari asks, as they have reached the door leading to one of the lesser chapels.
<I haven’t revealed his real identity to anyone; priests and priestesses have no reason to believe he is anything special.> Ganos Lal answers, opening the door.
Both Myridians gasp as they witness two men and a woman in a steamy embrace with a topless Noriko Null. As soon as her eyes stare at Kari, “Noriko” transforms herself into an exact copy of Kari’s husband Kiros with a burst of pink light.
<It’s not what it looks like, honestly! I told them I wasn’t the actual Null.> Eros admits.
<That doesn’t make it okay! This is blasphemy!> Ganos Lal shouts, her face getting as red as it can possibly can. Kari has to create a duplicate to forcibly restrain her, but that’s hardly useful with a fellow Myridian as Ganos creates her own duplicates to forcibly escort the other mortals away from the chapels.
<Take him away from my church, NOW. And permanently!!!> Ganos shouts to Kari; she drags the culprits out of the chapel, creating more duplicates to gather their clothes and a final one to shut down the door as hard as she can.
Kari and Eros remain in an awkward silence for a few seconds.
<She looks upset. I don’t understand why: these people love Null, what’s the harm in helping them express their love?> Eros wonders. Kari is astounded by how much he resembles her Kiros.
<Even Myridians have boundaries, believe it or not. Why did you transform into my husband?>
<It’s an automatic reflex: this is the person you love the most. Do you want to make out?>
<That’s… not really why I came here, Eros.>
<I can be someone else if you want. I know you have so much love to give.> Eros insists, changing once again into an exact copy of Noriko.
<Can’t you just take your natural form? I’m not interested in this.>
<I have no form, love is in the eye of the beholder. And it’s no use trying to lie to me.> “Noriko” says, taking Kari’s arm and getting uncomfortably close.
It takes all of the Myridian’s self-control to push her suitor away.
<As tempting as it is, I’m a better friend than that. Look Eros, I know you’ve been very useful for Myridia, but now Noriko really needs your help to save Vesta.>
<Of course! I love my dearest great-aunt, and I love Noriko even more.>
<You’ve never even… wait, if you’ve never met her, how did you transform into her? Or into my husband for that matter?>
<Oh that’s easy! I take the form of the mental image that other people have of the real deal. I see that the image you have of her is shorter and less endowed.> Eros comments, touching the breasts of his Noriko body.
<You may want to cut that out; if she knew you were doing stuff like this, Noriko would straight up murder you.>
<Oh, I wouldn’t want her to be upset. Now, my love, you said you needed my help?> Eros asks while transforming into Kiros in the middle of the sentence.
<Let’s go to a more private place first. Preferably one where I can take a cold shower.> Kari proposes, while thinking:
“I can’t believe I found a guy who makes ME look like a prude. The things I do for Noriko…”
The Moon, Earth’s solar system
The planet has disappeared, but its gravitational field is still holding its satellite. To an observer, it looks like the Moon is orbiting empty space.
A small squadron of battleships sent by the Mortal Republic keeps guard of the place, while two separate teams of scientists study the only signs of advanced technology: the Shadow Network portal that Null acquired from the Lar, and the remains of the N01-Ragnarok.
The heavily damaged warship seems in perfect shape from the outside: its shell of Neutral Matter is mostly intact, and would still be able to fly if it wasn’t for the catastrophic damages to multiple of its systems, from the engines to life support.
Engineers keep coming and going, removing parts of the ship and carrying them to laboratories on the other side of the Galaxy. With access to the Moon restricted by the ships in orbit, only a couple of armed guards protect the access to the Ragnarok itself.
They are startled by the sudden appearance of a fire pentagram, lifting their plasma rifles to shoot down the intruder.
<Stop right there! Identify yourself!> one of the two guards shouts via radio.
Noriko Null steps out of the portal before Torn does. Neither of them is wearing a spacesuit: she’s protected by her Survival Field from the lethally cold lunar landscape, and Torn’s body is glowing red with Blood energy.
She doesn’t say a single word, just staring at the guards.
<Y-you are not authorized to… we, we are u-under orders…> the first guard stutters.
She just stares.
<We didn’t touch anything, I swear! Please, I have a wife and kids!> the second one adds, his hands visibly shaking in utter fear.
She just stares. But her silver eyes shine.
Both guards rush to throw away their weapons and raise their hands, stepping aside. She calmly walks towards the access door; once on the other side she gives the slightest nod to Torn, and a couple of large energy swords form an X that blocks the passage.
If it’s no surprise that Torn keeps quiet, Noriko is uncharacteristically taciturn. Only the mental ghost of a black woman walking besides her, one that only Noriko can see, wants to comment.
<I see Ares really did a number on the ship. The infrastructure looks solid, though, we can probably salvage most of this stuff. Probably even improve on it.>
Noriko doesn’t acknowledge her, opting instead to give orders to Torn.
