Vim had gone quiet again.
He was kneeling in front of the bound Casper in the center of the room. We were in one of the dark stone rooms underneath the Cathedral, not far from Celine's Tomb. This room actually stunk a little, and felt a little damp though I didn't see or hear any water. And we had no lamp or light source, other than the glowing ropes around Casper… so this room felt unnatural. I didn't like their glow, or the way they were bright enough to fully light up the room but not reflect off anything or cast shadows. But right now I had no ti to worry or care about my surroundings.
There was a god.
Right in front of .
Though… if she really was one, as Vim claid, then she was likely one of the most pitiful gods I'd ever seen.
Not that I've seen many… I guess…
Casper, like Renka, looked… almost too normal. She was a tad shorter than , at least from what I could tell, and looked like a typical healthy woman. The only real odd thing about her, enough to be considered not normal at least, were her eyes. They almost looked… fake. As if she had two glass marbles in her eye sockets where her eyeballs should be. They had a dim glow to them, but not in a way a monarch's heart did but instead maybe the way a distant window glimred in the setting sun.
Vim had said she could read minds. If she looked in the eye, at least… but from what I gathered she also couldn't do such a thing at the mont. Likely thanks to the sa reason she was tied up and unable to resist or do anything. Though it was hard to understand how glowing ropes had such power, I knew better than to really question it at the mont.
I had better questions to focus on instead.
"Vim said Havoc knew about … if you were keeping a secret with Renka, how did he…?" I asked, trying to understand a bit better.
"Honestly I'm not sure. I think Stance figured out sohow, and when he went insane Havoc noticed," Casper said.
Insane…? A god can go insane? Such a terrifying thought…
"And now you're the only one other than her who does," Vim then spoke up, his voice heavy.
I glanced at him, as did Casper… and I didn't need to see his expression to know what was upon it. Casper flinched at the sight of it and as such told all I needed to know about it.
"Yes…" Casper admitted softly.
"Why…" I was about to ask why my existence being kept a secret was so important, but Vim interrupted as he reached out towards Casper. She and I both went still, and wide-eyed, as he grabbed her by the shoulder.
Holding my breath, and half expecting to have to step back in both shock and to avoid the splatter of blood… I couldn't hide my relief when none ca and Vim nodded. "Renka gave you to for a reason. To earn my trust. Why not give a reason to break that trust…?" Vim then asked her.
Gosh…! I wasn't sure whose heart I was hearing, mine or Casper's, but it was beating loudly and fast. Maybe it was both of ours?
"I have nothing, Vim."
I blinked and my tail went stiff as Casper smiled gently at him… as if suddenly not afraid of him, even though she had obviously been so a mont ago. She even still had what looked like a layer of sweat on her brow, though it was hard to tell thanks to the odd lighting of this room.
She shook her head in a way that normally accompanied a shrug, but she didn't do so. "I have nothing," she said again. "I can't tell you what Renka plans for her, because she never told . I can't tell you if anyone else knows of her, because I don't know who does or doesn't. I can't even tell you where any of them are, for the sa reason you haven't been able to find any of them all this ti. They're hidden in a special way, one that keeps even us from revealing it to you even if we wanted to," Casper said.
"Havoc said he could," Vim said stiffly as he removed his hand from her shoulder.
"Then he lied. Or didn't fully understand how Renka's ability works. Not a surprise, he was erratic. Always had been. He always caused issues, Vim, even over little things," Casper said.
"I'm finding that hard to believe. Why are you keeping secrets? I'm about to kill you," Vim asked.
"Vim…!" I stepped forward, but he ignored . Casper however didn't, she glanced at for a mont… and studied .
Feeling a bit awkward, I wondered if she was reading my mind. Her eyes were… very focused on . And I wasn't sure if I was feeling their gaze so strongly because I was simply conscious of her ability or because of sothing more normal, such as the situation or her very existence.
She was a god, wasn't she…? So… I an…
Gosh! I shifted a little as Casper sighed at and looked back at Vim.
"Does she not know how this ends, Vim?" Casper asked him softly.
"She should," Vim answered, almost as softly.
"Vim…" I groaned as I stepped forward again and steeled myself.
I knew what they were talking about. I knew what they ant. I knew where this was going.
I knew Vim, and his hatred for gods, well enough to know… but…
"Yet you let her watch. Listen. And not because you simply don't care, as you had those others so long ago… maybe you really have changed…" Casper said as she looked again at .
I gulped as I realized I really needed to have a real conversation with Vim. Soon. About all this. About his past, the gods… everything.
