"Hmm, seems to me that this is the end," the Wood Ouroboros Gaia muttered to herself in the midst of battle, seeming to have given up.
She had not yet been defeated. Though she was a little disadvantaged, there was still room for a comeback. However, she still looked up to the sky, seeming to have realized her own end. She could tell that the gigantic amount of mana that had made up the ouroboroses of Heaven and Earth had moved somewhere. The Fire Ouroboros, who was already pretty much dead anyway, had started to turn into particles as well. Gaia figured it was only a matter of time for her.
"What?" asked Mavis.
"The curtains have closed…" Gaia said. "The curtains on this story of ours, that is."
The end was here. It was the end of the world, as well as the destruction of the story that lay beyond that. The time had finally come. After so many ridiculous events, the plot had gone so far off the rails that it could no longer be considered a story. All that was left was for the Goddess to tear the script apart.
Though she was loath to end this encounter with her daughters, Gaia still had one last job to complete before she disappeared. She looked at Erza and Mavis. Then, a faint light emitted from the Wood Ouroboros's eye, which entered the fairy sisters's bodies.
"Th-this is…?" Erza asked, trailing off.
"I-I can feel the power…" Mavis paused. "I'm overflowing with strength!"
Mavis's SP was infinite once again, and her stats had gone up as well. On top of that, there was now something in her skill column that she'd never seen before—the skills of the ouroboroses, the arbitrators of the world, had been added to her list. At the same time, Gaia's body weakened, and she started to dissolve into particles of light.
"Wh-what did you do?!"
"I transferred as much of my power and authority as an ouroboros as I could to you two before severing our connection. With this, you two are no longer my avatars… Even if I disappear, I will not take you two with me."
Gaia's mouth twisted upwards as she grinned at them. Seeing that, Mavis realized something. As I thought. She alone was somehow strange from the start… She alone had never wanted to kill Mavis and the others. She had simply been messing around with them. In the end, all she'd done was tease and play around with her children. If it hadn't been for that, Argo would have been long sunk. In actuality, there had been many chances for Gaia to have done so. To her, Mavis's rebellion and everything else had been akin to young children play-fighting with sticks. It was something to smile warmly at, not kill over.
"Don't you mess with me!" yelled Mavis. "We're your enemies! Why did you…?!"
"Because I was happy. The two of you, who should have just been my clones, started to hold your own thoughts and opinions, and in the end, you chose a different path from me… That made me so happy, and seeing all that was so much fun…"
Ever since Mavis's birth, Gaia had been watching over her. Even through her slumber, she could feel her pain and anguish, and now, she stood in front of her as an enemy. She had chosen her future with her own will. As a parent, there was no way that wouldn't fill her with joy.
"The Goddess's story has ended, so from now on, the story is all yours." Gaia paused. "Sorry for never doing anything befitting of a parent. Live well, you two."
"This isn't a joke! What are you even saying this late in the game?! If you say that… I… I… I never… You…"
I never even got to call you mother.
Mavis didn't know if those words had gotten through to Gaia or not. Her enemy and mother turned into particles of light and disappeared fully, vanishing in front of Mavis and the others anticlimactically. All that was left were her last words.
"How amusing…"
After watching her fully disappear, Mavis fell to her knees.
"What the hell. That's so one-sided…" she eventually said. "If that's how you felt, why didn't you just say so in the beginning?! Why did you have to suddenly start sounding like a good person at the end…? How am I even supposed to react?!"
"She probably didn't want to have her determination waver. I… kind of understand how the Wood Ouroboros Gaia, our mother, thought," Erza admitted.
"Erza …"
"Parents are just selfish creatures."
Erza rested her hand on her sister's head, stroking her hair in an attempt to console her.
With this, all the ouroboroses were done for. The Fire Ouroboros Surtr was the last one left, screaming, "Nooo! I don't wanna disappeaaaarrr!" in an unsightly fit as he turned into light. However, he was quickly dealt the finishing blow by Azura.
Midgar was dying, the ouroboroses had disappeared, and the story was no more. All that was left was a brawl that would be a part of no story. The last rites were up to the Goddess and the Devil.
As Erza kindly comforted her crying sister, she quietly looked towards the direction in which Lucy probably was.
𖦹𖦹𖦹
"Thank you, Fairy Princess. With this divine sword you have given me, I will surely defeat the Black Dragon and return peace to this world."
After a pause, she said, "Yes. If it's you, you'll 'surely' achieve that. Be careful on your journey."
This was a tale from several thousand years ago.
At the time, the Black Dragon King had driven humanity to the brink of collapse, and a hero had risen up to defeat the Black Dragon along with his friends whom he'd forged a strong, solid bond with. Mavis had given the hero legendary equipment, taught him the Black Dragon's weak point, and sent him off. She'd done this while knowing that he would never come back, that this was a journey of death.
After seeing the hero's party off, Mavis covered her face.
At first, she was silent. "It's so stupid," she then said. "Why does no one question it…? Even though things go way too smoothly for them…"
A weak point on the Black Dragon? Don't make me laugh. There's no such thing, because she's really a divine beast created by the Goddess to govern the world. She's an arbitrator. Just like my main body, she's an agent of divinity.
