Part 1

"… Goddamit, man! Couldn't you do that without giving me a heart attack!?" the guy started to complain the moment I took my hand off his mouth. I didn't know what else I was expecting.

"Just answer the question," I urged him, and after circling his head around, Josh's whole body shook as if he just made a realization and he grabbed my shoulder.

"Right! We don't have time for this! We need to find Angie!"

"Wait, she's here too?" I was just about to Far Glance at her, but he shook me again. "Cut that out!"

"No, you don't understand! We got ambushed, and we were both taken to… I don't even know where we are!"

"In the Elysium," I supplied the answer, in the company of a deep frown. "And what do you mean 'ambushed'? Where?"

"In our house. We just came home from school, and wanted to do our homework together, but then we were caught in one of those Restricted Spaces, and then a portal opened in the living room, and a whole bunch of people— Wait, that's not important right now!"

"It is. I had a squad of Kage ninjas looking after you two, and at least one of the Fauns should've been on patrol in the neighbourhood, so why didn't they…"

My words trailed into silence as I had a sudden epiphany. Yes, I had my people keep an eye on Josh and Angie, precisely to foil any potential kidnapping attempts, but all of those guys were currently reassigned elsewhere. Namely, they were looking after Tajana at my place.

Bloody hell! Was… Was this another one of those 'Narrative meddling' scenarios? Did she arrive at my sisters' doorstep just to cause an upheaval in the shifts and patrol routes of our ninjas? That sounded a bit far-fetched, but I couldn't exactly just chalk what happened up to coincidence either.

"Come on, man! Stop spacing out!" Josh shook me again, and I promptly brushed his hands off.

"Fine, I'll go get her. Just take a couple of deep breaths and calm down."

"I'm calm. I'm very calm," my friend insisted and breathed in and out a couple of times for show. I would've rolled my eyes, but then something weird happened.

I wasn't paying much attention to the guy's attire, since I had more important things on my mind, but the sudden glow surrounding him drew my eyes to his weird, white… robe? It wasn't quite that though, but one of those impractical outfits Judy would call 'very anime'. Its upper half was more of a multi-layered Japanese robe, but with a high collar and skin-tight sleeves ending in silver bracers, while the lower part was more of a free-flowing toga. He also had an odd, shield-shaped pauldron on his left shoulder and a half-cape reaching down to his knees on his right, plus a thick metal belt covering most of his abdomen, all of them very elaborately decorated with golden patterns.

There were also a lot of other superfluous details, but before I could take a closer look, the guy exhaled hard, and with a sudden flash of light, all of his garments disappeared, leaving him standing around in his boxer shorts. After the first shock, he glanced down and let out a startled 'Gah!' sound.

"You weren't wearing your Magiformer when you were caught?" I asked incredulously, and Josh huffed and puffed in return.

"Gimme a break! I just took a shower five minutes before it happened, and didn't have the opportunity to grab it!"

That meant it was Josh's Celestial outfit, which was… strange, to say the least, considering that I'd already seen his Celestial form. Before the class rep delivered the prototype Magiformers, we had already done a bunch of tests on his powers, and back then, using Angie's blood would only cause him to don the same kind of bedsheet apparel she had. It took quite a while before he could even bring out the ethereal wings that came with the transformation, and while I was told the 'true form' of Draconians, Abyssals, and Celestials would change over time as they grew and developed, this kind of radical transformation wasn't normal.

I couldn't exactly doubt him though, as the fact he was left with his boxers after his transformation was undone was evidence enough. By the by, we still had no idea why his underwear wouldn't get vaporized with the rest of his outfit whenever a transformation created a Barrier around him, but it was convenient, so we just chalked it up to the 'Magical Pants' trope and called it a day.

"So you had the time to grab a capsule, but couldn't get your Magiformer."

That wasn't meant as a criticism, only as a summary of the event, but Josh let out an indignant huff all the same.

"As a matter of fact, I didn't!" When I raised a brow at that, he hastily explained, "They threw some weird web on me and got Angie when she tried to untangle me, and then they dragged us through the portal, and then there was a scuffle, and someone punched Angie, and I got really mad, and then suddenly I transformed into a Celestial and beat up the dude, but by then the portal closed, and then more guys showed up, and so I told Angie to run while I held them up, and but there were too many of them, and then I also had to run, and then suddenly someone grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into this room, and why am I even explaining this when we should go save my girlfriend!?"

I levelled a stoic gaze at my rambling friend and flatly uttered, "Before anything else, take a breath. I'll go get her, but first, let me drop you off at the base."

"Wait, you can do that?" he asked, and I shrugged.

He was already vaguely aware of my ability to teleport, though he still believed I needed a catalyst like the totally magical and not-at-all random carnival mask I picked up during the whole fustercluck with Fred, Rinne, and the Knights. Of course, bringing him home would've meant I'd have to reveal my true capability, but this was an emergency, and I figured I'd sort the explanation out later. We never got to that point though.

"No way! I'm not leaving before we save Angie!"

"We? How exactly are you planning to contribute? You don't have your Magiformer. Or your capsules. Or clothes."

"I'll figure something out, okay?" After a huff, he clenched his fists. "I somehow transformed without a capsule once, I can do it again! Probably!"

"Very convincing."

The guy glared at me, and while I was very much tempted to just wrap a phantom limb around him and then drop him off at the base, the longer I considered the situation, the more conflicted I became. While kicking Josh out of the Elysium would certainly eliminate a variable, I was no longer sure it was a good idea, and not only because the way he was glaring at me said he wouldn't ever forgive me if I tried.

Looking at the situation as objectively as possible, this was obviously a pivotal 'event' of the still theoretical but practically as good as accepted 'Angie route'. If my hunch was correct, the Narrative shuffled around a lot of pieces, and specifically went out of its way to mess with me just to make sure I wouldn't ruin everything by showing up in the nick of time to stop the kidnapping. While I still had no idea what the 'plot' was supposed to be, the two of them getting taken to the Elysium was important enough for the Narrative to show its hands.

Now, combine that with the fact that Josh was, despite my thorough and generally unintentional involvement, still the hero of the story, his presence was probably required for things to proceed, and I had no idea just how hard the Narrative would try to push back if I outright yeeted him out of the scenario. Of course, if said scenario turned out to be either absolutely dumb, or worse yet, harmful to either one of them, I had no qualms about tearing the Narrative's whole script into pretty little confetti, but it was best not to tempt fate until I was fully aware of exactly what kind of mess I was dealing with.

As such, I slowly exhaled a shallow sigh and nodded.

"Fine. We still need to put some clothes on you first," I said, much to my friend's relief, and I put a hand on his shoulder. "Close your eyes for a moment."

At first, Josh blinked at me uncomprehendingly, but due to my urging, he shut his eyes and tried to look composed. He failed, but that was beside the point.

