***The World***

***Celes***

“Let me go!” I flail impotently at my mother who is holding me in a headlock. “If I just had a properly proportioned body! Ascathon would be dead right now! I would have nailed my hairpin straight through his eyeball into that stupid brain of his!”

Switching position, Katrine grinds one of her knuckles into my temple.

“Aiieee!” I let out an agonized shriek when she hits that exact spot where a vein can be pressed against the bone of the skull. My mother mercilessly massages the spot like an expert, popping the vein back and forth underneath her knuckle.

No matter how much mana I circulate through my skin, in my current form I can’t even begin to prevent or mitigate that kind of damage. I buck against her, but she doesn’t let go no matter what I do and after suffering her punishment for over twenty seconds, the fight goes out of me.

Both my parents carry me over to a chair and tie me to it with a rope, coiling the strong cord around me. They tie several knots just to be sure that I won't escape. The process continues until I look like a tied up caterpillar and can’t move an inch.

Katrine’s stern expression tells me that she is pissed and Arthur looks like he’s about to bend me over his knee.

“I don’t think that’s enough, Love.” Arthur gestures for Mom to step back and proceeds to cast several barriers and binding effects on me, pumping enough mana into the enchantments to pin down several mages of average level.

“You have some explaining to do, little miss!” Katrine waves a finger at me threateningly.

I don’t answer. Instead, I clamp my jaw shut and focus my gaze on my knees, ignoring the trickle of blood that’s running down my forehead.

Ascathon – that bastard – managed to rip out a fistful of my beautiful hair! He must have torn the skin in the process. I blink the blood away and circulate my mana through the areas which are hurting the most. He also got a good kick in as a parting gift when we were separated, though I doubt he noticed it with all the flailing around.

I am no good with healing magic and head wounds bleed like a bitch, but circulating my mana may help the blood to coagulate faster.

Katrine sighs. “Heal!”

A wash of invigorating mana floods through me and I feel the little aches on my body vanish.

I notice that Ireth and Nicol gave Ascathon a similar treatment to the one I received, just with the little difference that they also gagged him. Seeing that, I smirk.

Having us secured, our parents step up to each other.

“I am so sorry. I really thought this would go over better,” Ireth apologizes, wringing her hands.

Arthur shakes his head. “There is no need. We assumed that something like this could happen. It just means that we have to be extra vigilant from now on.”

“I suggest some radical educational measures,” Nicol hisses out from between grinding teeth.

“Ah, so they are really reincarnated souls, just like the Goddess suggested. Do you think all the religious stories are true? Because if they are really the primal forces of Order and Chaos, I don’t see how this arrangement will ever work out.” Katrine gestures at us.

“I am more worried about the fact that neither of them told us the truth,” Arthur mumbles. “It's not like we gave them anything but love, at least I hope so. But if there was any doubt before, then there is none now. They even used the names of their past identities.” My father looks at me, a plagued expression on his face that hurt me far more than any physical punishment.

I look down, feeling ashamed that I never trusted my parents enough to tell them the truth. Maybe this wouldn't have happened? If they had known about the spawn of evil, they wouldn't have tried this setup!

“It will work!” Ireth proclaims with confidence in her voice. “There is no ‘else’. They are our children, and no matter their past, their education is in our hands.”

I look up, shocked. What's wrong with that woman!? How could anyone come up with 'that' conclusion after such an incident!?

Her expression changes, turning cold and sending a shiver down my spine. “It just means that we have to re-evaluate our methods and answer their excesses with a suitable response of our own.” She looks at her son and then at me. “Maybe we should discuss this where they cannot overhear us.”

They file out of the room, leaving me alone with my arch-enemy. All I can do is to shoot the glare of death at him, but Asca… Angrod doesn’t even acknowledge my existence. His eyes are fixated on the wall as he chews on the piece of cloth in his mouth.

Come to think of it, from where did they get the rope so quickly? Did they store it nearby, just in case something like this would happen?

A slight movement draws my attention, and I notice that the maid stayed in the room, managing to perfectly blend into the background.

“Hey, you!” I address her. “Free me!”

She shakes her head. “You got Ireth angry, and I already screwed up today. If I am not already going to be fired, freeing you would mean that she sees to my execution!”

“What!?” I gasp. “What kind of screwed up bitch is that woman?” I look at Angrod who is still brooding. Should I feel sorry for him to have ended up with such a mother?

I don't get the time for anything else, because that’s the moment when the door opens and our parents return.

Arthur and Nicol don’t say a word as they pick Angrod and me up, chairs and all.

Then we are placed back on the ground, facing each other with the window front to my left and the door to the right.

Ireth claps her hands together to gain our attention while Nicol takes the gag out of Angrod’s mouth.

“Alright, kids! Your first lesson will be to live and to let live. You two are going to settle your dispute here and now – with words. Take whatever time you need.”

I snort, my defiance rekindled by that woman's proclamation. “That’s not going to happen!”

“Oh, but it will,” Mom says as she casts a mana suppressing Hex on Ascathon and me. “Because you are going to stay here until you have agreed not to harm each other. You won’t leave the room until you’ve sworn an oath on your souls that you will live together like civilised people.”