There's no way a human could win against that. The Goddess made humans so they wouldn't be able to win. Even if they fought seriously, the outcome was already decided. But they'll probably win. That's how the script is written, after all. The Black Dragon will be defeated, and then in a couple hundred or thousand of years—whenever the Goddess deems it necessary—the Black Dragon will change her name and form and once again appear to drive humanity into the depths of despair. Humanity doesn't know. No one does.
All of the evil villains from the past who were spoken of in legends were actually the same person. She was even the God of Destruction all the way back when humans had just branched off from the angels, whom Ozma and his wife—the first hero—had traded their life to eliminate. She was also the Ten-Tailed Beast, the enemy from when the beastmans had just been born, and the world was steeped in a chaotic war. Not to mention the immortal black witch who had run on a rampage with her monsters.
And now she's named her the Black Dragon Fafnir. Next time she'll just have another name, humanity will be none the wiser, and I'll take part in this farce once again. I'll pretend I'm an ally of humanity, but I'll be the reaper, spreading the poison called hope and sending them off to their deaths. That's the true identity of the Fairy Princess. It seems like things are split into two sides, but they're actually the same.
So, yes… I can't help but be fed up.
For a moment, she was quiet, then said, "So stupid… Why do they… look at me with such straightforward eyes, like they truly trust me…? Come on, doubt me…! Figure out that it's weird! It's obvious if you just think about it a little! You only ever see weak monsters and other enemies so you can grow stronger bit by bit, and you're only given stuff to help you follow that curve…! And then there's me, some random fishy woman who claims to know the weak point of the big bad villain…?! Now matter how you think about it, it's weird, right?!" She paused. "Please, just doubt me… Don't let me fool you…"
Up until now, Mavis had sent off heroes many times—over and over and over and over and over again. She had led them with a smile, gifted them weapons, given them advice, and tested them with trials to become stronger. Every time, she had been reminded that their hearts, which wished for peace in the world, were undoubtedly straight and true; they were worthy of being called heroes.
There had once been a young man who claimed to love the world—he had never been able to see the peaceful world he loved so much. There had once been a swordsman who said that he could become as strong as necessary to protect his loved ones—when the world had regained its peace, he was dead along with the people whom he'd loved. There had been a very nice man who'd once said that he wanted to show children a peaceful world as he laughed heartily—he had never even been able to see those children's faces. There had once been a kind swordswoman who went on a journey to her death, despite her gender, in order to ensure the futures of the people precious to her—she hadn't even left any bones behind.
All of them had been sent to their deaths by Mavis.
The world regained peace as the script dictated, and the heroes who had died so magnificently were given a fitting send-off.
There was a long silence.
"I can't… take it anymore…"
Mavis's beautiful face scrunched up, and she covered her face with her hands as she crumpled to her knees.
Their trusting gazes hurt. Their words of thanks hurt. The way they look as they talk of a peaceful future… It's so bright… and so sad…
How many heroes with bright futures ahead of them have I watched die? They, of all people, should have been the ones to enjoy the world at peace, so why do they all have to die? Their lives are short anyway. Even the longer-lived races only live several thousand years… Why can't they be allowed to spend their remaining years happily as a reward for a hard fight?
Mavis had always wondered this, but the Goddess didn't like leaving people who were too powerful unchecked. That was why "she" would always deal the heroes a fatal blow and purposefully lose.
I'm sure the one I just sent off today won't be coming back either. He'll never reunite with his lover, who he said was waiting for him.
I always pray that they never come, but the Goddess, who I have to pray to, doesn't want it to be that way. So they will always come, as their fates dictate. Should I just not help them? No, they wouldn't have come here in the first place if their resolve was so half-hearted as to let my refusal end their journey. If I did that, they would just die fruitlessly after challenging her, and someone else close to them would inherit the curse that is the hero's title. Should I just tell them the truth? No. Doing so will just shorten their lives.
The Goddess will never allow anyone who knows the truth to live.
"How long is this going to go on…? How many times do I have to trick them…? How many more times will I have to kill these children…? Answer me… Goddess…"
I can't take it anymore.
Mavis's spirit was at the breaking point. Her work was something she didn't want to do; it was like stomping on a flower that was heroically trying to bloom in the middle of a wasteland. Mavis had done this continuously, repeating it many tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of times, even while loving every life that was born and admiring their brightness, even while desperately trying to survive.
While watching people as many generations rolled on, Mavis eventually began to love humanity almost like they were her own children. She wanted to protect them. She wanted to hold them. She wanted to save them from this hell. However, reality forced her to do the exact opposite. She was nothing more than the grim reaper who drove them further into hell. She was the scum who had to stomp out the flower.
After a silence, she said, "I should never have gained a sense of self."
How much easier would it have been to just stay as an avatar? To simply be a normal spirit that's just controlled by the main body, able to get by without feeling anything painful…
Mavis drew the knife she had for self-protection and put it to her throat.
Yeah… I can just disappear. I shouldn't exist.
