Chapter 388

Adulation (VII)

“Aren’t you tired?” Emma asked somberly, and while the others kept silent, their expressions echoed the sentiment. “Tired of being pulled around like this?”

“...” was he? He wasn’t certain--some parts of him were, definitely. He did want to stop and quit it all and just retire, spend his days meandering about the meadows and vineyards into infinity. And yet, more parts of him liked the thrill, he realized. Even if it came at the expense of his agency. “A bit,” he said. “Why? Are you?”

“Very,” Emma sighed. “I mean, what do you mean fourteen people maximum? That’s like one percent of everyone!”

“Is it, though?” Cain asked. Besides Emma and him, Senna, Lana, Rick, Jamal, and Daniel were the only ones in the room--the original crew, so to say.

“He’s right, Emma,” Rick said, sighing as well and reclining back into the chair. They were in one of his many offices that were barely functional now that he had moved the operation into the Tower. “Fourteen people... is a lot.”

“What? No, it’s little! I mean--”

“They’re right, ma’,” Senna interrupted. “Rick, for instance, won’t go.”

“... I mean, yeah,” Emma nodded after a brief thought.

“Kramer, too, definitely won’t. He’s got family, and he won’t leave them. None of the newcomers will, nor would I invite them,” she continued. “I can see, maybe, ten people joining. If these two pricks decide to come along.”

“I’m in,” Jamal didn’t think much about it; he’d long since tied his fate to Cain’s and had no issue following the man into the complete unknown.

“Same,” Daniel replied. “So, that’s six right off the bat.”

“Taima’s coming, too,” Lana said.

“Seven,” Emma nodded. “Lek, too. Can’t leave him.”

“Eight,” Jamal said. “Yuki’s definitely coming.”

“Nine,” Daniel said. “Ethan’s likely to come, too.”

“What about Sigmund?” Rick asked.

“He won’t leave Kramer,” Senna shook her head.

“Is... is ten really it?” Emma asked, shocked. “I expected... more.”

“Quinn and the twins will come,” Cain added. “So, that adds up to, what? 13, 14 people? Not bad for an asshole like me. I’ll ask that kid Shawn if he wants to join. But, well, that’s it.”

“... where are we going, anyway?” Senna asked.

“I don’t know either. She called it ‘Divine Realm’, whatever the fuck that means,” Cain replied. “Our lives won’t change much past the scenery, I don’t think.”

“Damn dad, you’re super-famous!” Lana suddenly exclaimed, pointing her phone at him. Of many things on Earth that had... rotted away in time, the internet was still maintained, somehow.

“Of course I am! But, why now?”

“Why now?” Senna scoffed. “I suspect that a fuckin’ statue will be erect in your image sometime in the future. Not because of what you did, but to feed your ego so you don’t kill ‘em all.”

“Hmm... that doesn’t sound--”

“Luckily, we won’t be here to see it,” Emma interrupted. “When are we leaving?”

“In a couple of days,” Cain replied.

“Alright. We have a lot of things to do. You can just brood around in your room and wait. Don’t leave to the outside.”

“Wait--why?! I’ve worked hard to be famous! Why can’t I bask in the glory for a little while?!”

“Haah, just sit tight and wait for the departure time. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about anything.”

Soon enough, everyone except Rick and him departed. Rick chuckled lightly and guided him to a small room in the back before taking out a bottle of alcohol and two glasses from the inventory.

“I’ve had this thing for forty years,” he said.

“It won’t kill us, right?”

“It might have, before all this,” he said. “It’s not some special malt or anything. It’s just a basic bottle of scotch that I stole when I was young and promised myself I’d never open, using it as a reminder as to what I had to do.”

“... that’s one of the shittiest stories you’ve ever told,” Cain said, though still took a sip. It was bitter and clearly toxic, but with just a whiff of Mana, all the discomfort vanished.

“Ha ha ha, true. It’s very, very boring. As world will be without you in it.”

“Aww. Don’t tell me you’re getting sentimental on me, old man,” both laughed for a moment.

“Old people soften, don’t you know?”

“Know? I feel it.”

“Right? What a weird thing evolution had concocted.”

“You’re not gonna cry, are you?”

“I ain’t that old,” Rick said. “You know... I knew--I mean, all of us knew, really, that one day, we’d have this conversation.”

“What conversation?”

“The ‘big-bye-goodbye’ kind. You were clearly always beyond us, and, one day, I figured, you’d shed the anchors. But, well, I kept hoping.”

“Hope does die last. Honestly... it was never in my plans to go.”

“That’s the thing about great men, Cain,” Rick said. “They don’t need to plan for great things--somehow, someway, great things always find ‘em. What separates the great men, then, from the legendary ones... is how up to the challenge they are. Sometimes, I with I kept up with you guys. When I look at you lot, cleaning bosses like you’re cleaning closets. Even my kids have gone off, Conquering. And here I am, in my ivory tower.”

“... the job ain’t done, old man,” Cain said. “I may be goin’, but I ain’t disappearing.”

“Haah, I figured. The busy rest when they are dead, no?”

“Something like that.”

“So, what do you need?”

“What I’ve always asked of you,” he said. “With Kramer and Sigmund now as spearheads, start a new crew. Get them clearing floors. Start raising an army. Eventually, it might come in handy. However, don’t leave the Towers.”

