Part 52: Layna II

Chapter 38: Layna II

Saturday, most likely

Evening continued

With Dio defeated, the only thing left was to enter the gate. But Dio had gambled heavily with that attempt to seal our powers. The gate was losing power!

VIDEO




But doesn't it look kinda... small compared to when we first saw it?
I mean, I'm not even sure if we can fit through there.
Dio did take some of the Crimson Tears from here earlier...
Oh dear... perhaps there aren't enough to maintain the gate anymore?
Hmm... this is...
...Barely enough for one person. Certainly no more than that could pass through this gate.
If you try to force your way, you'll surely be crushed and killed.
Then I'll go alone.
N-n-no! You can't! I can't let you go by yourself!



No more than usual.
Yeah, exactly. Listen, you guys have no idea what Drazil is like.
Oh, and you do?
Nope!
I can't say I've ever been there.
Heh. I'm pretty stoked to see what it's like, actually.
I can't wait to see the look on those stupid gods' faces when I show up. Haha!
Leave it to us. You stay here.
This isn't fair...
...
Okay, kid. You ready?

I stepped into the portal.



Yup. There she goes.
Hmph. Sepps are just so...

The other side wasn't what I expected. I don't know what I expected, exactly, but it wasn't this. I was also surprised, because right after me Danette flopped on the ground, singed but alive.



Urrgg...
Danette?!
Damn, you're pretty messed up. Are you, like, dying?
N-no... I'm fine.
Okay, so why'd you follow us? I knew you were thick, but this is stupid even for you...
Why are you acting so reckless?
They day we left the village, Lady Layna told me something...
She said that one day, Gig might take control of you. She said never to leave your side, to watch for signs...
And if you were possessed, I should talk to my dad... she said if I did, it would strengthen the seal.
Now that she's gone, it's like that was her last job for me. I can't let her down.

And that's when things got... weird. Weird doesn't cover it at all. This shit's just insane.



!!
What kind of freaky shit is this?
She looks just like you...
Huh...? Two of you? Is this the first sign of some sort of fatal disease?
But... I'm not ready to die yet.
Gimme that medicine.
...What's wrong with your face? It must be worse than I thought! I hope the medicine helps...
M-my face? Hold on! What's wrong with my face?!
...! Th-there's still two of you!



Guys and girls... wearing the same thing. And all with exactly the same face?
Wha-wha-what's going on here?! There's so many of... you.

I heard a strangely familiar voice from behind us, trying to get us to follow it. I wasn't about to follow some random person on another world, though. Turns out it wasn't a stranger at all, though.



She grabbed us and took us somewhere secluded where we could talk. But what she had to say... I don't know what to tell you.



Oh, I'm ...
Yeah, I know already. I saw it in Virtuous' dream.
And this is Danette, right?
Wha-? How-? You-!
Did you just say 'Virtuous'?
Ah! I know that voice! Gig, right? Yes, I remember that very well.
Though, you sounded much more vicious when you killed me so long ago. Sounds like you've mellowed out.
Wh-what the hell are you talking about?
Killed you... what do you have to do with our Lady Layna?!



...
Haha! You really do look just like a Drazillian! I didn't think you'd be this similar.
...
Yeah, about that... who are those people?!
Huh. She didn't tell you?
Wow, seriously, the gods down there really don't care, do they?
Didn't she tell you anything?
Umm... I don't know what to say.
Oh, that's right. Your memory's gone. I guess you have an excuse, then.
You're um... how do I put it? Man, why'd I get stuck with this?
So okay...



Yeah. As you can imagine this was a slight surprise.



Yeah, um. Sorry. But you are. A World Eater.
Come on, you had to have known. Somewhere, some part of you knows.
What...?
What?!
WHAAAAT?!
You... World Eater... it's a lie. It has to be! Right?!
H-hey, you in there! Say something!
...

This was something I'd not thought of before. I took my time to go over the possibilities.



Hah. Hahaha. Man, that old witch really got me this time.
This whole 'perfect body' thing was a set-up from the start.
...
Huh? Whaddya mean?
It's not that those people all look like the kid here. It's that the kid looks like all of them. Am I warm?
You got it.
When I first got here, it was odd. I saw they had a rigid social structure, but I didn't realize they were all... the same.
I could never blend into their society, and it's been pretty tough ever since.



T-two hundred years...?
So, wait... how do you still look so young after two centuries.?
Oh, well... I'm a World Eater, too.
...!
We're actually a type of god. Somehow we're connected to the world above, so we stop aging whenever we want.
You look... confused. Okay, let's try this from another angle.
Any entity sent to the other worlds by a god are considered World Eaters.
But that doesn't count the humans who have traveled from Haephnes through that gate that was opened.
I was pretty shocked the first time I saw one, actually.
You mean... there have been others besides us? Er... me?



Median was here. And he was headed for the Palace. No matter what the others though, I somehow knew his strength shouldn't be underestimated.



So we're all World Eaters...?
Well, it's not exactly the same. You notice how those other ones were giants, while we're regular size?
Yeah, I guess...
I think that's pretty significant. What it means exactly, I'm not sure.
Hey, so you're gonna let me join you, right? I'm ready when you are.
Okay, let's dominate her.
Great! Now let me show you around. We need to come up with a plan soon.

Soon we'll be planning for our final assault on the palace. If we fail here, nobody will ever find this thing. But I don't care. Sometimes I feel like this is the only time I get to work things out.

I'm still thinking about what I found out today. It's just too much for me to process all at once. I guess it'll all make sense eventually, but now...

It doesn't matter right now. It doesn't change the job we've got to do. And it doesn't change why I'm doing it. The people of our world deserve to live, and the ones who sent those damn World Eaters and caused all this pain deserve to die. It's that simple.