After making sure I secured him with a phantom limb, I also closed my eyes, only to pause when I felt a small tremor under my feet. It only lasted for a moment, and while it left me momentarily curious, I focused on the more important task at hand and began to rapidly Phase up the tower, one floor at a time. Coming down was easy, as I could use Josh as my anchor, but since both Jaakobah and Rinne were out on a wild goose chase, investigating whoever 'tampered' with the Colossus I dismantled, this was the best I could do under the circumstances.

It took a while, but at last, we reached the right floor, and a few more short-range hops later, we were standing in my quarters. Or rather, the unnecessarily spacious walk-in wardrobe in it.

"You can open your eyes now," I told him once the lights turned on, and after raising one eyelid first, Josh blinked and let out a confounded grunt.

"Where are we?"

"My place here in the Elysium," I answered curtly and gestured at the rows of clothes racks around us. "Most of these are in my size, but I'm sure you can find something that fits you. Get dressed."

Josh eyed me skeptically for a moment, which then immediately turned alarmed when I grabbed the handle of the only door leading into the living room.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"I'll go and find Angie and bring her here, and then we'll figure out what to do from there," I answered a touch impatiently and walked over to the couch. On the floor, a pair of swords were left in a jumble, right where I left them in a hurry.

"{Young knight! What happened?}" Cal shouted into my head the moment I picked it up, and Teeny wasn't far behind.

"{Observation: Teeny is detecting elevated heart rate and respiration, indicating a fight-or-flight response. Does Archon Polemos require us to engage combat mode?}"

"Not yet," I grumbled, which caused the mostly naked guy in the doorway to perplexedly cock his head to the side.

I shooed him off back into the wardrobe, and after switching to my Polemos outfit, I sheathed my weapons and closed my eyes. I've already wasted quite a bit of time by grilling Josh for answers, and knowing that Angie wasn't exactly a combat specialist, I was half-expected to find her already captured. What I found when I Far Glanced her way, in preparation for Phasing over, was my vision filled with piercing white light, followed by the floor trembling under my feet again.

I would've blinked in surprise, but since I couldn't do that without physical eyes, I was forced to behold a beam of light drilling through a nearby wall, leaving a charred hole in its wake through which I could catch a glimpse of the Elysium's distant landscape.

"How dare you raise your weapons against me, wretched curs!?" someone yelled in a voice that tried to sound dignified but sounded way too high-pitched and shaky to come off as anything other than panicked.

Due to all the destruction surrounding me, it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that I was looking at one of the empty apartments that filled up about two-thirds of the tower. Or rather, what remained of it after what looked like an entire herd of elephants trampled it underfoot. Elephants with freaking laser beams attached to their heads, if the gouged-out and melted walls were any indication.

On the ground, I found about half a dozen Celestial agents, most of them unconscious, a few of them missing a limb or two, and one of them, in particular, was rather familiar. In the back of my brain, a small voice rummaging through my memory cabinets noted that he was one of the people who quit my Praetorian Guard after the first day, but it was soon silenced by the looming, dreadful realization as my disembodied gaze landed upon the source of all that destruction.

In the middle of the room, floating a couple of centimeters above the floor, there was a radiant figure, burning with both magical and more mundane golden light. In their right hand, there was an enormous bow made of brilliant light, and they were clad in a regal outfit. Pure white, with a long-sleeved tunic, golden bracers, a billowing toga-style skirt, complete with a thick golden belt, a shield-shaped pauldron on one shoulder, and a half-cape on the other.

That was already weird enough, giving me a strong sense of déjà vu, but not nearly as weird as the three pairs of wings burning with bright golden flames, filling the room with their right. And then, amidst all of that, a familiar face.

The moment I laid eyes on her, a small corner of my mind practically exploded with elation, sending tsunami waves of pure joy tall enough to nearly drown out my own thoughts. I quickly suppressed it, stuffed it in a small box under lock and key, and then threw it back into the dark recesses of my mind. I already had a very good idea of what was going on, no small part thanks to the aforementioned fragment of Polemos acting up, but I had to make sure.

With a mounting sense of trepidation, I Phased right into the room in question. It was easy, considering I had an anchor right there.

"Who is it? Another assailant?!" the voice of a young girl bellowed, trying to sound intimidating.

The moment our eyes met, she raised her enormous bow and readied an arrow, made from the flames of her wings. By reflex, I retrieved Teeny and immediately shifted it into its spear form. Since I was close enough, I was planning to point it at her throat and stop her from acting, but instead, the moment she laid her eyes on my weapon, the half-formed arrow dissipated at once.

The silence hanging in the ruined room was positively deafening, and it would've probably lasted much longer if not for someone practically knocking the already broken door off its hinges in their hurry to enter.

"He's here! I tell you, he's here!" a frantic female voice exclaimed as she tried to come inside, but she was held back by a large man.

I recognized both of them. The woman was the Chief Director of the Department of Divinations, while the man was one of the men working under Kane in the Seraphic Safeguard. She had a frantic, almost crazed look in her eyes, and as I looked past her, I saw Savir, Mensah, and Tsephanyah surrounded by more Seraphic Safeguard members. I had no idea how they made it here so fast, but I had no time to ponder on insignificant concerns like that.

"Polemos? Is that you?" the six-winged girl asked with an incredulous frown. "You look… different."

For a long moment, I was stumped, not knowing how to answer. Weighing my options, I recognized that knocking her out then and there was out of the question. I had too many eyes on me, and if my hunch was current, it would be more than a little tricky to explain why I assaulted her after the fact. I could also play dumb, but I didn't think it would work, and it would just delay the inevitable. As such, I settled on the last option and decided to confirm my hunch by retracting my spear and thumping its butt end against the floor for dramatic flair.

"You don't exactly look like yourself either."

My response made her blink, and then stare at her own hands. In the meantime, Tsephanyah somehow managed to tunnel his way past the wall of bodies blocking the rest of the directors and he even pushed the crazed woman out of the way.

"Lord Archon! Is it true? Is he— I mean, is she really—?"

"Who is this fool?" the girl, jolted out of staring at her fingers, levelled a scathing glare at the Reformist director.

"One of the current leaders of the Elysium," I answered, doing my best to keep my voice from trembling with agitation.

"Is he?" After I nodded, she resumed glaring at him and yelled, "You incompetent imbeciles! Is this how you welcome my return?!"

"Lord Archon…!" Savir interjected, barely managing to speak over the bodyguards in front of her, "I mean, Lady Archon!"

"Yes," the girl in front of me responded with obvious distaste in her voice. "Rejoice, you lot. Your First True Archon has returned! I am—!" She looked like she was just about to make an epic declaration, but then as she dramatically extended her hand, she suddenly choked up, and after staring at her fingers again in a mixture of confusion and disbelief, the flames of her wings began to flicker. "I… I…" She mechanically repeated the word, her eyes visibly glazed over, and then her face turned back to me. "Leo… help…"

It was as if those two words cut some kind of invisible string, and a blink of an eye later her wings exploded into a torrent of fiery sparks. I reflexively threw Teeny aside and lunged forward, and using my less lauded yet immensely useful girl-catching reflexes to their fullest, I managed to grab her just as she went limp. I supported her with one arm under her back and put the other under her knees, so I somehow ended up holding her in a princess carry. For a second or two, I couldn't decide whether I should lay her down the ground or not, but ultimately decided against it, and held her closer to my chest, so that I could listen to her breath.

