"Alectrix, please…I beg of you to–"
"TEHAHAHA, WHEW! ISN'T THIS AMUSING, ZATEON?"
The sound of a bombastic disembodied laughter penetrates this space that confines me…my mind included. I can only make out a glimpse of the outside world–enough to recognize this unfavorable situation.
Though my vision is somewhat compromised, I can hear every word that flies out of Klia's mouth. Not just her words, but every sound she makes: lighthearted laughter.
The same laughter I heard when we used to vent together.
The same laughter I heard when we used to joke about demi-humans who have wronged us.
The same laughter I heard when I used to just sit in her presence.
That same laughter is laughing at—
"BREAKING NEWS! AMIDST THE ONGOING CHAOS HAPPENING AROUND THE CITY, LORD WALTINE IS DIRECTING HIS REMAINING TROOPS TO DEFEND AGAINST THE SUDDEN AGGRESSORS. DESPITE HIS ORDERS, A DEDICATED SECT OF BELIEVERS REFUSE TO EVACUATE WITHOUT CONFIRMATION FROM APOSTLE ZATEON WHOSE WHEREABOUTS ARE CURRENTLY UNKNOWN. WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT–"
"DID YOU HEAR THAT, ZATEON? ALL OF THOSE POOR ANIMALS ARE ATTACKING EACH OTHER. AWW, THEY LOOK SO CONFUSED–I HOPE YOU CAN SEE THIS IN THERE!"
"Enough of this immaturity! Release me from this captivity at once so we can formally discuss your grievances like the adults we are!"
I know she can't hear me–yelling at her is pointless. But I can't stand the sound of her voice tossing my mind around, and I certainly want to drown out the calamity she's spreading throughout Fraus.
–All under my watch.
"...that's why I'm begging you, my goddess. Please answer me! Please don't forsake your faithful servant in his hour of need! At this rate, this lunatic will completely destroy all of Fraus even beyond the capital city, all that you have entrusted to me as your apostle. It's not just me, but all of your believers in Fraus are counting on your guidance! Surely it's not in your will for this to happen, let alone come into fruition!"
By the minute, the people are losing their faith…but not in the goddess–in me. An apostle who disappears in times of disaster, unable to provide guidance is utterly useless. The years I've spent establishing myself as anything but are going to waste.
What more must I do? What else do I have to give up?
"Nothing."
"?!"
At last, the sweet voice that I've desperately wanted to hear! Even though she speaks at a soft volume, her voice is powerful enough to completely drown out the obnoxious babble that plagues me.
"My goddess! You have heard my cry at last!"
"Are you implying that I could not hear you before this moment?"
"Of course not, my goddess! My faith has never wavered for even a second. However, I fail to understand the meaning of the word 'nothing' in this context. Is that a command?"
"It means exactly what the definition of the word entails. I do not want you to do anything–you are to remain here."
"If I'm not mistaken, my goddess, you want me to remain as I am–trapped within the clutches of this mad woman–as the nation you entrusted to me dissolves into utter chaos?"
"Precisely. Therefore, I will not release you from this curse that confines you despite your plea."
"With all due respect, what about–"
"There is nothing for you to worry about besides remaining still as instructed. I will handle everything else. Nothing shall go against my will."
"Understood, I will obey completely. Though if I may ask for one request, please help me endure the sound of Klia's voice that grieves my mind. That would surely help me as I remain here."
"...I will weaken the curse that is restricting you. While you will still remain in confinement, you will now be able to interact with the outside world."
As we speak, the veil is becoming more clear…I can see my surroundings…
"My vision has been restored, and now I can observe where I'm being held without doubt–even though my precious headquarters look disorganized, I am grateful for the gift of sight. Adding onto that, I ponder if my increased ability to interact extends to speaking–"
"HEY, I CAN HEAR YOU MUMBLING IN THERE! SO IT TURNS OUT YOU CAN TALK TO ME!"
"What? You can hear my voice, Klia?!"
As soon as I made my inquiry, Klia picked up the orb containing me from the table and brought it close to her face; she brought me very close to her face.
Close enough to see her features in uncomfortable detail, exacerbated by our great size difference. Though I cannot help but notice that she has aged well–very well; Klia certainly takes some pride in her appearance.
"NOW THAT YOU HAVE A VOICE, WHAT WILL YOU USE IT FOR?"
"Let's have a heartfelt conversation–adult to adult…old friend to old friend."
________________________________________________________________________________
From the depths of Zateon's mind, a plea for the goddess's grace arises, only barely leaving his lips as an inaudible whisper.
"Klia, it's abundantly clear that you and I have some…unfinished business. I am more than willing to settle the matter with you privately–emphasis on privately. There is absolutely no justifiable reason to involve thousands of innocent people in whatever scheme you have. Please just focus on me and me alone."
"But that's exactly what I'm doing, no? You, my dearest friend, are the center of my attention. You have always been…"
The eeriness of Klia's voice makes Zateon shudder inwardly. It's not that her words themselves were unsettling, but those words in conjunction with a lighthearted tone.
Regardless, he presses on.
"I appreciate your mindfulness, I truly do. So it should be no issue to request that you would cease the havoc that you are causing upon my people and speedily undo the wreckage that–"
"Did you say 'my people'? Are you referring to the humans here? Most of them happen to be collateral damage, but oh well. It can't be helped."
"Yes, but that's not the complete picture. All kinds of people, both human and demi-human, are among my fellow believers that were entrusted to me from the goddess herself."