“This may as well be the last time we do, actually,” Rick said. “The Earth is... slowly dying. There’s fewer than 2 billion left on it, and the number is slowly decreasing on a monthly basis. Our experts estimate that the number will dip to below 100 million within the next 20 years.”

“You’re expecting people to die?”

“Yeah, you aren’t?”

“Adjust that. People don’t need to go into the Tower to obtain some of the benefits. Mana’s already present in every inch of the world, which means that it has baptized everyone. Old may never regain their youth without going into the Tower, but the consensus age of ‘natural death’ will... well, it’ll grow. Big.”

“Ah, well. I’m sure death will find its way.”

“Sure will.”

“... are you alright with this?” Rick asked. “I know you like your bravado in front of the girls, but between us... aren’t you tired?”

“Partly, sure,” Cain said. “I do feel strung along.”

“Then--”

“But it’s fine. In the end, I chose this--can’t exactly blame the cosmic forces for that. They were the ones to screw me over here, but... I don’t know. I feel like it will be fine.”

“You’d feel that if you were with Em’ and kids in hell itself,” Rick chuckled. “All things equal, you haven’t changed much, if at all, Cain, from the day we met on that street. Honestly? Kind of terrifying. Everyone and everything world over changed, multiple times even, but... you remained a constant. Like an unchanging statue throughout the eons.”

“I scare you?”

“You terrify the shit out of me, man.”

“... wow. That hurt more than I anticipated.”

“But... you’re also a brick wall that holds everything together,” Rick added. “No matter what happens, everyone knows they can always look at you--the one constant, unchanging thing---and everything will suddenly feel alright. You can’t lose that, ever. Those kids now depend entirely on you.”

“... I’ll take care of my kids,” Cain said. “If you take care of the rest of ‘em and prepare ‘em.”

“Aaah, look at us, two daddies.”

“Jesus, man...”

“Ha ha ha ha...”

**

Cain stood near the top of the Wilshire Grand Center that had somehow endured everything still, overlooking the world around him. The winds whipped strong, though he didn’t mind them. It was a moment of melancholy, as he was enjoying the view he would likely never get to experience again. It was difficult, leaving behind everything he ever knew, even if he never let it on.

“I was told you made a difficult decision,” a tiny wisp suddenly appeared next to him, a familiar voice of a distant Divine probing through.

“Hardly,” Cain looked to the side. “It was made for me.”

“Do I detect a hint of resentment in your voice?”

“Just a hint.”

“It was hardly our first choice,” she said. “Whatever you believe, I do like you Cain. And before all hell breaks loose, I do wish you a smooth life.”

“If you wished me a smooth life,” Cain said. “You would have left me damn well alone.”

“...”

“I’m just venting a bit,” he added with a chuckle. “Don’t take it to heart.”

“Too late. You broke this young maiden’s heart. How cruel of you, Cain.”

“... young?” Cain glanced at the wisp with a strange look.

“Are you saying that I’m not?”

“... I’m simply confused why cosmic, godlike beings give a shit about age.”

“Everyone eternal was, once upon a time, temporary, Cain. We’ve all struggled to one extent or another. The truth is, eternity cannot be given, power cannot be given, no matter where you are born. Kids of the Divines and alike may not go through the Towers, but they go through the same selection process. You’ll see it rather quickly. If anything, it’s even worse for them--because the expectations are crushing.”

“Sure. But I bet access to all the cool items and gadgets helps, eh?”

“Seeing is believing.”

“Sure is. So, why are you here? I don’t think you love me nearly enough to come and check up on me like this.”

“To inform you of your identities, mostly,” she said. “You’ll all be part of a collective--a newly formed school of devotion.”

“... a cult? We’ll be a... cult?”

“You kind of already are, honestly, with you as the head. Since we have some breadcrumbs, the cult’s name is Void Worshipers. You can all maintain your first names as it stands, but they’ll have to address you in public by your title.”

“Haaah, they’re gonna be making fun of me for fucking years because of this,” Cain sighed, taking out a can of beer and taking a few sips.

“You’ll be stationed in Neol World, second largest one, near the Central Cythan. It’s basically a big Empire installed by the Divines to monitor the world. As with most things, it’s rife with corruption and such, so you’ll be right at home. As she told you, you’ll lay low for a while and simply blend in, finalizing your identities. You can’t give anyone a reason to pry, not initially anyway. And if you do, kill them and make sure it can’t be traced to you. Any questions?”

“So, so many. But I figure there’s gonna be a notebook explaining all this.”

“... what? Can’t muster even an iota of fake enthusiasm?”

“Oh, yaay, I’m so looking forward to the life of constantly looking over my shoulder and hiding who I am. Woohoo~~”

“I’d be more excited if I were you, though.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“You looked like you were getting mightily bored, battling people and creatures far weaker than you,” she said. “But where you’re going, there are monsters everywhere. You’ll never be bored again.”

“Are you gonna be there?”

“I’m afraid not. And even if I were, our meeting wouldn’t happen.”

“Haah. Fine, fine. Thank you for your worry and heads-up. You may catch me at your earliest convenience.”

“What a polite way to tell someone to fuck off”

“I’m kind of an expert in that, actually.”

“Good luck, Cain. We’ll meet soon enough.”

“Sure, sure.”

The wisp vanished as though it was never there, leaving behind Cain with a half-finished can of beer and a sight that had suddenly soured. Sighing, he squeezed the remaining beer before leaving. There was one place he had to visit before departing completely, at least, all else notwithstanding.