While she was as white as a sheet and sweating profusely, her breathing was steady and she didn't seem to be injured anywhere. That was a rather insignificant silver lining, and one I could hardly appreciate at the moment thanks to the absolute wham-episode this turned out to be. I only allowed myself to remain idle for a few seconds though, as I was current Polemos. I had to act the part, so I stood tall, shifted around so that I could grab and the sheathe Teeny, and after reaffirming my grasp on her, walked out the room while staunchly ignoring the directors pestering me. I had more important things to consider.

Such as how, apparently, Angie turned out to be Deus. Somehow. Or how this would affect Judy's theories about the Angie Route. Or, more immediately, how the hell was I supposed to explain all of this to Josh…?

Part 2

My mind was still a mess by the time I returned to my quarters, using the tried and true 'Phase out of the elevator' method to speed things up and to avoid any prying eyes. Since I had Josh in the apartment, I could arrive directly without having to manually Phase across the tower one storey at a time.

"Josh!"

"What!?" my friend yelped in surprise and poked his head through the walk-in wardrobe's door, only to freeze the moment he laid his eyes on us. "Holy crap! What happened?"

"I'll explain in a moment. First, let's put her down." I gestured at the door at the back. "Open that for me, will you? My hands are occupied."

"On it!"

Even though he was still half-dressed, Josh rushed out of the wardrobe and helped me lay Angie down onto the empty bed. He looked less frantic than expected, but when she remained motionless, that quickly changed.

"What's wrong with her? Is she going to be okay?"

"She's just unconscious. As for whether she'll be okay or not, I'll have to properly check first, but for now, keep an eye on her," I told him and rolled my shoulders. "Before anything else, I have to take care of a few things. If she wakes up and acts funny, don't be too alarmed, and try to play along and stall for time until I come back."

"O-Okay?"

Without further ado, Josh moved to the bedside, and only then did he deflate a little. It only lasted for a second, at which point his brows descended into a frown and he turned back to me.

"What happened to her outfit?"

"I'll explain that too. Just sit tight, okay?"

"… Fine," he grumbled and held Angie's hand in his own. It was sweet, but I didn't exactly have the time to gawk.

First and foremost, I had to make sure that no one would barge in on these two while I was away. While I didn't exactly envision a situation like this, I nevertheless had spent some time analysing the magitech devices of the apartment, including the door itself, and after turning a few non-Euclidian knobs inside its enchantment space with my phantom limbs, I more-or-less bricked the whole mechanism, so that it would take quite some time to unlock it again.

With that done, I focused on the red dot of Mountain Girl, and after waiting for the right opportunity, I Phased out of the room.

"… the situation is under c—!" Jaakobah bellowed on the other side of a corner on the ground floor of the tower, and he visibly twitched when I walked into view. "Archon Polemos is present! Salute!"

After the initial wave of confusion washed over the people in the atrium behind him, mostly composed of the volunteer Tower Guards peppered with a few other military types, they hastily formed something vaguely resembling a formation and saluted me to the best of their ability. I could also see the Praetorian Guards mingling in the crowd, and they were trying their best to come to the forefront, but I ignored them for the time being, and turned to Rinne, standing next to the stoic Celestial.

"You. Follow me." She nodded at once and walked over, and once she was close enough, I added in a whisper, "Once we're back in the hallway, dive into my shadow ASAP."

I waited for her to nod. In the meantime, Jaakobah pulled on his collar, and after collecting himself, he also stepped closer to me.

"Lord Archon? Are the rumors true?"

"What rumours?" I snapped back, but he wasn't fazed the slightest.

"According to the Seraphic Safeguard members present at the time, you have discovered the reborn Deus," he told me without mincing his words. "They also say you were so agitated and destroyed the Colossus because you have felt his return. Or… her return, as the rumors say." He paused for a while and tentatively whispered, "Is it true? Did Deus, venerated be his name, truly return in the body of a young girl?"

It took all my willpower not to groan. I was half-hoping that the news didn't spread too far yet and could be kept under a lid, but by the sound of it, everyone already knew broad outlines. Considering that the three Celestial head honchos were coincidentally present at the time, I shouldn't have expected anything less, but it was still annoying.

"Nothing is certain yet," I answered with as flat a voice as I could manage, and waved in the general direction of the allegedly elite octet clustering at the forefront of the crowd filling the entrance hall. "Take the Praetorian Guard, and lock down the fifty-second floor. I don't want anyone coming close to my suite until I say otherwise."

"As you command," the phlegmatic Praetorian Prefect saluted again and turned around.

Using the opportunity to slip away, I backed into the nearby hallway again, and the moment we were out of sight, Rinne slipped into my shadow. I didn't dally around either, and once she was gone, I immediately Phased away. However, instead of heading back to the side of our main characters, my target was Roland, who was currently in the dockyard hideout.

"Gah!"

Raven Boy let out an undignified sound when I materialized in the common room, and nearly fell out of his chair. I ignored him and turned to the similarly startled, yet infinitely more dignified, Sir Griffon.

"Leonard? I don't think we have a meeting scheduled today."

"We do now," I hissed a touch bellicosely. "We have another major situation. Josh and Angie got kidnapped by the Celestials."

"What? Are they okay?" Raven Boy blurted out, rising to his feet at once, and I gestured at him to calm down.

"They're mostly fine. I managed to nab them before they could get hurt, but there were a few complications on the way."

"Are they in the Elysium?" Roland inquired, and I nodded back.

"I'll give you the full story later. For now, I want you to talk with Brang and patch up the hole in our surveillance network. Also, make sure the news doesn't spread too fast; the last thing we need is another side track."

"As you command."

I accepted Roland's response with a nod and turned to the other guy in the room.

"You're pretty sneaky, right?"

"I… am rather decent at stealth, yes," Raven Boy answered with a hint of apprehension in his eyes.

"Good. Listen, I need you to get into Josh's house. See if the Celestials left any incriminating evidence behind, and get rid of them as much as you can. More importantly, pick up Josh's and Angie's Magiformers. They'll probably need them in the future."

"I'll… do as you say," Agrawain responded a touch hesitantly, but it was good enough, so I turned back to Roland.

"If anything else comes up, I leave it to your discretion. I'll be probably busy for a while, but I'll try to keep in touch."

I didn't even wait for them to respond, as I was already honing in on my next target, and a moment later, I reappeared in Elly's singing room.

"Ah!"

My draconic girlfriend let out a cute little yelp when I arrived, followed by a slightly less startled but still amusing noise from my other girlfriend.