However, her hand was stopped by her sister, her other half. "Mavis, stop!"
Mavis silently tried to shake off her sister's hand. "Let go of me, Erza ."
"No. I won't."
Erza held Mavis firmly. Mavis lacked enough vigor that she was convinced that if she didn't, she would disappear. As Erza slowly soothed her sister, she couldn't help but curse the Goddess.
Oh Goddess. Oh omniscient, omnipotent Goddess Yggdra. Why do you treat us this way? Mavis is not the kind of girl who would be able to withstand this role. She's far too kind to continue doing this.
We should have been switched. I want to switch with her, but that can't be. The heroes always come looking for the Fairy Princess. I'm sure the Goddess has done something to feed them information. And if they look for my sister, she'll answer, because she knows that if she doesn't, things will only get worse.
In the end, I'm just the chaff, a by-product of birthing the sublime being that is the Fairy Princess. I'm just a failure of a fairy who can do nothing but fight. I'm nothing but a defective product pushed out first in order to give birth to something superior.
But Mavis can no longer handle this. She's at her limit. As things stand, she'll break. Even if I spend long years slowly healing the wounds in her heart, they'll only be reopened along with new, fresh ones.
Like that, the cycle of healing and reopening wounds, then healing and reopening wounds again eventually resulted in wounds so deep they could never be fully healed. Her guilt would never disappear. It just kept piling up at the bottom of her heart. It would all have been fine if she was irresponsible enough to just forget about it or if she was rational enough to be able to chase it all the way to the edges of her memory. But Mavis couldn't do that, and she broke little by little.
That was why Erza prayed. She prayed for someone… anyone. She prayed for the appearance of someone who could truly destroy this hell, who could tear apart even the Goddess's Script. She prayed, even while harboring resignation and certainty that no such person existed.
But… Several thousand years later…
Erza deeply, deeply regretted her prayer. The one who stepped foot into their paradise that day was someone who would paint over their hell with an even worse one. Her ominous black wings asserted her presence, and her beautiful looks filled with absolute confidence went along with a bestial smile. Behind her was an army of monsters.
Mavis, who had confirmed the woman's level with a special skill granted to the Fairy Princess, almost swooned. Her level was 4000.
Huh?!… What is this… monster? No. There's no way she's a hero. As if there could be a hero like this.
But still, she's not "her." She's not someone prepared by the Goddess. Why would she create someone so meaninglessly strong like this, when she's been killing heroes all this time because she didn't want to leave behind anyone too powerful?
In the first place, this woman's ignoring the level limit the Goddess put in place. Mavis quietly contemplated this information. I heard the rumors that there was someone called the Devil King who "she"—who's calling herself the Demon King Indra now—is truly afraid of and is avoiding direct confrontation with.
Mavis had thought it was an exaggeration though, since there had been many people up until now who'd had rumors this exaggerated floating around about them. Unfortunately, however, it turned out that the rumors were all true.
What should I do…? This person…She'll ignore the script and could really kill Indra. Not because of the Goddess's Script. It won't be some fake victory decided on beforehand. She'll really and truly dominate Indra in a real fight and kill her. She's a real monster.
She was a true bug, naturally born into the world and completely unrelated to the Goddess's machinations.
In front of her, Mavis raised her trembling voice to ask, "U-ummm… Do you have business with me?"
"Indeed I do. I've heard that there is a Fairy Princess in these parts who makes use of a strange ability… Welcoming a follower of the Goddess would be interesting, so I came. Okay now, getting to the point… We came to take you away, or tame you, Fairy Princess Mavis. And you too, big sister Erza."
Mavis was rendered speechless. It took a couple of seconds for her to process what she'd just heard. Huh? What? She's going to capture me? Like a monster?
Many humans had visited Alfheim throughout the years. The Fairy Princess had been petitioned for help or advice many times. However, no fool had ever come to try to capture her. As if there could be. The Goddess wouldn't allow it.
"Ah. Of course, you're welcome to resist. You have the right to refuse. If you don't want to be captured, resist with all your might."
"I'll take you up on that offer!"
Erza raised her Excalibur, and Argo floated up into the air along with all the heroic spirits who were on it. The little sister summoned them, and the older sister led them. With that arrangement, the skill Argonouts was completed and became an unbeatable, unfair skill.
However, the black-winged angel took one look at the ship and sent out a light punch. Right afterward, a giant hole opened up in Argo, and it started to sink while emitting smoke.
Huh? Shocked, even Mavis's thoughts were momentarily quiet. Wha—Uhhh? Did Argo just… fall? Is this a joke?! Did this person seriously sink Argo with just the wind pressure from her punch?! That thing is as hard as orichalcum?!
The black-winged angel was truly a common sense-destroying being, or common sense possibly just got sick of dealing with her and ran away at full speed. The summoned heroes were all easily subdued by her aura and rendered immobile. The fairy sisters also crumpled to their butts on the ground.
What the hell? What the hell is she?! I don't know anyone like her?!