“I can wait.” Angrod smiles.

“If need be, you will stay here until you grow a beard,” Ireth doubles up on her threat with a sweet voice.

Something in Angrod’s expression changes, telling me that he thinks his mother is perfectly capable of pulling through with such a threat.

Nicol clears his throat. “Listen, you two, I don't know how much of the religious mumbo-jumbo is true or not. Or if Seria is just pulling us over the table. But as long as you aren't talking to us, we have no choice but to operate on assumptions. Which means that you two are going to learn to deal with each other. Whether it's your past or the here and now, you two are two sides of the same coin. There is no 'one without the other'.”

With that, they leave the room, allowing me to continue needling Ascathon with my eyes.

He ignores me.

I try to move, but the tight bindings make it impossible and as time goes on, I become more and more fidgety. My current body has a serious case of ADHD. It's almost impossible for me to sit still for hours on end.

Hours pass, and he continues to ignore me!

Damn! This is the worst torture they could do to me! I have to do something, even if it means talking to him!

***The World***

***Angrod***

As we are both constrained to our chairs, there isn't much to do, so I bide my time, going through mental exercises.

After the disaster of our introduction, the decision of forcing us to interact came as a shock to me. Honestly, how could our parents ever expect us to make peace after what just happened? If anything, it's only proof that coexistence would be a bother at best, eternal torture at worst.

Throwing us into a pit and to wait until one emerges would have been kinder.

And those ropes...

I get that they are afraid of us killing each other – rightly so – but they bound us like in a bad bondage movie. On top of that, they laid down enough magical restrictions to immobilize an adult magician of considerable strength.

And telling us that there would be no getting out of this without us making peace... I am afraid that Ireth really meant it! It has been seven hours and they didn't even check on us.

I have a serious problem by now, but I will not humiliate myself by pissing into my pants! Never! I will die before I do that.

Judging by the way Myrm is fidgeting around, she has the same problem. I just have to be the one who endures longer and I'll have at least won a psychological victory.

I am fine with not speaking to each other, but this is slowly getting ridiculous.

The first two hours, we just stared at each other until Myrm broke eye contact to look out of the window. I feel like I won that one.

Then I started counting stuff inside the room, just to kill time. For example, there are 2334 dots on the ornamented ceiling. 789 squared timbers used for the wooden floor – at least I think so. That carpet in front of the door is annoying the heck out of me. I hate carpets!

There are 543 books on the shelf behind Myrm and 13 birds flew past the window while we were sitting here.

I am out of stuff to count.

Oh, our parents are devils! Will they let us starve here if we don't talk? They wouldn't, or would they? No, we will die of thirst first! How can I get out of this?

I take another look at Myrm. Katrine Stricc healed her. I was so close to taking her scalp as a trophy! Once, I was reincarnated among a tribe of really ingenious people, and they taught me a way of ripping off an enemy's scalp without using tools. It's all about the right angle and abruptness of force.

I sigh.

Why is Seria doing this? Does she really intend to turn us into political leaders who are forced to work toward a common goal? I dislike being destined to fulfill someone else's expectations.

Do our parents plan to set up a permanent residence in Midhold? They really intend to set things up, so we have to live together.

“If they have enough power to do all of this they should have unified the continent and left me alone!” I complain towards myself. “I am not the problem! The people who can't leave others the fuck alone are!”

“The rule of this world's nobility is absolute obedience to the leading house by bloodline. Holding up the traditions and royal governing system is of utmost importance to those families. If our parents told them to follow another country, there is a high chance that it would end up in open rebellion. By having us marry, they can fulfil the prophecy and declare their houses as one. It would be an easy way to unite both states.” Myrm smiles at me innocently.

Did Myrm just talk to me? Without threatening my life!?

“Oh, and I am sorry, I overreacted. If I had managed to keep a cool head and get rid of you in a clean manner, we wouldn't have to endure this. I've heard earlier that you got attacked by assassins? Too bad that they didn't manage to do their job.” Her innocent smile turns cruel and she shows me her teeth.

“TCH!” I almost forgot that this is Myrm! This is no cute little girl sitting there. Think! It's A GUY! I want to smack my head into something.

“Keep that dirty look to yourself! Just tell me why you laughed like mad at me! Does this dress really look that bad?” Myrm asks, looking down at herself. “I knew this colour was too childish. It makes me look like some fairy tale princess.”

The gears in my head stop. Why does he care about the colour of the dress? The most important point is that it's a dress, you idiot! You are a girl! Could Myrm really swing that way?

“I laughed because you reincarnated as a girl! You have to be very unlucky for that, but it happens sometimes. I guess Seria had a hand in it,” I muse.

Myrm looks at me agape. Then she closes her mouth, opens it again, closes it.

Did I say something silly? Why do I get such a reaction?

“I WAS ALWAYS A GIRL YOU MINDLESS BASTARD! Oh Hell! We were at it for millennia and all the time you thought I was a man!?”

I blink. “What are you talking about? You were a perfect man! Always in full body armour and fighting some stupid battle for justice and order! And all your followers advertised you as a male god!”

