—Did you become a god?
The words scared us all, this was because they came from Goldes.
—Honestly, incredible. You also have terrifying powers, and you're just starting out. But I don't have time to talk. I have very bad news. I must leave quickly. The king of the gods has sent two million soldiers to attack Archadia. They're going all out because they know you've already taken this city. They want to eradicate you. They should arrive in a week. Good luck. —And as quickly as he came, he left.
He had come running when he heard of the attack and thank goodness he did.
"Sean, can we win?" Ashley asked.
But the one nodding and beating her chest was Jane, of course; she had my memories. Now there was another person in this room who had a deep understanding of the war.
But with that answer, Ashley gave up and lay down on the bed. She was having trouble breathing; she was in terrible shape. Of course, these guys, having no consequences from radiation, didn't treat her with even the slightest respect. Ashley was going to die.
Suddenly, Jane raised her head and looked at me, then at Azumi. She was referring to something Jane had learned as a child: if you're bitten by a Feral, you can turn into one. It's a kind of infection, similar to the werewolf myth back home.
—Azumi, can you bite it, right? —I asked the question.
Azumi smiled bitterly, she was very tired, but she nodded.
"It'll be a curse. Unlike me, who was born nekoneko, I understand the process is very brutal. I don't understand how that would help Ashley," Azumi replied heavily.
"We theorize that Sean was cured by magic; after all, he also tasted metal from the radiation poisoning. The theory is that he was cured by magic; it would make sense since charged particles transfer energy to the molecules they pass through," Jane explained.
I gave him an offended look. His explanation was textbook, and his response was, "I've studied a bit about radiation and its effects, due to several battles I've had close calls with nuclear explosions. That's why I know the damage it can cause, and that's why it horrifies me to know that, in this case, it's what's keeping me so afraid. These could very well be Ashley's last moments."
"If you bite her and she goes feral, she'll have magic. It's certain that if magic heals her, she'll be safe," I added.
Azumi nodded, looked at her arm, and her eyes glazed over; however, she turned her head and got off the couch. She looked very tired and sore, but somehow managed to get to the other side of the room with Jane's help.
Azumi opened her mouth, her teeth seemed to have increased in size.
"Oh, what are you doing?" Ashley hadn't heard or understood the conversation.
Her screams of despair and pain echoed throughout the room; only one thing could be heard amidst those screams, and that was Azumi's grunt; once she finished, Jane had to help her sit up, and Ashley's eyes were white.
"It's not the bite itself, it's my blood mixed with saliva. Fortunately, I'm absolutely certain my mouth was split." Azumi, saying this, spits on the ground; indeed, it was her own blood. "However, it should only affect you if you're weak. Ashley doesn't have magic; she must meet that threshold. Now, if you make a mistake, she'll die even faster."
Suddenly, Ashley screamed in pain again, writhing around in the bed. She remained like that for hours, hours in which none of us had the courage to leave her side. We did our best to stay with her, dry her sweat, and keep her from hurting herself until she fell asleep.
I hope it works, it has to. Because if it doesn't, I'm not sure of myself. The thought of dying terrifies me; my heart beats so hard it's like a drum. As the hours passed, not only me, but Jane too. We both felt the seconds drag on, and we were left at the mercy of our thoughts, one more terrifying than the other. I'm not sure how much time passed in total.
Suddenly, someone came through the door: it was Mason, the Frost boys, and Clank. Ashley stood up suddenly, her pupils dilating like Azumi's. She tried to get on guard, but fell. She hadn't seen them, she'd felt them.
"That's a sign that Ashley finally won... I'm not the only cat anymore," Azumi said heavily.
—Although yes, the only one-armed cat. —Mason mocked.
I'm not entirely sure how many times Grayson hit her on the head, but it didn't seem like enough. Azumi was hurt by the comment.
Ashley acted strangely; she did what we told her, but she was disoriented. The boys reported that the conquest of their city was completely successful.
"I'm fine... I think so... In fact, I feel amazing, but everything feels extremely strong," Ashley commented while cracking her neck.
At least I knew the force was magic, because I felt the same way.
—The metallic taste is fading. The theory is correct, but I feel it much stronger… It's hard to explain.
Azumi was being treated by the doctor, but she answered.
"That's because you're no longer human, you're a feral hybrid. The more you use your magic, the more you'll slowly become the second cat in this place."
"I see. I guess it's not so bad, huh? Does that mean I can throw lightning bolts and run around without getting tired like you guys?" She smiled. She was smiling, but she was really exhausted.
We had to explain what had happened to the boys.
"So we have to prepare for the attack. What will we do?" Frost asked.
—I have an idea for a defensive strategy, but the enemy is absurd. The only thing that reassures me is that we're better than them in siege technology, tanks, and even planes.
But besides, now that I'm a god, even if it goes wrong, I can kill them. I shared a knowing look with Jane, she shook her head, and I heard her in my mind, "Ambition, you lost everything by not having it. If we win this battle, they'll fear us, and in the future we'll be able to avoid a war. Besides, it wouldn't be good for morale." Having a conversation with Jane in my mind is weird, but even weirder is that she's using my own knowledge and shaping it however she wants.