<Looks like all engines are off-line. I’ll have to use the Portal Generator to bring it to the Null Zone; make sure everyone leaves the place within the next five minutes.>
<Are you sure you wish to be alone?> the Demon asks her.
<Yes, I really do.> she answers, looking at the ghost of Roxiana as she does.
<Don’t linger too much on the past.> Torn suggests before taking his leave.
<Hm. Wonder what he meant by that? I could never get the hang of Demons.> Roxiana comments.
<I thought you were a genius. I wasn’t talking only to him: I want to be alone.>
<Why, because you wanted to keep the ship’s secrets for yourself? It’s too late for that.>
<I didn’t come back for the ship.> Noriko replies, opening the door to the bridge.
It’s still how she left it: with every single station damaged well beyond repair, there’s nothing to salvage here. Even the ship’s data could be better accessed from the main computer servers in the lower deck, though she’s confident no human could get past the encryption in a million years.
None of this is important to her. Not as much as the dead body left among the rubble, with its head twisted in an unnatural way after the neck was brutally snapped.
The cold and airless environment caused by the failure of the life support system and the exposure to the lunar void has delayed the decomposition, but seeing the corpse of Dmitry Voron up close is still a punch to her stomach.
She thought that she could take it, but her heart says otherwise. The Slayer of Gods falls to her knees and she can’t hold back the tears anymore.
<He was more than an ally or even a friend, wasn’t he? Did you love him?>
<Just leave me alone. Please.>
<First time losing someone close, I get it. Friends and lovers, children and spouses… for people like us, they are a fleeting respite from the responsibility of our destiny.>
<If you’re seriously going into a speech about the superiority of Nexus users, I swear to God…>
<Gods swear to US: we are architects of the future, achievers of the impossible. Shed your tears, Null: this pain will make you stronger than you could possibly imagine.>
<Just go away, Roxiana. I’m not in the mood for your bulls##t right now.>
<In time you’ll understand. Just ask yourself what your loved one would’ve told you in my place.> the former Nexus host says, before disappearing from Noriko’s view.
She wipes away the tears, then she takes Dmitry’s cold hand.
<Probably something brutally honest. You were never one to mince words, isn’t it?> she tells him, switching to Russian as if he could hear her words.
<I don’t know if I loved you the way you wanted me to. But I swear on my life I won’t allow your sacrifice to be for nothing.> she confesses, and that’s when the real tears start to flow.
She’s too overwhelmed by grief to notice that Roxiana is in fact still watching her.
“You’re more resilient than I gave you credit for, Noriko. If I could harness that willpower of yours, you might not be the only Nexus host to return to life.” she thinks.
Myridia, 50 light-years from Earth
The giant statue of Null overseeing that bear her name is not open to the public, but being a member of the Vanguard has its perks. Kari Zel and Eros are on top of the statue’s head, looking at the horizon where two suns are setting, in the afterglow of a third one rising behind them.
<I’ve always liked this planet.> Eros admits.
<Then why didn’t you do anything when Demeter conquered us?>
<I don’t think you have an idea of how many planets there are in this Galaxy. Besides, even if I knew about it, I couldn’t have attacked her… I loved her too much.>
<You loved Demeter!? She was a monster!>
<I love everybody.>
<I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Eros… what do you know about Vesta’s mother?>
<You mean Rhea? Oh I love her! Such a wonderful goddess.>
<She let her husband eat her children alive, Eros.>
<Oh that’s old news. What do you want to know about her?>
<We need to find her. We have reason to believe she took Vesta somewhere, any suggestions?>
<Have you tried Asphodelus? It’s her personal little garden.>
<It’s been destroyed. Before the war with the Egyptians.>
<Hmm. Then I’m stumped… she’d never go to Olympus, she hates the place. Too stuffy. She’s definitely not visiting Hades because she’s not too fond of Persephone, and both Hera and Poseidon would not allow Vesta there. Sorry, I have no clue.>
<Come on, there has to be SOME place she would visit other than these!>
<Well… there is one planet she goes to, sometimes. But I wouldn’t bother going to Aquilia.>
<Why not? I’ve never heard of the place.>
<For good reason! Nobody can leave Aquilia. Ever. For no reason.>
<Why?>
<Who knows? Nobody’s ever returned from Aquilia to tell. It’s an edict from Gaea herself. Rhea and Zeus have a personal dispensation, but no other god can ever leave. Not even Ares or Aphrodite have ever dared to go there!>
<Why would Rhea bring Vesta there?> Kari wonders.
<Last time we talked about Aquilia she told me they still worship Hestia. It’s probably the last place in the universe where they still do.>
<It’s worth a shot. Do you know where Aquilia is?>
<Of course! It’s an open secret between gods, but trust me, you really don’t want to go there. Leaving the planet is completely and utterly impossible.>
Kari can’t help but smile.
<I know a girl who’s an expert at impossible things.>
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