I now couldn't wait. Not when lives were on the line… and not just my or his life either.
"You're okay with dying," I whispered as I stared into her unnatural eyes.
"I'm older than anyone else on this planet, Rennalee. I've lived multiple long lives. And getting caught by Vim for that whole ti has only ant one thing. What happens next is so natural and expected it's almost comical," Casper said.
"But…" I wanted to argue, but wasn't sure where to begin or even how to do so.
Vim was going to kill her. No matter what she said or did.
But… why? Why did it have to go this way? Just because she was a god…? Or was it because instead of their threat to us? To ? To him?
What was that threat, anyway…? She basically just said that all this ti, for hundreds of years, she and Renka have been watching Vim… monitoring him… this whole ti. If they've been doing that all this ti, why did it matter? Did anything change? Had they hard us in any way during that ti? Have they hard Vim? The Society? ?
If not, then…
"I'm not ready for this conversation…" I mumbled as the heavy realization of it fell upon .
I didn't know enough. Didn't understand enough. I was lacking in so much necessary information to truly comprehend this situation that it was almost… comical, as she had just said.
But I knew I didn't have ti to correct any of that. Especially now that I was close enough to see Vim's expression.
He was calm, and per usual had a stoic expression… but it was wrapped and wreathed in fury. The emotion lining his expression was not annoyance or frustration but… anger. Pure anger. Maybe even hatred.
Just… just what had these people done to make him so? Where even hundreds, if not thousands, of years later their re existence made him like this? Especially since his parents were…
I shifted as I realized sothing very serious.
Casper was a god! And… that ant…
Reaching into my pocket, I almost didn't notice Vim's small twitch as he heard the pure note ring out from my pocket and hand as I pulled out the small bell that Renka had thrown at earlier.
It rang out with a nice sound as I turned it around and stared down at it… and then noticed the sound it was making echoed a bit. And… not in a natural way. My ears fluttered as I heard the sound of the small bell again and again, but not because it was actually bouncing off the walls nearby.
The thing echoed endlessly… almost as if in my head, not in the room. It was hard to explain, and I wasn't sure if it was because I was in such a stressed out state or because of a more unnatural reason.
Holding the bell carefully, I studied the small golden thing and wondered if it was real gold or not. It felt… cold, even though it had been in my pocket for so ti now and should be warr.
It had a ribbon tied to it, one that felt like silk, and it was a reddish hue that reminded kind of the color of my berry smoothie drinks.
"What's she doing?" Casper whispered to Vim.
"She's…" Vim was about to say sothing, likely either teasing or sothing similar, but I interrupted him.
"Did you know her…?"
Vim shifted a little as he glanced at , and as he did I was glad to notice the anger hidden at the corners of his expression faded a little upon doing so.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"The owner of that bell…? Vim's mother? No."
Oh…? "But…"
"She knew her, but not well. She's misunderstanding your question, Renn," Vim said gently.
"Hm…? Oh. Then yes. I did know her… I guess," Casper added.
Oh! "Really…?" I grew a bit excited over confirmation, another batch of it at least, that what I expected all this ti was true.
Vim's mother, his parents, had been gods!
Casper frowned at as she glanced at Vim. "Why's she smiling so happily?"
"Unlike all of you she's capable of sentintalism," Vim stated.
Casper's frown deepened. "Should have expected such an answer…"
"Renka… gave you to us. To Vim. Why?" I asked as I gripped the bell closely, almost as firmly as I did Vim's spear.
The bound up god gave a look. "Didn't we already go over that…? I'm the only one other than her who knows you exist. She's hoping to use that as a bargaining chip against Vim," she said.
"Yes… but why? Why does she need to bargain…? For what?"
Vim quickly glanced at and then back at Casper, in a way that told he too was now very focused on the topic. More than he already had been, sohow.
Casper though sighed in a way that told she didn't find such a thing as important as we did. "Knowing Renka…? It could be anything. You know how she is, Vim."
Did he…? She had ntioned, before disappearing into that blue stuff, that she had been a good friend of Vim's mother… which ant…
They knew each other…? Well? Vim had recognized Renka rather imdiately, though he had outright attacked her on sight which of course made wonder what kind of history they had.
"She sacrificed you… and you don't even know why?" I asked.
The god gave a deep frown. "You find that odd…? Does anyone ever really understand why or how they die? I have a general idea; I'm being sacrificed for her goals. What else needs to be known?"
"Uh…" All of it? I'd be furious if I was in her situation…
Maybe it was because of her age. Or maybe she, like all gods, was just… weird? Renka had been a bit odd, hadn't she? Maybe they were all like this? Strangely indifferent?