"Sorry to interrupt," I told them a tad wearily and unceremoniously turned off the music by pulling down a slider on the soundboard in front of me. While I called it the 'singing room', it was pretty much a small recording studio, complete with acoustic panels covering the walls and professional audio equipment, and since Judy was practically living with the Princess for the last week and a half, I have caught them practising duets here from time to time, so I wasn't at all surprised.

"Leo!" the princess exclaimed in delight once she got over the first surprise, followed by an eminently impressed noise. "Are these the clothes you wear in the Elysium? That Polemos disguise you talked about? It looks surprisingly good on you."

"It's not surprising at all," my other girlfriend chimed in, conspicuously putting away the huge studio headphones that were sitting on her head until this point. "The Chief looks good in everything."

"You know, Dormouse, while I appreciate your unexpected positive feedback, we don't really have the time for this," I interjected, and my girlfriends' expressions instantly shifted into serious mode.

"Did something happen?" Judy spoke up first, earning her a nod.

"The plot kicked in."

"As in?" Elly nudged me a bit more, so I took a very, very deep breath.

"The Celestial higher-ups set up a plot, which may or may not have been Narratively influenced to distract me, all so that they could kidnap Josh and Angie, but then it turns out Angie is Deus, I barely managed to abscond with the two of them and hide them in my quarters, and now the whole Elysium is in an uproar."

"Hold on! Wasn't that supposed to be Josh?" the princess interjected, and I shrugged in return.

"The whole thing happened literally ten minutes ago, so I'm not clear on the small details yet. I just wanted to drop by and give you the news. Once things calm down a little over there, I'll drop by for a proper meta-discussion. Consider this visit me giving you a head start."

"Hm. This twist certainly cracks the plot of the Angeline Route wide open," Judy whispered with a thoughtful tilt of her head and gestured for my other girlfriend. "Let's go back to your room. We need to discuss this in detail."

"Aw.. but we just started…" the princess complained, but followed after her anyway.

"I can't promise when I'll be back, but I'll try to be swift. See you soon."

I waved at the girls, and after a short beat, I disappeared again, this time inside my Celestial suite's living room, and I promptly gestured at my shadow.

"You can come out now."

My shadow wavered, and just like before, Mountain Girl was catapulted back into realspace and she did a three-point hero landing before rising to her feet.

"Were Joshua-kun and Angie-chan truly kidnapped?"

"You've heard that right," I told her with a sigh. "Please guard the room. I locked the door, but just in case, if anyone tries to enter the apartment, kick them out."

"Rinne will do so!" she exclaimed with completely undue enthusiasm, and since I had nothing else to add, I turned on my heel and returned to the bedroom.

"Look, he's back!" Josh perked up the moment I walked in, and to my surprise, Angie was sitting up on the bed and was looking at me.

"Hi, Leo," she greeted me, and while her face was still pale and her voice a little shaky, she was unmistakably Angie.

"I'm glad to see you're up," I told her and made my way over to her. "How do you feel?"

"My head hurts. I mean, a lot." She rubbed her forehead, probably for emphasis. "I also feel queasy, and I can't undo my transformation, but otherwise, I think I'll live."

"What about Deus?" I asked point-blank, and she blinked at me like I just asked something weird.

"What about him?"

Narrowing my eyes, I let out a shallow sigh and turned to Josh.

"Haven't you talked about what happened yet?"

"She just woke up," my friend protested at once, then after a beat, he followed it up with a bit more diplomatic, "I… also wanted to wait for you to come back before we discussed it, because I'm not entirely sure what happened either."

"Let's start there then." Saying so, I turned back to Angie. "How much do you remember?"

"Do you mean, after we were kidnapped?" I nodded, and she fell silent for a short while. "I mean, I was pretty shocked at the time, so it all kinda blurs together, but after we got taken through the portal, I remember that Josh was struggling a lot, and then there was this bright light and he threw one of the bad guys across the room. I think that's when my head started to hurt…"

"And then?"

"And then… I think he told me to run, and I didn't wanna, but there were something like ten goons in the room and they were all focused on Josh, and then I think someone pushed me outside. I… can't recall who it was, but it hurt a lot, so it was probably one of the baddies," Angie concluded, and I couldn't help but notice the way her boyfriend audibly gulped in the background. I didn't bring attention to it though, but gestured for her to continue. "I think that's when my head started really throbbing, and someone said I should beat up the bad guys because they were just mongrels or something… I really can't remember much after that, but then I saw you, and I think I tried to tell you to help Josh, and then the next thing I know, I was lying on this bed."

"So that's all you can recall?"

"Sorry," Angie shrunk back, and I hastily shook my head.

"I'm not blaming you, just making sure there's nothing else."

"No, that's all," she insisted, and let out a troubled sigh, only to immediately bounce back with a smile. "Oh well! At least Josh is safe, and you're here too! That means everything's gonna be all right!"

When she smiled, I could feel fireworks going off in the back of my mind, followed by a distinct sense of elation that threatened to overwhelm my self-control and bend my lips into one of those dopey smiles in direct opposition to my higher brain functions. We couldn't have something like that happening, so I raised my arm and delivered a smarting blow to the side of my head with the heel of my hand, startling my friends.

"What… are you doing?" Josh blurted out with a skeptical look in his eyes, and Angie was pretty much the same.

"A stupid part of my brain was acting up, so I had to give it a reality check," I answered curtly, causing the girl on the bed to let out a chuckle.

"Your brain has stupid parts?" she asked between giggles, and after some consideration, I shrugged.

"I picked it up not too long ago. Anyhow, that's not important right now. What is, is your current condition."

"Tell me doc, am I gonna make it?" she jested, and when I remained silent, her expression quickly withered. "Hey! Say something! This isn't funny."

"No, it's not," I agreed, and closed my eyes for a moment to collect my thoughts. "Let's not beat around the bush. Angie. You are most likely the second advent of Deus."

"… Still not funny."

"Do I look like I'm joking to you?" I responded a touch too forcefully to her words, and seeing that Josh was already glaring at me, I toned things back a little. "Listen. Do you remember those prophecies we discussed a while back?"

Angie only nodded, but the question got a considerably bigger rise out of Josh.

"Yeah, thanks for bringing that up! What the actual hell is going on here? Didn't you say that I was supposed to be this Deus guy? How can it suddenly be Angie? How does that make any sense!?"

I waited for him to get it out of his system, and once there was a lull in his barrage of questions, I raised a palm to stall him.

"Josh, pal. I can't believe I have to say this again, but you're apparently still labouring under the misconception that I'm omniscient. I'm not. When we were presented with the prophecies, combined with your ability to absorb and manifest the powers of other supernatural people, I simply jumped to the most obvious conclusion. Unfortunately, it seems like I misread the prophecy."

"Wait, you guys," Angie cut in, her confusion reaching critical mass. "Are you serious? Am I… am I Deus?"

