The Council of Terra - Part 6

⛓Splitting Future⛓

TW: 18+ | Slight Descriptions of Violence | Mature Language

PT 394, Dimension ???

Nova

Nova lived his current days in complete solitude. He lived in an artificial dimension that DRU created for his own use. Essentially any demand he made was met out of fear of retaliation or worse; that he would leave. Still, he yearned for the death of his master, who he had never met. He’d been grown in a tank, created to be the very thing he wasn’t. This bothered him even deeper because he was essentially a carbon copy of Terra who had experienced the same things. Due to Edriel’s meddling, much of his mind was foggy.

It was also the reason he looked like he did, hideous.

He’d been defiled without even knowing it, by Edriel, of course. He sat, meditating in a lush, Japanese temple-inspired shrine. He cracked his eyes open to look upon a neatly raked zen garden. It was a neatly raked garden filled with sand, finely cut bushes, and tranquil rocks. Even if it was all faked, the garden was as real as could be. The sand cracked beneath Nova’s feet as he gently tended to it, and proceeded with his meditation ritual. Floating in space, searching for meaning.

The head priest of the temple floated around Nova. He held a boat oar at his back. Slamming it on his back every now and again. Still, Nova stayed pensive. He was dressed in a ceremonial robe that reminded him of the time he spent in Japan before the simulation ended. He had the build of a football player, more or less, which was seen through the cracks of the robe. His face lacked neither a feminine nor masculine appeal. His eyes were bright green, and his orange hair was tied into a delicate bun at the top of his head.

“Young man, I believe you are ready.” The head priest’s voice sounded.

Finally, Nova came to his feet. He silently walked through the temple with the priest by his side as night began to fall. Though it didn’t matter to Nova, the priest was an old enemy of DRU’s. Someone the master of DRU had despised. He was put into his place as the head priest of the old Japanese temple that floated in nothingness. All for Nova.

“The road to enlightenment is long and arduous, young man. Do you believe you will find peace this way?” He questioned.

They arrived at a shrine with many candles lit. In the very middle was a picture of Nova’s beloved daughter, Rhea. When Enzo met Nova in simulated Japan, it was the two of them living together. The same way Enzo lost Emi, Nova had lost his only daughter.

He lit some incense and placed it in front of the shrine, as the aroma filled the air, Nova came to his knees and sat meditatively once again, closing his eyes.

“Begin the ceremony.” He commanded the head priest, who raised his hand slowly. The candles that were lit began to burn even brighter. Until the shrine turned into a burning mess. Setting the only evidence that Nova ever had a daughter ablaze. He opened his eyes to marvel at the fire. He imagined his own anger floating away, burning away.

He stood and turned, only to see the head priest in the grasp of someone else, instantly, the calmness he had felt in the moment was shocked out of his body when he saw someone who looked just like him holding his master at knife-point.

Another variant of Terra, just like himself. From her neck-down, most of her body seemed to have been replaced with metal augmentations. Just like the knife that now protruded from her wrist instead of an average hand.

“You hate DRU, too. Don’t you?”

Nova responded with restraint. “Yes.”

“If you help us, we can help you too. Just come with me.”

“To destroy DRU?”

“That is up to you, if you will cooperate.”

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PT 394, Dimension Y-496

Enzo Eclipse

“You should’ve let me guide you. You’ve teleported us to a completely random dimension.” Petra scolded weakly.

“We need to get you help! Now’s not the time to talk like this!” Enzo cried.

“Let me heal her.” Hestia pushed Enzo out of the way and hovered her hands over Petra, they began to glow a bright green as her pain was slightly relieved. Hestia began to sweat intensely. Enzo held Petra’s hand as she locked eyes with him.

“Help her find her way.” She mouthed to Enzo.

The hole was gaping, her tendons and veins destroyed. She was no doctor, so it was impossible to tell if the wound was fatal.

“No…Stop it..!” Petra choked as she lost consciousness.

“You may stop.” A regal voice announced from above them. “I wouldn’t want to see an Olympian embarrass themself on an insect such as this. Let me assist. I shall take her to a healing hut. That way the plague of life can be shared.”

“What…?” Hestia asked, the way of speaking was different, never mind the statement of “Olympian” being thrown in her face. Enzo quickly spoke up for her.

“Yes, yes, that would be very good.” He pleaded.

The woman picked up a fainted Petra with both hands. She began to travel down the road of the Olympian town to their right.

Finally, silence befell them, and they were able to take in the beauty of Olympus. The stone in Hestia’s left hand began to lose its glow, perhaps it dug into her memories to determine a place to go. This Olympus was very similar to the one she had grown up in. She had been there a multitude of times in her childhood. She remembered her visits as some of the happiest times in her life.

The air was clean, open, and pure. The clouds that surrounded the clear bricks lined into mount Olympus looked like large marshmallows. They were standing on the stairs that led up to the Olympians’ castle. It seemed to glow even brighter than the Olympus that lay at Hestia’s old home.

Enzo looked at Hestia, her eyes traced up the stairs and to the castle. His eyes followed the woman who held Petra, taking her god-knows-where. His back still ached from the tattoo that had been stitched into his skin. The artist was going to leave him for dead.

“That lady thought you were actually Hestia. What do you plan to do? Find the god, kill her, and take her place? Were you really going to leave Petra and I like that?”

Hestia was silent.

“I can wait for an answer.” He responded to her silence coldly. “I need to be by Petra’s side. Come find me when you make your choice, and hand over the damn stone.”

Like a zombie, Hestia handed the stone over to Enzo as he made for Petra’s location. He left her, the would-be Olympian, at the steps leading up to Zeus’ castle.

All he could think about was Petra. How he and Hestia’s actions led to where they are now. Petra has nothing to do with his past, and yet, she decided to step up to help. Even in the simulation, he felt like another cog in the Yakuza machine. Here in DRU? At least there was someone to help him along. He didn’t know what he’d do without her.

As he passed through town, he was immediately met with the sound of a light violin playing in the background. The men and women passing through the streets spoke a special combination of English and Greek. He walked past bars and hotels expertly crafted out of wood. At the very edge of town was the healing hut. When Enzo entered, the healers were already making efforts to nurse her wounds. Though, she was still unconscious. The healers silently worked around him, ignoring his presence. They were older than he expected, much of their young life sucked from their bodies. He felt remnants of her life when he gripped her hand only to have her faintly grip back. He remembered her words, to help Hestia find answers.

“I don’t know what to do. Half of me thinks she’s dead set on killing the Hestia of this dimension and taking her place. The other half thinks she doesn’t have the guts. I know what I would do if I was in her position. I wish you could say something to set me straight.” He thought, as to not warrant the suspicion of the healers.

The same voice of the woman from before barreled into the room. “Are you this human’s partner, boy?” This woman looked like a bouncer, Enzo was afraid that she’d throw him out if he said something wrong, she certainly had the strength to overpower him.

Confused about the actual meaning of partner in this situation, Enzo nodded. “We accidentally warped here from Earth after she was injured. Sorry to be a bother to you.”

“Hestia seemed to take a shine to you. I could see it in her eyes. I have no idea why she cares for a human of all things. I doubt you would understand, but she was risking her life by trying to heal her. Healing is dangerous work, boy.” She announced. “It could spell certain death for the healer if they overexert themself. They literally trade their life for another’s well-being.”

“Sounds like dangerous work. Do you think she’s going to pull through?”

“Of course. We are the best healers in Olympus! Why don’t you go up the street and get a hotel, boy? We offer good rates, and your partner will need some time to heal once she’s out.”