She surely doesn't want to tell me that I got her gender wrong all this time. Could it be? I think Myrm never actually took his helmet off in my presence. But I should have noticed at some other point when I was talking to the other deities... though... I guess I wasn't all that sociable...

Would they have pointed out my mistake if anyone ever noticed? I guess not, given my reputation. They would have done everything to have to endure one second less in my presence.

“They were idiots who got my gender wrong when I took over the position from my predecessor! All the other gods knew I was a female in truth. What's wrong with you?“ She starts crying.

Oh! Hey, stop that! You're making me look like the bad guy!

“You are an enemy of all womankind! Not every female has to be a big breasted exhibitionist like Seria who wears transparent dresses!” She is now in full bickering mode!

I don't even understand how she made that mental leap!

“What are you thinking of me!? First, I don't really believe your story, and secondly, I am perfectly fine with women who have small chests!” I can't let such an accusation stand! A nice ass to grope is more than enough for me.

“I have no expectations of an old, perverted, idiotic, anti-feministic geezer inside the body of a child! I am sure you have the best time getting off on your mother, every time you reincarnate!” she rages.

“Hold it! If I am a geezer, you are a granny! How old are you really!? Maybe you are some hag even twice my mental age! Of all people, you have no right to accuse me of being a geezer!” I can do nothing but respond in kind.

“I have seen you look at Seria's ass often enough! You are surely one of those guys who have perverted fantasies around the clock!”

“Every unbound guy who has a normal brain would turn his head at someone with a figure like hers! Well, be happy that I killed you then! I did you a favour! Most fortunate thing that could happen to you. When I look at your mother, you should have the best genes for the future.”

Her eyes widen. “Oh my god! You will even go for your fiancées's mother. Will you try to bed us at the same time?”

NO! No, no! That's not the way I meant it, you stupid bitch! What's wrong in her brain? There must be some misrouted connections up there.

”What do you take me for? Have you ever seen me behave like that!? You, as my dearest enemy, should know me at least enough to acknowledge that I am not some skirt chaser!”

She silently thinks for a moment, sorting out her memories. It takes some 'Mh-ing' and 'Ah-ing', but she finally concludes, “I've never seen or heard of you being with anyone in all that time. Though, I am pretty sure that you had least some action with that harem of succubi who you kept at your beck and call. Even a god isn't above mortal pleasures. Or, do you have some sort of mental problems? Gods should have minds like everyone else.”

Ahem... I don't know how to reply.

She squints her eyes at me and starts grinning. “I don't think its because you are something like an epic hermit who has forsaken all worldly desires. Does it have something to do with that title of yours? Little One? Kekeke! I wondered about that.”

How does she know!? Has she been through my stuff while I was with Rose at the zoo?

“NOOOO!” I screech with all my might. “It's surely not like that. It's because my mother always used it as a pet name. And how do you know my titles?”

“Oh you are a momma's boy, I understand. So after my mother and me, you will go for yours too? Or have you already checked that off your list? I must admit that I am a little worried now.” She looks up at the ceiling, looking contemplative.

She wants to set me off balance. I close my eyes and inhale sharply to center myself. “Myrm! Stop making me do things like that in your mind! I am just a guy who doesn't like to boast about his relationships. In my opinion, I am a decent fellow! I am not someone who likes to bed every woman who crosses his path. I like my relationships to be mutual. Regarding my social reclusiveness, it's just that its hard for me to find someone with whom I can have a normal conversation.”

I am exhausted now. This bickering wears me out.

“Stop calling me Myrm! Myrm was a god! I am Celes of Stricc now.” She says it like she lost something dear.

Her admission makes me pause. I can understand her loss, as I lost the same thing. “Then you have to call me Angrod of Tirna from now on.”

We stay silent for a long time.

It's the unpleasant ache in my loins that finally forces me to offer an olive twig. “Can we call a truce, for the time being?”

She gnaws on her lower lip, concentrating hard on something. “Don't misunderstand. I still hate you down to the bones!” Celes glares daggers at me.

I have no complaints if she hates me. “Believe me. Your feelings are mutual. Let's just get out of here and stay out of each other's way. What do you think?”

Please say yes. I have to pee!

She nods. “Let's try it.”

Together, we call for our parents and wait.

After an eternity the door opens and Katrine enters the room. Ireth follows after her.

“Have you two made any progress?” Katrine inquires with a raised eyebrow.

“We promise not to kill each other!” I call out, barely able to hold back, and Celes nods.

“No wounding, maiming or other forms of violence?”

We nod again and Katrine looks at Ireth. My mother sighs and waves her hand, dispelling the Hexes that were placed on us. Katrine summons a Force spell to her fingertip and cuts through the ropes.

The moment the rope falls to the floor I jump up and dash out of the room, down the corridor to the bathroom.

As I reach for the doorknob I get shoved by something from behind and fall over. “Argh!”

“Girls first! Have you learned nothing about manners!?” Then there is a door being slammed shut and the click of a lock.

I start crying. “I want to kill something! Anything is fine as long as it dies slowly and in pain! Then I'll revive it and kill it again!”