I wanted to nod right away, but I just admitted that I jumped to conclusions once before, so I figured I should confirm it first. Just to be sure.

"Let me check." I stepped closer, and put a hand on Angie's forehead. It was mostly just for show, but she didn't even flinch and only stared at me expectantly.

In any case, once I once again suppressed the Polemos-shaped bundle of annoyance at the back of my mind, I plunged a phantom limb into Angie, and after a brief yet infinitely long journey down a river made of irrational numbers and pies (as in, the number, not the pastry), I gazed upon the yarn ball representing her soul, and it didn't take a genius to figure out something was wrong.

The innumerable rainbow-coloured threads, usually wound tightly into a sphere, were loose and tangled- Some segments had a flatter colour, while others were positively shining, and I could even see a few stray ends dangling limply. Others were seemingly reaching for each other, as if trying to reconnect, and a few were outright frayed, as if something tore a piece out of them.

On closer inspection, I discovered two more things: the lustreless threads were fewer, but they were interwoven into the entirety of the loose yarn ball, and more alarmingly, when I tried to touch on them, I got a familiar warning.

"Oh, there you were…" I grumbled, my words causing the non-space around me to tremble, yet the corner of my mind that kept giving me warnings about plot devices remained conspicuously silent.

In the end, this was the best I could do on short notice, and it more or less confirmed my initial conjecture, so I retreated from Angie's soul-space and let out a shallow groan.

"Yep. You're imprinted with someone's soul all right, and considering the recent events, it's practically guaranteed to be Deus."

"That's… messed up, man," Josh griped, his hand clenched around his girlfriend's fingers. The latter seemed more surprised than alarmed by the revelation, and after I removed my hand from her forehead, she let out a thoughtful hum.

"Now that you mention it, I do feel like that if I don't concentrate, I keep having these stray thoughts. It's like when I caught the flu, and I had all these weird fever dreams. Is that bad?"

"It's definitely not good, but let's hope it'll stay at that level until we figure out what to do about this situation."

Angie nodded along, accepting my words without problem, while Josh was considerably more conflicted.

"How did this happen?"

"We'll probably have to ask Fred to run a few proper tests on you to figure it out, but if you're asking for an educated guess…" I pointed a finger at the girl on the bed. "Chances are, you were always supposed to be the second advent of Deus. You said the headache started after Josh transformed into a Celestial on his own, right?"

She nodded.

"It's just my ad-hoc conjecture, but based on the state of your soul, this is what I think happened: Josh's ability lets him absorb the powers of others. He was probably supposed to draw just enough out of you to make Deus surface, but since your relationship progressed pretty fast and you kept doing the horizontal gene transfer, Josh absorbed too much of Deus's powers. Then, when he transformed under duress, it caused your half of the powers to resonate as well, and it brought out the Deus personality inside you."

"Is that what happened?" she mused, seemingly accepting my explanation at face value.

"Possibly. Don't take my words as the gospel," I warned her, and yet she remained undaunted.

"But you sound so reliable right now. I mean, I'm not saying you don't sound reliable at other times, but you're, like, super-convincing right now."

"Is he?" Josh asked with a critically raised brow, and I had to agree with him this time.

"You see, that's probably your inner Deus talking. Keep an eye on it, so that it doesn't give you silly ideas."

"I still don't get it," Josh cut in before his girlfriend could respond. "This situation feels so messy. It's like… just too convenient. It's like the whole world conspired against us to get us into this situation, don't you agree?"

"It sure did," I nodded along, which visibly startled the guy.

"Wait, really? I thought you would tell me how everything makes perfect sense, and I just don't get the big picture or something. You know? The thing you always do when things don't make sense at all?"

"You're not entirely wrong about that, but…" I fell silent for a while, internally debating whether I should say anything more, but I figured that we were deep enough in the 'plot' where revealing some meta-details didn't matter anymore. I just had to figure out how to word it right. "Listen, Josh. You know that this is all related to those stupid prophecies, right?"

"Well, duh," the guy responded with just a hint of exasperation. "Except it was a bunk, because it wasn't about me after all."

"Don't dismiss it that easily." Warning him so, I waved a finger and explained, "Imagine this: we've got our prophecy about Deus and whatnot, but it's not an ironclad prediction. We know this, because there are multiple, mutually exclusive prophecies, so by definition, neither one of them can be necessarily true."

"I get that, but what does it have to do with this topic?"

"We're getting there, but first answer me this: let's say we have a prophecy where it says someone would absolutely have to do something in the future. It's their…?"

"Destiny,"/"Fate," the two of them said at once, and I nodded along.

"Both works, but what exactly are they? What does it mean that, say, 'You're destined to become Deus'?"

The childhood friend couple fell silent for a bit, in much deeper thought than expected, until Angie raised her voice first.

"Does it mean that… it's unavoidable?"

"And why is that?" I asked back, trying to guide them to the right answer.

"It's because you don't have a choice in the matter?" Josh proposed next.

"But why? Let's say, you're 'destined to eat a sandwich for lunch'. What is stopping you to defy that and eat spaghetti, or a baguette, or maybe nothing at all?"

"Well, it's destiny. Duh," Angie responded dismissively, but then the words sank in and she looked at me funny. "Wait… are you saying…?"

"Fate is actually a thing?" Josh took the word out of her mouth, and after opening and closing his own a couple of times, the guy threw his hand in the air (since the other was still holding onto Angie), in the company of a groan. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

"I'm not though. What you may call 'fate' or 'destiny' is an actual force in this world, and since things have reached this stage, it's actively trying to steer events to fulfill the Celestials' prophecy."

"And how exactly do you know any of this, mister 'I'm totally not omnipotent'?" Josh huffed and crossed his arms, at least as much as he could.

"It's 'omniscient', and I know this because I've been struggling with it for a while now."

"Wait! Slow down!" Angie cut in, raising her free hand in the process. "You're fighting destiny?"

"By any other name, sure," I told her in the company of a light shrug.

"But… you can't do that! That's the whole point of destiny! That you can't fight it!"

"Well then, do you want to have your body taken over by a grouchy old Celestial from millennia ago?" I shot back, and she opened her mouth to protest again, only to then immediately close it with an audible clanking of teeth. "There you go. I suggest you wrap your head around the concept, because you'll have to do a lot of it from now on."

"Aw, man…" Josh grumbled under his breath, so it was time to focus on him.

"That goes for you too, buddy."

"Does it?"

"Of course it does! You absorbed part of her power, so you're about half-Deus right now. Or maybe closer to a quarter? Hard to tell yet, but the point is, while the prophecy might not be about 'you' as the person, it's still about 'you' as the couple, so you better pull up your socks and get ready for a bumpy ride."

"Gee, thanks, man. That's exactly what I wanted to hear right now," he continued to grumble, but his expression softened when Angie let out a small giggle. "So, what's next?"

"Next, I'll have to calm down the storm brewing in the Elysium. We also have to do something about you."