Maybe to them death wasn't…?
"Do uh… gods really die?" I asked, unable to contain that question.
Casper blinked… and then chuckled ever so softly. "Oh, Vim… you've not told her anything, have you?" Casper said after her little chuckles. Vim didn't say anything. He didn't even twitch. He just… sat there, staring at Casper, who gave a sad smile. Almost as if she was pitying . "Yes, Rennalee. We can die. And do. Though, statistically… only in one way," she said with a tiny glance at Vim.
The bell jingled as I shifted.
Gods only died by Vim's hands…?
"Wait…" I paused a mont as I spent a mont to ponder Casper… and how her mouth had moved earlier. Just now. As she spoke.
"Hm?" she glanced at and smiled.
"Are… are you not speaking? Normally…?" I asked as I recounted a bit of our conversation. Her mouth had moved oddly for most of it, almost as if…
"Ah, I am. But I'm speaking my own language. Not the one you know," Casper said with a nod.
Vim too nodded. "You're understanding her, but she's speaking another language Renn. It's how they are," Vim said.
Right… sohow that made sense, I guess… being a god and all. I guess…
"Odd you noticed. Most of you don't," Casper said.
My ears fluttered as I glanced at Vim… and cald down a bit as I quickly realized he wasn't like that. It had made panic for a mont, thinking all this ti I had not noticed him speaking to with a different language too but it didn't take long to search my mories and find the truth of the matter.
"I don't have that ability, Renn. I need to learn languages. Like you do," Vim said simply, likely noticing my gaze and thoughts.
Casper smirked at that, but it relieved to hear it said all the sa.
"So no, Vim. I have no answers for you. I can't give up anyone else, because I don't know how to give them to you. I can't give you any information, at least nothing of value… and of course you know I can't do anything myself for you either so…" Casper shrugged at Vim, and did so in a way that made feel awkward.
She was… completely resigned, wasn't she? It was so odd. She of course had emotions, since I'd seen and heard them… but she was also almost acting as if she had none to speak of.
Could I be so indifferent about my own death? If I was in her shoes?
Maybe I could if I lived as long as she has… but could I really say that? It wasn't as if I wasn't hundreds of years old too…
"Give sothing. At least try," Vim said.
Casper frowned at him. "Try how, Vim…? You should know Renka would not have given to you with the ability to speak and think if she thought I could do sothing like betray her or anything. So… what do you want from ?"
Vim stared at her for a long mont… and then he sighed and stood up.
I flinched, the bell ringing as I stepped back in worry and expectancy of Vim doing sothing crazy… but he simply stepped away as he shook his head.
"Vim…?" I asked with concern as he stepped over to one of the walls and glared at it.
"Hm… while he debates my fate, mind if I ask sothing Rennalee? I'd normally just find out myself, but considering the circumstances…" Casper got my attention as she looked up at .
"Um… sure?" So she would normally just read a person's mind? I wonder what it was like to have a conversation with such a person? I bet it was annoying… or smoother, depending on how it went.
"The tail. Yours, I an… is it as thick as it looks or is it just puffy?" she asked.
A bit caught off guard by such a mundane question, I decided to just… answer it honestly and promptly. I swung it around and grabbed it with a hand again, to show her. "It's about half fur," I said as I squeezed it with the sa hand that held the bell, as to show her what I ant. Hadn't I been squeezing it earlier…? She should have noticed.
"Huh…" Casper frowned at that as she nodded.
Gosh maybe she was insane too… did she not realize the situation she's in?
"Can I ask a question in return…?" I asked as I released my tail.
"Sure?"
"Why… why are you giving up so easily? You're… you're a god. You've lived so long, done so much… yet you act as if it's now all over and it's fine. But you're not even dying for a good cause… why? You've been surviving all this ti, right? Fighting Vim and stuff? This whole ti…? Why give up so readily?" I asked.
Casper frowned at . "I've been captured for so ti now, Rennalee. A year or so. So I've been expecting this. Plus it's as I said, being at the rcy of Vim like this is… well, it only ends one way," she said.
A year…?
Jeez she was talking as if I was the weird one in this situation… but surely I wasn't wrong to find this so utterly wrong, was I?
Glancing at Vim, I glared at his back for a mont as he continued staring at the wall… pondering whatever he was focused on.
Looking back to Casper… I stepped a bit closer and kneeled down, much alike how Vim had been doing earlier. I made sure to keep Vim's spear firmly in my grasp, as if there was a chance that Casper could steal it from , and studied the odd eyes that bore into in return.