Mavis felt like she was experiencing a somehow even worse version of Hel, a super-Hel. This woman was like an all-encompassing despair that engulfed and surpassed regular despair. She was a source of unfairness, absurdity, and irrationality that stomped on everything lesser than herself, one who broke every other absurdity. And she was exactly what Mavis had been waiting for—one who could rip apart even a Goddess's Script.
The woman stood in front of Mavis and looked down upon the Fairy Princess. "Your eyes, they look like they belong to a corpse. Looks like the role the Goddess forced on you was too much of a burden."
Surprised, Mavis could say nothing in reply.
"What's wrong? Why are you so surprised? Did you seriously think that I didn't know? True, I do realize that I wasn't on the smart side of the scale, but… even then, even I'd notice something this obvious. You and the Demon King Indra… It's such a perfect story of opposing light and dark that it's like someone is literally pointing out that there is a purposeful balance being kept. And that's not all. Weiss translated a stone tablet left hidden deep in some ruins, and it seems as if you've faced off against someone very similar to the Demon King many times, and for a long while now. It's as if the world is a pendulum, swinging between light and dark, between hope and despair… That convinced me. 'Ahh, they're totally working together,' I thought." Lucy paused. "Right on the money, yes?"
Lucy used a finger to lift up Mavis's chin so they would lock gazes.
"It must have been quite painful for you. You must have deceived heroes and watched them die countless times, and it must have eroded away at your heart. Rejoice—this will be the last time."
Mavis was shocked.
"If the Goddess will not answer you, then I shall. The curtain will soon close on this play, and when it does, you will no longer have to send anyone to their deaths." Lucy quieted, then said, "We will be destroying the whole stage, after all."
While listening to Lucy, Mavis felt like she was face to face with a Devil. Devil… an evil being that defies divinity. That's exactly what she is. No matter how I look at it, she's completely ignoring the Goddess's Script. For someone like this to be born… It must have been completely unexpected for the Goddess.
But… Ahhh, how ironic. To think that the one to say the words I've always wanted to hear wasn't one of the heroes I've always loved and respected, but the exact opposite. Or maybe she said it because she's a Devil?
"I'm going to retake true freedom for this world, which has been forced to repeat a third-rate play over and over again. In order to do that, I want you… Become our ally, Fairy Princess Mavis."
It was the temptation of evil, and it led down the treacherous path of betraying the Goddess.
The hero wouldn't be able to destroy the Goddess's Script. The only one who could would be a monster completely out of the norm. So Mavis took Lucy's hand, because even if this was the path that led to her destruction, she could no longer stand plucking flowers before their time.
𖦹𖦹𖦹
Kill stealing is one way of griefing in MMOs that is viewed as an active problem. The act of kill stealing specifically refers to when a third party suddenly swoops in to finish off a weakened enemy, thus taking the experience, materials, and money dropped by defeating it. Of course, doing so is considered extremely rude and not something good people should do.
That was what I had just done. I'd changed the directionality of the experience, or mana, that was trying to flow into the Hero, Ruby. Since she had refused what had originally been intended for her, there was no one who had a claim over the mana. Therefore, I activated my skill, and all the experience flooded into me.
"A—Whoa, whoa, whoa… Level 4000… 5000… 7000… 8000… I-It's over 9000! How far are you planning to go?!"
Given that this was experience from the ouroboroses, which were agents of divinity, the amount was on an entirely different scale from normal monsters. Not to mention, there were four of them. The Wood Ouroboros was weirdly light on mana for some reason, but my level still shot up like a rocket. No, wait a second. It seemed the Fire Ouroboros's experience hadn't come to me, so I only had three ouroboroses's worth, but… Well, whatever. Even then, my level reached 10000. I'd gotten a big boost, and it was still going up.
Now then, how will you respond, Goddess? You won't be able to deal with me while in Yuril's body anymore. You get it now, don't you? The only way to stop me is to fight me yourself.
"Xgate."
As a finishing touch, I activated Xgate, setting the entire world as the target. This world was already done for. It would soon disappear, so before that happened, I had to evacuate all the living things left here to the other side for a while. I was pretty sure that after all this, no one would insist on staying.
As expected, I succeeded in sending them off, only leaving a small number of people still with me. From what I could sense, those who had stayed behind were Azura and Indra.
Azura and Indra flew through the air before landing next to me. As I thought… They also have the right to challenge the Goddess.
"It seems I'm not alone, Yggdra."
"Grrr… Anyone and everyone is just ignoring the rules I set…"
I reached into a pocket and touched the Key to Reach the Heavens. It was about time for it to take the stage. I'm going to use it, Yuril. The final hand that you prepared, that is. With this, I'll put the king in check.
For a long while, the Goddess said nothing. "Yes, fine. I get it. I get it already…" the Goddess/Yuril muttered before heaving a sigh, seeming to have given up.
Then, she looked back up, staring at me with a bored look. At this point, she was out of pieces. We had crushed every single move she could make, so now, things were at an end. Having lost all chances of winning, she had no choice but to flip over the board.
The ground crumbled away, and finally, Midgar was no more. It exploded.
Our mother planet no longer existed, but in the midst of the explosion, we still faced off against each other, unmoved.