"Me in particular?" he asked back, earning a nod.

"Yep. Angie, unfortunately, doesn't have much of a choice in the matter; since the head directors have seen her, and the rumours about her are already spreading, she's stuck here for the time being." I turned to her and added, "Even if I sent you home, you can expect an entire army of Celestials to storm the island to get you back, so you're probably better off staying here for now."

"Understood!"

There was precisely zero angst or apprehension in her response, but to be fair, Josh was providing enough for both of them.

"Damn. I guess that means I'll also have to stay here…"

"I'm afraid it does." He clicked his tongue, and when he had nothing else to add, I continued. "I guess we'll have to come up with a disguise and an identity for you while you stay here. I'll figure something out. Other than that, we just have to—"

Before I could finish that thought, we were all startled by a loud, grinding noise coming from the living room.

"… Stay put."

Saying so, I turned on my heel and left the bedroom. On the other side of the door, I found Mountain Girl, with her sword drawn, standing near the entrance. The big sliding door was partially open, and on the other side, I could see Jaakobah's mug, along with Director Savir, seemingly in the process of manually wrenching the door open.

"Prefect?" I addressed the man through squinted eyes. "I believe I told you to lock down the floor."

In the meantime, the slightly dishevelled female director readjusted her clothes and hair and directed a chilling glare at me through the gap.

"Archon Polemos. We need to talk, right now."

I levelled a dispassionate stare at her, then my eyes wandered back to the poker-faced guard captain, only just noticing the slap mark on his cheek, and he simply uttered, "Director Savir was very insistent."

"I can see that." I spent the next couple of seconds considering my options, but at last, I gestured for Rinne to guard the bedroom's door instead, and undid my lock on the main entrance, with the words, "She also isn't wrong. We definitely need to talk…"

Part 3

The air in the living room of my Celestial suite felt heavy. Borderline suffocating. Just not for me.

Despite her initial bravado, Director Savir's demeanour went through a radical shift once she sat down, no doubt thanks to Mountain Girl. Even now, her glare could be felt through her featureless helmet. Was this that 'killing intent' thing lots of martial arts stories liked to make into a supernatural power, I wondered?

"Could we discuss things in private?" Savir asked the moment I also sat down on the nearby couch, earning her a critically raised brown right out of Josh's handbook.

"We're in private," I responded flatly.

She overtly glanced at Rinne, but when I didn't react, she swiftly abandoned the issue with a stifled sigh and focused all of her attention on me.

"Let's not dance around the point. Is she the second advent of Deus?"

For a second, I wondered if obstinately denying the fact would be useful for stalling things for a while, but considering that this was a situation that had the nebulous Narrative's grubby little fingerprints all over it, I sincerely doubted it would help much.

"She's still unconscious, so I've yet to ascertain everything, but based on the few words we shared during her rampage, I'm confident she is."

The female director scrutinized me for a few seconds and then clicked her tongue in irritation.

"That complicates things. Can you keep her under control?"

I had to admit, I blanked out for a moment.

"Keep her under control?" I repeated after her, my voice automatically dropping by a solid octave without any conscious input on my end.

"We had already discussed this before," she responded with a frown, practically scoffing at my response. "Your return as Polemos had already stirred up the political stalemate of the Directorate, and there wasn't enough time to solidify your foothold in Elysium yet. Your collaboration with Bel of the Abyss is currently kept under wraps, only known to a select few individuals, but it's only a question of time before it spreads. Now that Deus is back, we have to come up with a way to control her, before she could—"

My patience lasted exactly this far.

"'We'?" I echoed her in a low growl, crossing my arms and placing one finger on my temple. "Director Savir."

"Yes?" she uttered reflexively, visibly surprised by my reaction.

"Are you playing dumb, or did you honestly believe I had no idea what you've done?" She stared at me, small cracks already showing in her confidence, so I hammered on a bit more. "You created an artificial crisis, kidnapped my close acquaintances, and when your misguided schemes led to the awakening of Deus, you barge into my quarters and act like we're allies?"

"Listen, Leonard. I don't know how much you—"

"I've yet to finish!" I raised my voice, not only cutting her off but outright startling her in the process. "There is no 'us' in this anymore. You have conspired against me, with the express purpose of holding my people hostage."

"That wasn't my intent," she cut in, but I didn't give her an inch.

"Right. I'm sure you just planned to give them a scenic tour of the Elysium before sending them home with a gift basket."

"No, I admit I did not, but they would not have come to any harm!" she insisted, apparently labouring under the misconception that she could still salvage this situation. "I only wished to bring them to understand my position and help me influence your future actions."

Once again, I was taken aback by how openly she was admitting her own guilt.

"Was that supposed to make you sound any less guilty?"

"Guilty?" she echoed me, sounding genuinely offended. "Don't be ridiculous, Leonard. I simply enacted a plan to further my interest while also teaching you a valuable lesson. I have nothing to feel guilty about. I wasn't the one who conspired with a Lord of the Abyss."

Ignoring the way she forcefully tried to change the subject, I levelled a glare at her and flatly uttered, "You show no remorse at all."

"Of course not. The only thing I regret is that my plan failed," she stated flippantly and crossed her legs. "Now, can we put this meaningless topic behind us and discuss what we should do about the second advent of Deus?"

"… No. No, we can't," I responded in the bluntest way I could manage and slowly rose to my feet. "Leave."

"What?" Savir's eyes opened wide and then narrowed into a glare just as fast. "Leonard. Don't let your emotions have you lose sight of the bigger picture here."

"No, Director. I'm perfectly calm," I told her while pointedly placing my hand on Cal's pommel. "You are a vile, scheming, unrepentant pest who represents all the worst stereotypes the wider world believes about Celestials. The only reason why you are still breathing is precisely because I am looking at a much bigger picture than what your limited mind could possibly behold, let alone comprehend. I have no need of you or your petty schemes, and if you wish to hold onto whatever shred of dignity you still think you possess, I recommend you leave now on your own two feet before I personally make sure you'll have to crawl on all fours. Have I made myself clear, director?"

I admit, I might've let a bit of my inner Bel slip there, but it did have an effect, and after the first shock passed, Savir scrunched up her nose and rose to her feet with an indignant huff.

"You will regret this," she hissed, her glare sharp enough to cut glass, and she even brought out her three pairs of wings for extra theatrics. "You will regret the day you made me your enemy!"

"Stop embarrassing yourself and get out already." I met her eyes, glare for glare. "You're as intimidating as a parade balloon."

"You…!" she hissed again, but when I remained adamant, she let out another huff, put away her wings, and left my quarters, each of her steps hard enough I was surprised her high heels remained intact.

I waited until the door closed behind her, and only then did I let out a tired breath.

"It was only a question of time," I murmured under my breath and turned around, trying to ignore just how many potential future avenues I cut off with this exchange. I didn't exactly regret doing it, but I hoped it wouldn't bite me in the ass later, and made a quick mental note to keep tabs on her more often through Far Sight.