"Vim's going to kill you," I said softly.
She nodded. "Odds are he'll eventually kill all of us, so it's just fate I guess."
"Is there really nothing you can do to change that? Surely… sothing? You're a god, aren't you? Can't you do anything?" I asked.
Casper frowned at . "What would you have do, fluffy cat? He's never accepted such concessions before, even by those far more powerful and important than … so what hope do I have?"
I see… so it wasn't just that she's had ti, ample ti, to co to terms with this… she's had countless monts of proof too.
Just how many gods has Vim killed…? To get those like her to this point? Where them being captured, or at his rcy, made them so… resigned and submitted to their fate by his hands?
Casper then started to chuckle again, ones that even turned into little girly giggles after a mont. My ears fluttered as she then glanced at Vim with a smirk. "Why, Vim… you must be a little teddy bear with her. She has no idea what you are," she said to him.
A tad bothered by her statent as Vim turned around finally and stepped back over this way, I wondered how I should interpret her words.
Was she… just pointing out the obvious? My lack of understanding the situation? Or was she speaking of sothing else? Maybe she was just teasing , or…
"You're capable of miracles. True ones. A creator of life, even!" I argued, before Vim could say anything or do anything. "Surely you can think of sothing…?" I said, and I wasn't too ashad over the begging tone in my voice.
I didn't want Vim to kill her. And not just because I wasn't entirely sure if she deserved death or not.
She was helpless. Bound and sealed. Unable to even shrug her shoulders. She was no threat to us. To . Or him, or the Society…
So…
Casper's small smile softened until it beca… sad. Really sad. Then she sighed softly at and looked down, away from my eyes. "I was abandoned, little panther. By people far more powerful than . I have nothing to offer, and even if I did he'd not believe anything I say. If anything it's a miracle he hadn't simply killed on the spot earlier," she said, sounding resigned again.
"But…"
A gentle hand placed itself on my shoulder, causing to look up at Vim… and found him gently frowning down at .
"But Vim…" I whispered up at his look. The one that told it was pointless to even try.
"Tell her of your experints, Casper. Of the humans," Vim then said while holding my gaze.
"Hm…? Ah, trying to convince her that my death is warranted are you? Sure thing. I used to break the minds of people, to find out why they can't house or store mana. My idea back then had been their inability to do so wasn't a physical issue but a ntal one. Well… I'd been wrong," Casper then said.
"Huh…?"
She nodded at with a frown. "I wasn't the only one. It's what we've all been searching for after all. A battery, basically. A way to store excess mana in the natural world. My attempts never produced any real results, but they had not been gentle nonetheless."
What…?
"She's slaughtered and tortured countless people, Renn. Humans and non-humans alike. Hundreds of thousands of them, at minimum," Vim then said.
I blinked as I watched Casper smile at that and nod… as if gladly and proudly accepting an accolade and wanted to praise her for it.
Feeling a bit sick in my stomach, I barely noticed Vim grab by the upper arm and lifted up and away from the tied up god. I stood… and as I did Vim took his spear from .
"Vim…" I whispered his na as I realized it was over. The gentle look on his face hinted at what the spear his hand confird.
"Step back Renn. Please."
Wanting to whine and argue… I couldn't find it within myself to do so as I stepped back.
With unsteady feet I stepped away… as Vim again kneeled in front of Casper. He did so a bit closer than he had last ti, to the point his face was nearly touching hers.
"Where are they, Casper?" Vim then asked with a whisper.
The weird looking eyes blinked. "You won't be able to find them… but they're in the sky, Vim. Far away from here, to the north-east. Near that teor crater. The one that Griffon dropped on you."
Vim nodded… and then whispered again. Though this ti, impossibly…
I couldn't hear what he said.
Gulping, I nearly stepped forward as to get closer. So I could hear better… but it didn't matter.
Casper glanced at , and gave a small smile… as Vim then moved with urgency.
Casper flinched as he plunged his spear straight into her chest, and then through her. It made a weird sound, as did her, as he speared her through... and Vim's Mother's bell rang out as I flinched as she died.
"Vim…" I whined a groan as I watched her eyes stare my way… but she wasn't looking at . And as Vim shifted his spear ever so gently as he pulled it out and stood away from her… Casper slowly leaned forward and fell down face first.
Flinching as she fell… and the ropes around her began to flicker, like candles in the wind, I couldn't help but whine as everything felt… wrong.
He had killed her. A god. One who had been at his rcy.
And she had died with a smile on her face.
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