"This universe was a failure. To be honest, I find tossing away something I've taken so much time to raise like this hard to swallow, but there's nothing for it. I'll just have to take another couple hundred million years to build up another one."
The Goddess/Yuril was no longer smiling. Instead, she just seemed endlessly tired and apathetic. The curtains had closed, and now the stage would disappear. I was sure that she had put no thought towards what was next. Of course she hadn't; she didn't expect anyone to survive the destruction of the universe, and she was right in that expectation.
"Ragnarök," the Goddess/Yuril muttered.
The universe started to contract. The stars and planets all began flying at us at once, or rather, they'd been pulled towards us, as the universe itself was getting smaller.
However, I did not move. Similarly, neither Azura nor Indra even twitched. Though I hadn't told them anything, they'd probably figured that I had some sort of solution to this. If that was the case, I had to live up to their expectations.
"That reminds me. You wanted me to return this, didn't you? That's fine. I don't need it anymore. Here you go. Please, share your fate with this universe."
After spitting out those last words, Yuril fell as if her strings had been cut. I caught her and immediately activated heaven-arts. Not even she would be able to survive if left alone in space, after all. As the shrinking that heralded the end of the universe continued, I lightly slapped Yuril's cheek, having finally gotten her back.
After a moment she murmured, "Mnwha? Ah, Lucy."
"So you're awake, you sleepyhead."
"That's… Ah, right. So you did it."
Even while still groggy from her slumber, Yuril managed to look around and figure out what was going on. She was right. Everything has gone well so far. From here, Azura, Indra, and I would be strutting our stuff. Unfortunately, all the others without the right to challenge could not participate.
I took out the Key to Reach the Heavens and activated it. When I did so, the ownership of the universe shifted to me. This universe had already been tossed aside, so it was free for me—the one with the key—to claim, though I still wasn't able to stop its destruction, of course.
"U-um, Lucy! What should we do about this?"
"Calm down, Yuril. The universe is just going to end a little," I said.
"Whaaaaa?!"
I laughed and activated my skill. This universe was the magic of the Goddess, and now that she'd abandoned it, it was mine. So naturally, it was within my right to absorb all of it.
"Gather to me, Goddess's power!"
This universe was a magic spell, and spells were made of mana. Mana was a piece of the Goddess's power, as well as exp itself. This all made a certain thing possible. I would fuse myself with the universe and reach the realm of divinity.
Yes, this was my final move. The plan was to absorb the universe the Goddess had left behind, reach the same domain as her, punch her, and send her flying. Also, I wasn't the only one absorbing the universe. Thanks to the effects of my skill Ascella, Azura and Indra were sharing in the exp.
This was the right to challenge. Those still fettered by the limits of the world would never move beyond level 1000, no matter how much experience they took in. That was why being able to break through that limit was a prerequisite.
"Well done up to this point, my friends. From here on out, we will be going without you. Please, believe in our victory and wait for us."
I activated Xgate, the other side of which connected to the Ark, and created an escape route for them. From here on, the only ones to move forward would be Azura, Indra, and I. Our friends began to disappear through the gate one by one, Yuril was the only one left.
"Lucy… I believe in you. I believe you'll come back to us!"
"Yeah, I'll be back soon. Wait for me."
After receiving my promise, Yuril left this universe. Now, it was just Azura, Indra, and I. We had also nearly finished absorbing the universe. Our levels are… No, I guess numbers like that don't mean anything anymore. At this point, levels would not be a good indicator of anything.
"Now, let's go! First, we start off with a light greeting; then we smash her in the face!"
"Sounds good. Make sure you sync up with us, Lucy."
In order to signal the start of battle, I fired off a spell first. "Prophet Who Nocks the Golden Bow."
It was the strongest buff the Sun attribute had. On top of that, Azura followed up with Maiden Who Shoots a Silver Arrow, and there wasn't only one arrow. Indra also cast the spell. Now then, Goddess. Are you ready? You are no longer a player who just manipulates the game from safety. It's time for the behind-the-scenes brawl.
"Fire!"
On my signal, two silver arrows flew off, literally piercing through space. The wall between dimensions broke, and a hole formed. We flew towards the hole, and all together, we escaped this universe. Then, we came upon a pure-white world that seemed to stretch on into infinity. Finally, we came face-to-face with the Goddess, who stood there dazed and in disbelief.
𖦹𖦹𖦹
When had it all started? Not even she could remember at this point. She just barely remembered that she used to be a person, but that fact had been erased from history the moment she became divine. She was the only one who knew that she used to be human, and there wasn't even proof of that. It was so long ago that, as for what kind of twists and turns had led up to her current state, not even she remembered, but there was no doubt that she'd rewritten existing space and become a god in the end.
After that, the first thing she did after becoming god was to create an entirely new universe. Next, she created a planet with a suitable environment for creatures to live in before trying her hand at creating life. However, this was where she stumbled. She housed enough destructive power to make short work of the universe itself, but she had no ability to create a new life.