The problem was that, no matter how much I tried to deny it, she was right. Even if we lost good troops in the assault, it would allow me to avoid unnecessary deaths in the future, and it was certainly a good idea if I took power.
"So you guys merged? That's incredible," Tech added, changing the subject.
"I never thought I'd care for a god... after all," Frost commented.
Azumi turned red as a tomato, she looked at me and Jane.
—So you lived through what she lived through?
"Even losing your arm doesn't make you gossipy?" I mocked.
Jane hit me on the arm, the arm Azumi doesn't have. As I laughed to myself, I received another blow; Jane was nearly bursting with laughter and glaring at me.
Of course… We no longer had privacy, not even in my own head.
Lombardi soon joined him, gave his report and retired to celebrate with his troops, Meridia came with him, she was exhausted, she slumped on the sofa.
It had been a total victory, and even though the toughest parts of this war were ahead, I didn't have the courage to put them to work. I let the entire army celebrate. I'm sorry, Goldes. You came running to help me, and I appreciate it, but I must also let my people savor their victory.
"I didn't expect you to actually be able to merge, thank you very much, Jane." Mason lowered his head. "It must have been hard... I..."
—Don't worry, Mason… I'd also be lying if I told you I did it to help them, I really wanted to do it —Jane replied.
She really wanted to but she wasn't quite sure why, apart from wanting to keep them all alive, there was something else, but if she couldn't decipher her own feelings, I would be even less able to do it.
"So you created nuclear weapons? Pretty interesting concept. How did you get them from one place to another?" Tech asked.
Just as I was about to puff out my chest and speak proudly, someone else beat me to it. And it wasn't Ashley; in fact, she was sniffing the sheets, not paying much attention to our conversation. It was Jane who opened her mouth with information that wasn't hers.
—They use much more powerful planes, they call them bombers; I know your father will be able to make one someday; they're glorious.
"How do you know?" Tech laughed as he asked.
"We share memories." Jane winked at him.
"You don't know how strange it feels, having someone speak with knowledge and memories you know are yours," I commented.
—So you do know everything that happened to her.
The gossip spoke again, Ouch! Jane hit me again.
"You're being aggressive today." I looked at her angrily as she rubbed my arm.
"I know what you thought," Jane replied.
"He hasn't said anything yet," I complained.
"You didn't lack desire" spoke again in my mind.
Ashley came up to me and hugged me from behind and whispered in my ear.
—So she can feel everything you feel and vice versa.
Next thing I knew, she bit my ear. Jane scratched her ear as if trying to get Ashley's drool off, causing Ashley to burst out laughing.
"Oh, but that means every time we're together, she'll feel it too." Ashley laughed it off.
But in unison we both said in our heads, "Oh no."
—Changing the subject, is everyone going to ignore the fact that Ashley and Meridia look like twins?
"Actually, I've been studying it for a while now; I'm pretty sure their body measurements are the same," Grayson added, receiving suspicious looks from all of us.
"I don't think we're related, and if we are, it would be too distant," Meridia replied as she settled onto the couch she was resting on.
"She comes from another world, just like me, so it would be practically impossible," I replied.
"Don't be entirely sure, after all, looking at your memories, you are the most illogical, it makes no sense that you are a god," Jane added.
"Maybe Kain knows, after all he chose us knowing something beforehand," Ashley said.
I nodded. The room relaxed a little; everyone was tired except for Jane and me. However, Azumi started crying as she looked at me.
"Can I come now?" The words caught in her throat.
I didn't understand it, I didn't understand what he was trying to tell me, but someone else realized, "You forbade Doc from crying, she must feel it's the same situation." Jane was right, that must be it.
I hugged Azumi, who was struggling to hold back her tears. No words were needed; she broke down as she cried into my shoulder.
"I've lost everything! My village, my family, my strength, even my sister. I should have trained harder, I should have done more… I should have reached the realm of the gods myself, but how will I ever overcome that abyss?" She spat out the words through tears, while clinging to her lost limb. "Not only was I not strong enough to protect my village, if I had arrived sooner, if I had been as fast as a god, I could have arrived in time. If I hadn't gotten hurt, that girl would be alive!" Those words struck deep into Doc's heart, who immediately clouded his gaze. "All I've done since I joined as a warrior was end up hurt."
I took her by the shoulders, forcing myself to look.
—It's a lie. You saved my life twice already. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have survived the first fight. If it weren't for you, I'd most likely be dead. You lost your arm because of me. You lost your arm because I truly wasn't willing to die in my attack. If I had taken damage from the flames, I could have landed a good blow when he abandoned all defenses to go straight for the attack. You're a better warrior than I am! You were willing to die from the start.
I comforted her, but in response I only cried as she rested her forehead against my chest and limply punched my shoulder.
—I'm left with nothing… nothing to be proud of, nothing to achieve. You're already a god. I know you can easily beat the fire god now, but me? I was left behind, and now I have no chance of catching up.
"I refuse to think that way. I know I can give you back your arm, after all. I am a god, aren't I? I have to have more than strength; I just have to figure out how. And even if it doesn't exist, I'll invent it."
-Because?
But before Jane could answer, he put his hand on Ashley's shoulder; she did the same, and with that, the boys followed us, all surrounding Azumi.
"Because you're our valued friend," we said in unison.