PHASE 90 - MY FATHER IS A NUCLEAR DRAGON

We immediately consulted the Kozukata Shrine for my father’s unstable condition. We had him on the shrine infirmary checked by shrine maidens who have expertise in diagnosing curses.

My father possesses the eye of the Cursed Guardian, but his eyes retained its original color and not crimson black. Since the curse is not that powerful to defeat his mind, that’s a good indication that he won’t go mad or haywire like Helena. What troubles me is that he said that his days are numbered, as if he is going to disappear.

Rikkun and I waited outside the room for about ten minutes. Finally, the door opened, and the head shrine priestess told us my father’s condition.

“It’s no good,” Asumi-nee said as she shook her head with a frown. “The curse has eaten eighty percent of his prana circuits. I’m surprised that he can still maintain his reasoning despite that he’s already tainted. It seems that he’s sacrificing his life force instead of his will to keep him conscious. Maybe the only thing that keeps him going is his love for you, Tiara.”

“That’s bad! Asumi-nee! Can he still be saved?” I cried.

“I don’t know,” Asumi-nee said. “Even if the curse was lifted, I doubt we can restore his life force. He may still have three days left.”

“T-That’s…!!!”

My eyes opened wide and my shaking jaw fell. Tears flow from my eyes.

I can’t accept it.

I just met my father, and he’s going to die just like that!?

There’s no way I can accept it.

All I can do is to cry on my lover’s chest who has been staying with me the whole time. Rikkun caressed my hair in an attempt to calm me down, but there is no way I can suppress my tears.

“Uwa…” I hollered silently.

“I’m sorry.” Asumi-nee continued. “I have known Frederick for a long time, and the same goes with his curse. But we didn’t tell you. It was your father’s decision to keep it a secret. He doesn’t want you to worry about his condition.”

“How long has he been cursed?” Rikkun asked in my stead.

“I think it’s a long time ago, maybe when he was at your age,” Asumi-nee said. “He said that he received some kind of corrupted God Core from certain someone in exchange for changing fate. The counterfeit God Core he received is not cursed per se, but using it to defy fate inflicts a curse upon the wielder.”

Rikkun clenched his fist as if he knows what Asumi-nee is talking about.

“The Outsider…” He muttered.

Asumi-nee continued to explain my father’s condition. “The Fake God Core is stuck in his heart, and it continues to spread the curse to his whole body like a cancer cell. It won’t be long before he loses control of it.”

“That damn Outsider!!!” Rikkun gritted as he suppresses his anger. “Why is it always him!?”

“You need not worry, Alaric.” Somebody joined the conversation.

It was my twin brother Diadem. He looks like he just came out from the bath as he is wearing our shrine bathrobe. He had his long hair looped at the back of his head.

Judging from his slightly pale face, Diadem looks surprised upon knowing about our father’s condition. He must have been eavesdropping the whole time. But he mustered his courage and suppressed his emotions to keep his cool. That must be why he sounded so calm.

Diadem made a smile to Rikkun as he raises our egos up.

“Even if he possesses a demonic God Core, we can still save him. You, Alaric, saved my sister from the curse of the Brightmore Witch. You also saved me from my curse, even though the Fake God Core of Hastur is corrupting me. The other members of the Aether Crusade also saved Helena, Lironeo, Zenaida, and others from their curses. There is no way we can fail just by saving our father.”

“Diadem…”

My twin brother’s speech gave a smile to Rikkun’s face.

“You save people. You turn enemies into allies. That’s what you do. That’s what the Aether Crusade does. Right, Alaric?” Diadem offered a fist bump.

“Yes!” Rikkun happily collided knuckles with my brother. Then my lover turned to me. He locked eyes with me as he continues to caress my hair. “I promised you that I’ll reunite your family. There’s no way I’ll give up on that promise! So cheer up! With determination, we will never give up!”

I wanted to laugh because my very own boyfriend is stealing my catchy phrase. I wiped away my tears as I tried hard to muster courage in my heart. Then, I projected a jolly smile to those people in front of me.

“Right!” I pumped my fists. “With determination, we will never give up!”

<>

The next day, we prepared the training ground to be the site where we will conduct the “operation” of my father. The operation, because we will be removing the Fake God Core that has been spreading the cancer curse from his heart.

My father is sitting on a magical circle at the center of the open field.

All Aether Crusade members are present and in stand by. Helena, Key, Heushac, Drex, Benedict, Emily, Eliseo, Diadem, Rikkun, and I are here, ready to fight in case my father went haywire.

All shrine maidens who are capable of doing the anti-curse dance are here too. They have been waving twigs and leaves on my father.

My father seemed amused, being able to watch beautiful shrine maidens dance around him. He gave his face red and his smirk full with perverted intentions. And that somehow grind my gears

“F-Father, focus!” I shouted.

“Y-Yeah, right! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” My father immediately apologized.

When we’re finally at the ending phase of the anti-curse ceremony, Asumi-nee revealed herself on her long kimono gown. She’s waved the three golden bells as he chants the glowing talisman on her other hand. After that, she smiled at my father and had a short conversation.

“We’ve tried this anti-curse ceremony to you before, but we know it always fails. But your twin son and daughter are quite persistent. They said that they will lift the curse from you. Do you believe them?”

“Of course. They are my brethren and Yukiko’s memento. Not believing them would mean that I betrayed the wife I only loved.” My father said a cheeky answer.

“Well then...” Asumi-nee shifted to a serious face as she slapped the talisman to my father’s chest.

The talisman, which is full of written purification spells, started to glow white. Particles of light started to gather upon the middle-aged man as it started to cleanse his soul.

My heart beats so fast. I have a feeling that we wouldn’t get an easy good result with this.

…

…

…

“UUUUAAAAAAAAARGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!”

My father suddenly shouted as he resists an excruciating pain in his body. He is holding his head tight as if he’s forcing it not to explode.

The sound of his beating heart echoed around the atmosphere.

“Father!” I cried out loud.

I was about to rush to him, but Rikkun’s arm blocked me. I can see my boyfriend’s eyes are glowing with golden cross sigils. Rikkun had his active, which means something bad is bound to happen.

Ominous aura started to engulf the air, and the skies became crimson red. The blood moon started to materialize from outer space.

We have been transported to Yami.

“Asumi, everyone, get out of there! He’s gonna blow!” Rikkun shouted.

At his signal, all shrine maidens obeyed and jumped back.

“Father!” I cried.

But my cry didn’t reach him. It was outsounded by an overwhelming mushroom-cloud explosion. Intense heat corrupted the air around us. The smoke the explosion gave are poisonous, so we all covered our mouths.

Trees around us started to burn down. The song of the flames is the only thing that can be heard in this field. There was a gigantic pillar of flame where my father is used to be, and I can see a faint shadow from it.

The silhouette is not of a man, but of a special kind of dragon. It is a flame giant filled with radioactive fires and atomic explosions. It has a pair of gigantic flame wings, claws that look like swords enchanted with fire, and a thousand tails that look more like a massive set of tentacles. One gigantic sky-blue eye blinked open from its crocodile-like head. It opened its mouth and revealed disoriented sets of teeth like those of a shark.

“-----________-----------___-----!!!!”

It gave an inaudible roar that is similar to those of an angry dying elephant.

At the chest of the monster, is my father’s face. It looks like he has been fused with this divine creature.

This Eidolon is my father. And my father is the Eidolon. Having a Fake God Core that has the power of a fake evil god makes him one and the same person.

He is a Level 4 Eidolon.

Cthugha.