Why? Because to her, life was far too fragile. It was far more transient than what she was able to handle. The act of composing a life was so complicated, like a puzzle that needed to be completed to move forward. However, even touching one of the parts of the puzzle was hard for her. As she was, even if she wanted to create life, she would come out of the endeavor with nothing. With no other choice, she decided to move the living things she wanted from her former world to the one she'd made—named Midgar—little by little, and have them propagate and flourish in the new environment.
Time passed, and when species with similar intellect and forms to humans on Earth eventually sprouted forth, she was so happy she danced a little jig. She loved humanity. If they wanted something, she answered, and if they wished for something, she gave it to them. That never changed, even after someone ate the forbidden fruit filled with evil concepts that she'd forbidden them from ever touching.
I love you all. I want you to be happy. I will surely lead you to happiness!
With that wish, she granted humanity everything they wished for.
But… Why? I wonder why? The more I give, the more I fulfill their wishes…
Humanity's standard level of happiness and fulfillment continued to go up, and the higher it went, the less they were able to feel happy.
𖦹𖦹𖦹
Someone was yelling in an awful voice without a shred of kindness to it.
A little girl was being yelled at angrily by a man with white wings who must have been her father, at least by blood.
Parents yelled at their children. It wasn't an especially rare thing; most people experienced this sometime in their lives. But this wasn't anger due to concern for his child. There was only a selfish anger and a man simply venting his resentment at a little girl.
"Did you seriously injure someone else's kid again?! What did I say?! Don't hurt other people!"
"But, Father, they were the ones who hit me first, and a lot of them threw rocks at me. I was just trying to defend myself…"
"Shut up!"
A sharp sound echoed through the area.
The young girl knew it was because of violence brought down upon her by the living thing that was her 'father'.
This always happens. This man never listened to what she had to say. He was simply playing at being her father, pretending to discipline her. But in reality, he only thought of himself.
That was why he so quickly resorted to violence if whatever she had been doing didn't please him. He would never have said anything out of concern for his child.
Basically, he was only keeping up appearances. If the girl did anything, his reputation would worsen. That was why he pretended to scold her like this, shouting angrily like an idiot.
"I don't remember raising you to be like this! Where did I go wrong?! Huh?! Tell me!" The man yelled in his awful voice, and the girl agreed inwardly.
Of course you don't.
After all, she didn't remember the man raising her at all.
All this man's ever given me are jeers and violence.
Where did you go wrong? Everywhere. In fact, I don't remember you going right anywhere.
"There are no parents who don't love their children."
Those were just simple, pretty words spouted by someone clueless who probably basked in their parents's love their whole life. They probably had a sage expression, too.
There were tons of parents who didn't love their children. Because they never wanted a child, or because the child was in the way, or because they were too noisy.
Or, because their wings were black…
For just those reasons, parental love could easily disappear.
The little girl never received anything even resembling love from the piece of filth that was at the very least called her father.
"…liar."
Leaving behind that single word, the girl ran. She didn't want to have to hear the man's voice anymore and couldn't find any meaning in continuing to talk to him.
That man is just a stranger. A stranger who just happens to share blood with me.
So I'm not sad. This isn't painful. These droplets of water running down my cheeks are not tears. They're not.
She ran.
She simply ran without even knowing where she was running to. There was no place for her in this village.
Just for having taboo black wings… For having black wings, she was alienated, neglected, and discriminated against. Even though it wasn't like she was contagious or would spread illness, she had rocks thrown at her, and if she ever fought back it was her fault.
Her only ally was her mother. But her mother was weak in constitution, and the girl didn't want to worry her needlessly.
But the presence of her mother was a saving grace to the girl, and if that didn't exist, then she would probably have long fled the village.
Why did this have to happen to me? Why? Just because the color of my wings is different?
There were angels other than her who didn't have white wings. They all lived clinging to each other as people under the same circumstances often do in a place the sun didn't reach, the exact definition of slums.
If she'd gone there, she probably would have turned out differently. But she didn't know what the thing called her father would do to her mother if she left the house. The violence pointed at her might have instead been pointed at her mother.
Why is the world this unfair? Why do we have to be this unhappy?
She couldn't stop herself from cursing god.
A great Goddess of creation? As if. Goddess of love? I'm gonna puke.
If there really is a god that overflows with love and mercy, then why is the world so full of unfairness?
There's no point in praying. No one will reach out to help.
No one will save me.
At such a young age, the little girl stopped relying on others.
Since nobody will help me, I'll just have to do it myself.
She was still living at home and was given the bare minimum of food, but she didn't know when that would stop. And more importantly, she had no intentions of continuing to live life like this.
That was why she wished to become strong.
She wanted to become strong enough to be able to wipe away all the irrationality and unfairness of the world.
I'm still young and weak, but one day for sure… I'll take Mama and get out of this miserable life.
The black-winged girl, Ouzelia Lucifen, vowed strongly to do so from the bottom of her heart.
𖦹𖦹𖦹
This was the Endpoint, a place outside of the universe Yggdra had named. It was the final point of everything, as well as the beginning. All worlds and all timelines connected to this place.