However, all of those thoughts were quickly washed away when I noticed that Mountain Girl wasn't standing in front of the bedroom door, where I left her. That was curious, so I made my way over, only to freeze the moment I opened the door and looked inside.

"Welcome back, O Archon," a familiar voice greeted me, and I found Tsephanyah standing pressed up to the far wall, with Rinne holding Onikiri to his Adam's apple.

My eyes immediately darted over to the bed, but to my relief, I found that Angie was still lying down, with Josh sitting by her side, and they looked more confused by the development than anything else. Slightly relieved, I turned back to the scene unfolding in the back of the room and raised a single eyebrow.

"Where did you come from?"

"The balcony," he answered casually, ignoring the blade right next to his neck. "I wished to personally pay my respects to Deus, the First True Archon, Father of Elysium, hallowed be his name. Since the prohibition on flight is suspended for the day, I used the opportunity to visit your residence this way, O Archon."

It took a couple of seconds to internalize what he just said, but then I closed the door behind me and buried my palm in my face.

"Goddamit, Jaakobah."

"Hm? What was that?" Josh's ears perked up, but I dismissed him with a wave of my hand.

"Nothing. I'm just talking to myself." After collecting my thoughts, I told Mountain Girl, "You can let him go."

She nodded and unceremoniously withdrew both her blade and the hand pressing the Celestial director to the wall. He nearly stumbled once the pressure was removed, but quickly steadied himself and straightened both his toga and the laurel crown on his head. In the meantime, Rinne remained nearby and didn't sheathe her blade, signalling that she was ready to get back into action the moment he made any suspicious moves. The blonde director was also well aware of this, and he made sure not to make any sudden moves.

"Please forgive my unconventional entry, but I found it pivotal that we spoke in person as soon as possible." He paused here, glancing at the door behind me, and added, "Although, if my ears didn't deceive me, you already had a rather heated discussion with Eris."

"You're putting it mildly, but yes."

Tsephanyah nodded and turned to Angie next.

"As for you, O Deus, please forgive me for my late introductions. I am Acacius Tsephanyah, Elysium's Director of Internal Affairs."

"Ah… Um…" Angie floundered for a moment, but then her boyfriend squeezed her hand and she quickly calmed down. "Good evening, um, sir Tsephanyah! I'm Angeline Dionn, and I'm… erm… still new to being Deus. Please take care of me!"

The blonde director blinked in surprise, and after some consideration, he directed a pair of inquisitive eyes at me.

"Her awakening wasn't complete," I told him flatly, and when he remained steadfastly curious, I slightly elaborated with, "You could say that Deus is still sleeping within her, and only came to the forefront due to the traumatic circumstances of her first awakening."

"I understand," Tsephanyah noted without much of a change in his expression, but then he was surprised again when Angie raised her voice.

"Erm… Sir Director? Can I ask you a question?"

"It would be my honor to answer your inquiries, O Deus," the man answered on autopilot, already doing his best to ingratiate himself with Angie.

"I don't remember much of what happened back then, but… did anyone get hurt?"

"There were…" he paused to glance at me, but when I didn't react, he tentatively continued with, "The injured are currently being treated by the best healers of Elysium. I'm convinced they will survive."

"That's good to hear," she whispered, audibly relieved.

As for me, I was getting a little impatient, so I forcefully cleared my throat to get everyone's attention.

"I would appreciate it if you explained what you're really here for, right about now."

Tsephanyah exhaled a shallow breath and turned to face me.

"I admit, my greetings to the second advent of Deus, honored be his—" He paused momentarily and glanced at the bed. "… or her name, was only ceremonial. I wished to talk with you, Archon Polemos."

"I don't know how much you've heard, but I just kicked Savir out for trying the same."

"Ah, yes. Director Savir," Tsephanyah repeated after me with little to no emotion in his voice. "I believe I owe you an apology, Archon."

"For conspiring behind my back to kidnap these two?"

I gestured at the couple on the bed, and after a moment of hesitation, the director nodded.

"In a sense, certainly. I was aware of the broad strokes of Eris's plans, but I purposefully didn't involve myself too deeply, which lead to these complications. For that, please accept my sincerest apologies."

"… Did he just apologize for not scheming hard enough?" Josh blurted out, speaking my mind as if he could read it, and I had to once again bury my face in my palm.

"You people are incorrigible…"

"Excuse me, O Archon?"

The blonde man looked genuinely confused by our reaction and even tilted his head to the side a little. As for me, I spent some time considering what to do with him. My gut told me to throw him through the same window he came from, but my brain insisted that it would be bad to turn two of the head directors against me on the same day, so I should at least be a bit more patient with him and hear him out. After all, while his priorities were just about as warped, he was still more genuine than Savir. That counted for something… right?

At last, I levelled a stern gaze at the man and uttered a single word.

"Speak."

Credit where credit's due, I didn't need to elaborate any further, and Tsephanyah immediately launched into a monologue.

"As you must be aware, O Archon, the subsequent advent of Deus, blessed be her name, so soon after your return, would certainly lead to chaos within the Directorate. The rise of new factions is all but inevitable, shattering the current ideological lines that divided us, and while unity under the rule of the reborn Deus, acclaimed be her name, would be the ideal outcome, I think we can both see that such a thing is little more than a fleeting dream at this point."

"Get to the point."

"As you wish," he responded patiently and pointed at me. "As of this moment, Dolion would oppose you on principle. His ideals would not allow him to acknowledge you, after acting in accord with Bel of the Abyss. As for Eris, I believe you have cut ties with her, so the two of them would naturally form a united front against you. Even with Deus, venerated be her name, at your side, they would serve as a consistent thorn in your side."

"I'm growing impatient," I noted with just a hint of distaste. "Is your point that, since both the Orthodox and the Unorthodox faction would rally against me, I should join hands with you?"

"You aim for the heart, as always, O Archon." I wasn't entirely sure that was supposed to be praise or mockery, but I didn't have the chance to ask for clarification. "Yes, allying with me would be your best choice under the circumstances. Combining your influence among the military branches of the Directorate and the resources of the Bureau of Internal Affairs, Eris and Dolion wouldn't be able to make any hasty moves. It would allow you to further your own influence, as well as to introduce the reborn Deus, blessed be her name, to the citizens of Elysium. Her presence alone should be enough to slowly but surely bring everyone to your side, and so long as you remain of one mind and purpose, it's only a question of time before all of Elysium will fully acknowledge your authority and power."

"In short, you're offering to support us. What do you want in return?"

"My goal remains the same as it always has been," Tsephanyah answered solemnly and put a hand on his heart. "I only wish for the advancement and prosperity of all Celestials living in Elysium."

"In other words," I cut in, and pointed at Angie, "This whole thing is about pushing the Reformist agenda by having Deus change the laws about the Malakim living outside the towers."

