"Don't be so hostile. You saw how we split the spoils... most of it went to support your dear father's cause, not me! I'm not interested in your remaining characteristics anyway; they're no use to me. I just wanted to give you a good thrashing." Alaric said with a smile. "It's up to you whether you want to lend your father a hand."
"Are you trying to guilt-trip me?" Amon asked, clearly seeing through Alaric's tactics.
"Yep!" Alaric nodded openly, without a hint of shame.
Amon choked, clearly unaccustomed to someone as shameless as Alaric.
"Haha, just kidding! Amon, you'd better hold onto those characteristics. After all, as the original big bad, you need to keep some menace, right?" Alaric said with a laugh, his tone carrying a deeper meaning.
He had no intention of going after Amon's remaining characteristics. Whether Bethel or Klein rose to prominence later, they'd need a worthy adversary to sharpen themselves against.
Alaric's gaze swept over everyone present, and he smiled. "Alright, the Amon-beating mission is a complete success. Now it's time for some fun. Anyone want to join?" As he spoke, he cut off the broadcast to the other dimension.
"What kind of game?" Amon, now tidied up and looking human again, suddenly asked.
"The Joker Club's little game, of course!" Alaric grinned at him. "What, are you thinking of joining the club?"
Amon adjusted his monocle, his eyes scanning the others before he said, "Why not?"
"Truly worthy of you... adaptable as ever." Alaric said, giving Amon a slightly surprised look. Then, with a flourish, he pulled out a Joker Club badge and handed it to Amon. "Welcome to the club, Amon."
He didn't mind Amon joining at all... more members meant more chaos, and more chaos meant more fun! Besides, with the Ancient Sun God on speed-dial, Alaric wasn't worried about Amon stirring up trouble. Still, he glanced at Bethel and said bluntly, "The Ancient Sun God isn't here, so Bethel, keep an eye on Amon. Don't let him cause a mess."
The straightforwardness of his words left the room silent for a moment. Bethel nodded. "Alright."
Amon didn't seem bothered by Alaric's open wariness. He was briefly taken aback by how readily Alaric handed over the badge, eyeing him suspiciously, likely wondering if there was some hidden scheme. But after a few seconds, he took the badge, examined it, and looked at Bethel with a smile. "Familiar craftsmanship."
"These badges are indeed my work." Bethel admitted, meeting Amon's gaze without hesitation.
Amon said nothing more, pinning the badge to his collar. Then, with a smile, he said, "Looks like we're colleagues again. This takes me back to the days before Solomon's fall."
During the First and Second Solomon Empires, everyone present... except Alaric... had indeed been colleagues in one way or another, just in different configurations.
Medici, hearing this, smirked and said sardonically, "What, you're going to work for Lucifer now too?"
"If Mr. Amon's willing, I certainly wouldn't mind." Alaric said with a smile. Who would turn down a willing subordinate?
Amon caught the subtext in Medici's words and looked at him with mild surprise. "I thought you'd stick with the True Creator forever."
Amon was genuinely taken aback. While he didn't acknowledge the True Creator as the Ancient Sun God, he knew how loyal Medici was to his "father." Medici had followed the True Creator precisely because he believed him to be the Ancient Sun God. For Medici to switch allegiances was unexpected.
"You'd have to ask your dear brother about that!" Medici said with a mocking smile, emphasizing the word "brother" as he looked at Amon. "What's that, Lil' Raven? You've been hanging out with your brother for so long... don't tell me you never figured out his true identity?"
Amon's confusion was evident now. His relationship with Adam wasn't close, but it wasn't hostile either. They'd collaborated throughout the Fourth Epoch, even teaming up to hunt Medici for Tudor. But their interactions had dwindled in the Fifth Epoch. Still, how well did Amon really know Adam? As a Spectator, Adam was always scheming something, and if he weren't Amon's brother, Amon wouldn't have bothered dealing with someone so hard to deceive and easy to be outmaneuvered by.
In Amon's mind, Adam was his brother, the firstborn son of the Ancient Sun God, born alongside him. What other identity could he have? And yet, for that identity to make Medici abandon his father… Amon froze, a sudden guess forming in his mind, too unbelievable to accept.
"Hahahaha! You really didn't know!" Medici laughed, his voice dripping with mockery. "Lil' Raven, you call yourself the God of Deceit? You might as well be the God of Being Deceited!"
Medici's reaction confirmed Amon's suspicion, but he blurted out, "Impossible!"
"Funny, I thought the same at first. Too bad the truth doesn't care if you believe it." Medici said, his lips curling with disdain.
Amon's brow furrowed, but after a few seconds, he relaxed, smiling at Medici. "That's why I say there's only one true father. The True Creator, or anyone else... they're all just substitutes. Looks like you've finally figured that out, Medici."
Amon had reasoned it out. Whether Adam was like the True Creator didn't matter. He'd never truly seen the True Creator as his father, so the same applied to Adam.
But that meant Adam never existed... that Amon never had a brother. For a rare moment, Amon felt a pang of unease.
Amon moved on quickly, but Medici was the one left stinging. Adam's betrayal was a thorn in his side, a constant source of pain.
"No rush. Revenge will come in time." Alaric said, patting Medici's shoulder with a smile. "Keep climbing the ranks. Once you're the Red Priest, you can give him a proper beating, stab him a few times, and ask if he's satisfied with that outcome."
"You could even have the Ancient Sun God back you up, get Sasrir to give you post-fight counseling, and then string Adam up on a lamppost with a sign that says, 'A Necessary Sacrifice.' Doesn't that make the future sound exciting?"
***
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