Universes here were something like programs installed on a computer. There was a lot of saved data, each datum being a separate parallel world. Once someone left a universe, they would find countless more universes, or programs, all collated within folders. However, if they then looked past those folders, they would find that the folders were themselves contained in more folders. Past that, many more like them would be found if someone were to leave the computer itself.
The place Yggdra ruled over was something like this. Everything connected to this space, a world only for Yggdra that no one else should have been able to enter.
Lucy and the other two's vision was smothered in white that seemed to go on forever. There was no point in wondering how far the place stretched, for it stretched on endlessly. This place was quite literally infinite. In opposition to the never-ending white, there were black points in several places, each of which was a universe.
Midgar itself was only a small part of one of these universes. It was nothing more than a small planet, existing quietly amongst many other planets inside a single galaxy amidst clusters of other galaxies.
This was the definition of completely altered scales. It didn't matter how monstrous Lucy and her group was; that only applied to their small celestial body. Those accolades held no power this far away. At least, that was what Yggdra had thought. That was why she was currently the most shocked she'd ever been, so much so that her body physically shivered. Not only had her sanctuary been invaded, there were three of them. They were all arrayed before her, looking very determined. There was no concept of size in this space, as once Lucy and the other two had crossed through the universe itself, they had become equal to Yggdra. They, who should have been nothing but specks in a vast universe, had undoubtedly come as true enemies.
"So you're Yggdra… It's our first time meeting like this, isn't it?"
On the other hand, not even Lucy could hide her nerves at finally meeting the Goddess and basking in her sheer presence.
The Goddess's true form was an unbelievably beautiful woman with carnelian red hair and golden eyes. She wore a pure white dress with a celestial night cape draped over it and was haloed by light.
As for her stats, Lucy tried looking at them but quickly realized it was pointless. Her stats screen did come up. It did. However, there was just a continuous string of nines, stretching all the way through this infinite space. Just a single glance was enough for Lucy to realize how useless it was trying to calculate Yggdra's abilities. For now, it should be enough to just think that she has stats so astronomically high you'd only ever see them in star charts.
"I'm surprised. I never thought you'd be able to come here."
"I'm sure you didn't."
Though Lucy acted calm, internally she was thinking that she was the one who was astounded. I figured she'd be different… I thought I understood that she would be in a whole other dimension, but… Her thoughts stalled momentarily. Now that we're here, I can only be in awe of how huge she is.
So each one of those tiny black things in here—every single last one of them—is a universe?
Now this is what you call inflation. Finally, Lucy had reached the highest point.
"Am I right in assuming the reason you're here is to request a change to the script?"
"If you know that much already, then this will be quick. Even if you say no, we'll just force you to rewrite it."
In response, Yggdra asked if her script was really wrong. "Is it really that bad to have a common enemy for all humanity to rally against?"
Of course the world might have seemed harsh to those living in it. Yggdra knew that much, at least. However, that harshness is perfect. The pain is a good thing. Why? Because that's what humanity actually needs.
"Not even I would make the world like this on a sudden whim. At first, I thought that saving people and giving them everything they needed was the path to happiness."
Yggdra closed her eyes sadly as she spoke of the past.
"Yes… I used to believe that continuing to save people, to give them what they desired, would bring about happiness. But I was wrong. If all you do is fulfill people, their sense of happiness and fulfillment will go numb. In a world with nothing but peace, people will be unable to recognize that peace for what it is.
"For example, pretend there was a cake that needed to be given to two children who were having a birthday. One was poor, so poor that they had never once celebrated their birthday and struggled to have enough to eat day-to-day. The other was wealthy, able to eat as much cake as they wanted, and for every birthday, that child received an extra large birthday cake. Imagine that both of these children received the same cake. Only one of them would feel great happiness. What a delicious cake, the first child would say. This is the first time I've ever gotten a birthday cake! However, the other one would express nothing but anger. Are you kidding me? It's my birthday! What's up with this tiny cake?
"Isn't it strange? Though they had been given a cake of the same size and flavor, the poor child would feel lucky while the rich child would feel unlucky.
"Why does something like this happen? Because of the average level of happiness. The poor child's average level is low, so a small cake seems like the gift of a lifetime. Meanwhile, the rich child's average level is high, and they no longer feel happiness over something like a small cake. For that child, happiness has become such a given thing that they are unable to recognize their good fortune. Yes, the happiness people feel is not on an empirical scale. It varies greatly depending on the surroundings and circumstances.
"It's no good to simply give people happiness. If all they experience is peace, they'll just rot."
Back when Yggdra had done nothing but save people, the world was nothing short of a paradise. There was no starvation and no pain. Everything was dealt with by the Goddess, and not even the concept of a life span existed. Humanity was divorced from sickness and death, and they were able to receive anything they wanted. They were swaddled in the Goddess's love in a world with no war and no wealth disparity. It truly was a divine Eden, one that idealists dreamt of but was impossible in reality, the picture of a golden age.
Yggdra truly had once managed to realize what most people imagined heaven to be like. However, there was no limit to human greed. They took as much as they could, and the more she gave, the more their average level of happiness went up.