"… Yes, O Archon. That's precisely what I want."

Well, of nothing else, he was honest. I had to give that to him.

Now, while this was a pivotal decision that would no doubt have long-term repercussions, especially on Josh and Angie and their 'route', I couldn't ask for their opinion on the matter, because they were lacking the context to make an informed decision. As such, it fell on my shoulders to make the call, and I didn't have to think long about it.

"Let me ask you three questions first." The director's eyes lit up, followed by a thin-lipped smile. He must've felt he was already in the home stretch. However, that smile immediately faded when I gestured for Rinne to come over and present him with the hilt of Onikiri. "Hold it."

"Is this… truly necessary?"

I only glared at him, and before long, he gingerly wrapped his fingers around the wrapped-up grip with visible discomfort.

"Good. Now, first question: Once we joined hands, do you have any plans about the rest of the world outside the Elysium?"

Tsephanyah looked genuinely baffled by my words, but after collecting himself, he looked me deep in the eye with a steely expression.

"I care not for the rest of the world. Whether you wish to rule them, lead them to war, or completely abandon them, matters not to me. My duty is, and always has been, to the people of Elysium. So long as our people are safe and prosperous, nothing else matters."

I waited to see if he had anything else to say, and when he remained silent, I glanced at Rinne. She gave me a shallow nod, so I moved on.

"Very well. Second question: Why did you kidnap these two?"

He involuntarily glanced at the duo on the bed, silent like mice and observing the situation with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity.

"As I have already told you, O Archon, my involvement in Eris's scheme was shallow and—"

Without warning, Mountain Girl interrupted him by shaking her head.

"Would you like to rephrase that?" I asked in a growl, and the previously composed director's face visibly paled.

"I… admit that I have provided certain ideas to the scheme, such as the target of the operation." He pointedly stared at Josh, and added, "It was only supposed to be him. The second advent of Deus, extolled be her name, was an unforeseen complication."

This time Rinne nodded, though not as firmly as the first time.

"You still haven't told me why you opted to kidnap them."

"It was to implant a suggestion in his mind… or as it turned out their minds," he admitted, realizing that trying to sugarcoat the issue wasn't going to work. "My men were responsible for that part of the operation, but they never had a chance to fulfil their task, as the two escaped custody right away."

"What would've happened if we didn't?" Josh interjected, sounding somewhat miffed.

"Rest assured; after the procedure, you would have been returned to your homes without any memory of the events."

"Then what was the point of kidnapping us in the first place?" the guy pressed on, and Tsephanyah exhaled a shallow sigh in response.

"You were supposed to influence the Archon. To be more… cooperative."

"But why me?" Josh burst out, and if he wasn't still holding onto Angie's hand, I could see him jump over the bed and grab Tsephanyah by his collar. "Leo never listens to me! I'm the worst person for the job!"

"Hey! I listen to you…" I started, but then couldn't come up with a good example off the top of my head, so I concluded with an ambivalent, "… sometimes."

"See?" Josh gestured at me, and it caused Angie to giggle.

"He was only supposed to be the first," Tsephanyah explained as he faced me again. "He was simply the one we could access the most easily at the time."

"So you planned to brainwash him, and then do the same to the rest of my inner circle back on Critias," I stated, not even bothering to ask, and after a long beat, the blonde director nodded,

"Brainwashing is not entirely accurate, but it was the core of the plan, yes."

I waited for Rinne to nod, and when she did, it took some effort on my part not to deck him in the nose right away. My breathing was getting a little ragged, so I got it under control first, and once I felt stable, I asked my third, and potentially most important question.

"Why did you set up that whole incident with the Colossus?"

"The Colossus?" he repeated after me, and he was visibly confused. "Yes, we… created that situation to…"

"To?" I pressed him, and for a second, it seemed like he was on the verge of entering into the typical, glazed-over thousand-mile stare state.

"It was a… distraction."

"To distract me from what?"

"From the operation."

"But I was already out of the tower and on the lookout with you for half a day. Why did you need to get a Colossus involved?"

"It was Eris's idea," he blurted out, sounding disoriented. "I'm not sure why she insisted, but… it made sense at the time. We needed that much to make sure you didn't…" He paused again, but this time his earlier confoundment was replaced by a critical frown. "Looking back at it, the Colossus feels gratuitous. It added nothing to the plan. I don't know why I approved of Eris's proposal, but… Thinking back on it, the way Dolion agreed was also strange. Only a few functional Colossi remain to the present day, and he was always very protective of them, considering them our trump cards against the Chimeras of the Abyss, yet at the time, we both felt like pitting you against one of them was the right call."

"Oh! Maybe you were destined to fight one!" Angie exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to her. "W-What? I'm just trying to ease the mood with an in-joke! It was a good one, right, Josh?"

"Yes, yes. Very good."

"Hey! I can tell you don't mean it!"

Ignoring the couple on our right, it was my turn to let out a long sigh. With this, I have more-or-less confirmed that there was some kind of Narrative influence involved.

"To be honest, I think I didn't find it strange at the time because of your capabilities, O Archon," Tsephanyah continued to rationalize what happened, with one hand on his chin. "Knowing you, Eris saying 'We need at least a Colossus to keep him busy and away from our operation' doesn't sound entirely unreasonable. Or does it?"

"Don't wrack your head over it too much," I told him a touch dismissively and gestured for Rinne to step back.

"As you command. So, about my proposal?"

"You can consider us tentative allies," I said blandly and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll have to discuss this with Deus first, but for now, you can rest easy knowing that you're officially the least of the three evils."

That once again confused the man, but I didn't give him time to respond, and nonchalantly dragged him out of the bedroom, through the living room, and to the main entrance. With a flick of my phantom limbs, I operated the mechanism of the door and it opened on its own, revealing a surprised Jaakobah on the other side. I unceremoniously pushed the director outside, with the words, "Next time you want to visit, make an appointment."

"I… will."

I didn't give any attention to his annoyed response and addressed the alleged elite honour guard captain standing by the door side.

"Prefect. When I said I wanted the floor locked down, I meant both the inside and the outside. One more mistake like this, and we'll have to have a long and severe talk." Jaakobah didn't respond, only nodded with a frown. I didn't wait for him either. "I'll have to bring Deus up to date with the Elysium's affairs. No. More. Interruptions."

With that, I manipulated the door and it closed with an extra loud sound, and only when I was sure I was alone did I let out a lung-rattling groan.

Great. Just great. I was not only trapped here with a fractured Directorate, half of which was now officially out for my blood, but I was also saddled with the two least politically savvy guys in my inner circle, on top of whatever malarkey the Narrative was up to, and I didn't even mention the whole potential Deus body-snatching scenario yet.

"It's about damn time I started working on a Plan B and cut through this pile of bollocks," I grumbled as I turned on my heel and headed back to the bedroom to instill some seriousness into the couple still bickering about whether it was appropriate to make fun of fate or not.