"So you consider even those demi-humans, those absolute animals, to be your people?"
Every word that came from Klia's mouth dropped lower and lower–the eerie cheerfulness is fading away.
Or rather, the "mask" has slipped off.
"You know that I more than anyone understand the depravity…the vile nature that rests within the souls of demi-humans, always on the verge from lashing out. But that's precisely why the goddess appointed me to–"
"I knew it! All of these years I knew the truth all along–you are nothing but a traitor! A demi sympathizer! You and I experienced firsthand their wickedness, didn't we? You've seen and heard about the kind of things they would do to me, and that was only a fraction! A small fraction! Despite that, you completely ditched me in favor of that dumb mutt and feel no regret about it at all! There is no way that you are the real Zateon–you are not the one I once knew! As far as I'm concerned, there's only one Zateon I care about…I said, there's only one Zateon I care about!"
"...was that my cue?"
A young man in a black and white hoodie steps by Klia's side sheepishly, clearly unsure of what he's doing. At the sight of him, Zateon's eyes widen so much that he blurts out an audible gasp.
"Wha–what is this sorcery?! Why is there a version of me from over twenty years ago?!"
"Oh geez, come on Zateon, do I really have to spell it out for you? I know that you are smart enough to get it by now…"
"I imagine that he does understand, but he is just in utter disbelief. Can't blame him at all, honestly."
"Quiet darling–only speak when I tell you to. The only Zateon I want to hear from right now is him!"
The fake shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly as if saying "my bad". The one thing that he is not unsure about is his place and not to overstep it.
"This 'Zateon' as well as many of the culprits causing the unrest all over the capital aren't the result of sorcery–they were made by a curse. My curse."
"Your curse…? Since when could you create clones of others? All the time we spent together, you never mentioned it once!"
"Well duh, why would I so casually reveal something that could have made me ostracized even more? Besides, it's my trump card that I've been working hard to perfect. Though of course, it's not like I never used it back then…"
The infliction in Klia's voice at the end of her sentence makes her sound like she's barely holding off laughter. Though instead of anything of the sort, she non-verbally cues the clone Zateon to pass her something in her hand, to which he already had prepared: a small translucent bag with a single strand of hair carefully placed inside.
"So it appears that you indeed have the power to create identical clones of people, although I wouldn't consider it perfected. That clone of me is based on my younger, more immature self."
"All I need is one source of DNA, one lick, and boom! An exact copy of the person, but even better. Sure, clones remain as they are so the illusion is ineffective in the long term, but it's a small price to pay in exchange for their subservience to me."
"So that strand of hair within your possession is…"
"Ah, so you are starting to catch on. You know, your hair never lost its flavor all these years; you took better care of your hygiene than I thought. How mature."
"No, that's preposterous. There's no way that…that…"
A barrage of thoughts containing memories flood every corner of Zateon's mind, making them impossible to suppress. Although it may seem chaotic–it's anything but. All of his thoughts are parts of a single equation that leads to one solution.
At last, the solution comes in the form of one conclusive thought.
"Klia! Damn you; it was your doing all along! You were the one who–"
"Took you long enough!"
Within Zateon's mind, the scattered puzzle that is his memories rapidly fit into place; the once unknown variable now unlocks the solutions for several other equations he couldn't solve. Every piece that connects causes another wrinkle on his forehead. It's as though his soul traveled back to the exact time of the incidents while his physical body remained in the present. Although there was no way for Klia to see within the opaque orb, the orb itself began to brightly flash rapidly before her eyes.
"All this time I couldn't fathom why I was accused of rape of my friend–the one who helped me navigate the hellhole that was that university. I spent years in prison, endured torture over countless hours that felt numb to me all because my mind was occupied with the burning image of that demi-human's look of contempt and betrayal–and it turns out you were the damn culprit?!"
"It's your fault I had to go to extreme lengths to redeem you from what you became–a traitor! We humans were supposed to defend ourselves together from those animals, yet you…that's enough, I won't bother repeating. I planned to be the first one to comfort you after your sentence to rekindle our blossoming relationship and restore things to their proper order, but that ship has sailed. You thought that you could just run away, obtain a new identity in a distant country as an apostle while cozying up with another demi-human without me retaliating? You still haven't learned your lesson, Zateon!"
"You even got my dearest servant involved in your conspiracy; you…you cloned her, deceived me with a phony all the while you were torturing her day after day! You are the one who needs to be redeemed–while sitting in a prison cell! And as apostle of Fraus, I will personally ensure that you will get all of what you deserve you…you…!"
The orb flashes even more rapidly, blinking a bright color as if energy is swelling up, preparing to burst. In general, most people would show some kind of distressed response at the sight of a potential explosion, as evidenced by the clone Zateon and his slowly backing away.
Klia doesn't even flinch; she couldn't look more unbothered.
"Uh, Kli–darling…"
"Yeah yeah, I'm aware…"
Rolling her eyes, Klia pops the orb into her mouth, rolling it under her tongue. Her cheeks glow faintly for a second, then gradually return to normal.
"How peculiar. I never expected you to come up with such a…unique solution, darling."
"But it worked, didn't it? As long as I dull the simulation he feels, his compressed energy won't break free. That's what 16 explained, right?"
"Something along those lines I suppose. Regardless, I have a feeling that your solution is only temporary; you can't keep him in your mouth forever, and the rage within his heart won't ever dissipate. That is assuming that that aspect of my personality hasn't changed."
"I don't need him in the orb forever, darling. Just long enough for the grand finale! It's that time, we're going up!"