It's only natural to be given things. It's only natural to be saved. Once those thoughts took hold of people, their happiness became too commonplace, and they were unable to recognize their fortune. They simply accepted the Goddess's gifts while being unable to feel joy, and if even the littlest thing did not go their way, they became unhappy. It was a world where no one had to do anything, because even if they didn't, the Goddess would take care of it. They didn't walk by themselves, because if they wished for it, the Goddess whisked them anywhere. They didn't stand, because there was no need to. Neither would they lift things nor even eat on their own.
They simply existed in this paradise with no hardship, and because everything was granted to them, they did nothing. Humans could just lie down on some soft patch of grass or even a bed gifted to them by the Goddess.
Seeing humanity like that, Yggdra lamented everything.
No, this isn't how things should be. This isn't the world I wanted to make. I didn't want to make people like this. Those people… They were trying their best to live in such a painful world. They tried their best, but even then, they weren't saved. They were so pitiful that I wanted to save them myself. I just wanted to make those people happy, but this… This is just… Aren't they just puppets?
Yggdra didn't understand.
I'm not wrong. I've been doing the right thing this entire time! But then, why…? Why has humanity degraded this much? Why are their hearts so frozen?
At that point, she looked over at her original world in order to grab a breather. There, she saw something unbelievable—a single child struggling through poverty, feeling massively happy over eating a chunk of hard bread that couldn't be described as delicious even out of pure flattery. Yggdra's people would not even look at such food. They consumed much better bread as if it was their birthright, sometimes even throwing pieces away after just a single bite. However, none of those people felt happiness doing so. After all, it had all become natural to them.
Citizens of countries at war felt happiness over only some small moments of peace. This was something completely foreign to the Goddess's people. That sight was the most overwhelming to Yggdra.
"It seems you've all gotten the wrong idea," the Goddess said. "I don't actually want to make people unhappy. In fact, it's the opposite… I am trying to lead them to happiness. I want them to be happy."
I was wrong. Yggdra had realized her mistake, and she understood that what humanity needed was not peace and pure happiness. Ah, right. It's so obvious. Sugar is sweet, but anybody would come to hate sugar if they had candy covered in it every day. It's so delectable because of its scarcity. Sweet things taste best after eating something spicy, but if someone has only ever eaten sweet things, then they probably don't even think that they're sweet anymore. Happiness is just like that. There needs to be a difference for people to feel it. If someone is experiencing rock bottom, then even the smallest things will fill them with happiness.
I can make people happy! At the very least, I can make things much better than this rotten paradise. They think nothing, do nothing; they only sit still and wait for things to be given to them. How is that happiness? How is that human? People are human because they stand up to adversity and advance on their own feet. That is what makes humanity beautiful. Yes. It is people I want to make happy, not puppets.
"That can't be… So you are saying that everything you have forced onto the world was done for the sake of humanity, Yggdra?!" Indra, who'd had the longest relationship with the Goddess out of those there, raised her voice in anger. "That this was all done with goodwill instead of malice…? That you only released such misfortune into the world in order to make humanity happy?! Such a reason was why I was forced onto the path of a jester for so long?!"
This isn't funny… What the hell?! I don't intend to play the victim here. I lent a hand to the Goddess's Script, after all, and I made many suffer. I won't cover that up. But that reason… To think it was for such a ridiculous reason! All this suffering and all the lives of the heroes I'd killed were all for this…?
Indra was silent for some time. "This… All those people I killed… ! I… I… All those noble lives, just for this? Their futures, I…"
"You should not grieve, Tsukuyomi the Ouroboros of the Moon. They were happy. It was a lie, but the fact that they were able to exchange their lives for peace undoubtedly gave them serenity and fulfillment."
"STOP FUCKING WITH MEEEEEE!"
Indra flew into a rage, swinging at Yggdra.
This happened precisely because she'd continued killing so many for so long. All their futures, their happy moments, had been stolen by her for such a worthless reason. More than anyone else, the one Indra couldn't forgive the most was herself; she'd never even asked the Goddess why she was doing such things.
Indra swung her fist at the Goddess with newfound strength that was enough to destroy clusters of galaxies at once. Her fist surpassed the speed of light, and its destructive power was impossible to calculate. At this point, it would be downplaying the level of her attack to simply call it a 'blow'; it was the very concept of pure destruction made manifest.
Such an attack headed for the Goddess, but it seemed far too easy for her to stop, as she simply deployed an invisible wall.
"You are currently wracked by grief, Tsukuyomi the Ouroboros of the Moon. You are tortured by the weight of your sins…" the Goddess said, pausing. "But worry not. If you are suffering, that means you cannot go lower. From here on out, you can become happy. Now, rejoice!"
"YOOOOOOUUUU…!"
"I will never abandon my subjects. I wish for people's happiness from the bottom of my heart, so…"
Yggdra smiled and held her hand towards Indra.
Lucy and Azura reacted simultaneously, launching spells from their palms. However, the three of them were all transported to some sort of space right next to a group of stars several thousands of times bigger than the Sun.
"For tomorrow's happiness that will surely come. Fall to despair, world!" It was a hypernova. Explosions large enough to engulf the entire universe in flame occurred one after the other, with the three of them at the epicenter.