Chapter 261 – A Last Wish

"Sorry. It's hard to control with these... straps on me."

"Hah, well, I don't think this is what that spell is meant for, but it's fine. You did the best you could, darlin', considering this is your first time. Now let's stand back up. We have more undead to destroy."

John was strapped into the pilot's seat of Suzy Q with Megumin seated on his lap; she was acting as his right arm as they drove the machine, twisting the top part of the torso while he controlled the legs. After feeding them both a Substance X ball to take away any remaining tiredness and tossing her hat and robe behind the seat, he had buckled himself in, hugged her, and cast Bind, tying their bodies together so she didn't get launched out of the window if they fell. 

They had laid into the sides of the undead army with laser fire and missiles, making a seventy-mile-an-hour charge through their ranks, crushing many of them. It was a bloodbath considering they were all lined up in a tight formation, awaiting to move into the castle. 

He saw there were several larger undead by the doors, but he could see some wolfkin in front of them, so he didn't throw any laser fire towards them. He didn't want to come save them just to barbecue them with friendly fire. So, after a quick explanation to Megumin, he did what any good Jenner pilot would do, and sent them airborne. 

He was aiming for the middle of the courtyard, but misjudged the height of the wall in the darkness and clipped the top with his feet. It didn't send him into a spin, but they came down a bit short. Megumin jerked the torso when they landed, and since he couldn't run forward to recover, they tipped over, crashing on what he hoped were more undead. He did manage not to Excalibur his lasers into the ground, so at least they still worked. He wasn't sure what they fell on, though.

Well, if I did kill a few of the Moonfall clan, Aqua is there to resurrect them at least. I really need to get that spell. If The Great Cleric doesn't have some sort of regeneration spell, I'll just come back here, take the Arch Priest class, and get both. 

Even with Suzy Q, it took a little bit of time after that to clear out the remaining undead, though now it was obvious that there was nothing they could do against the steel death machine. He wondered where their magic users were, but figured he must have melted them during their initial charge. He would have to check his adventurer card after they were done to see if this was giving him skill points or not. 

Despite her awkward position, Megumin seemed to be enjoying controlling the SRMs, shouting every time she left groups of undead smoking craters. The heat building up in the cockpit was making them sweat, but she didn't seem to mind, wiggling on top of his crotch every time she let loose another volley. Little John was trying to squirm his way out of his leathers, but thankfully, that didn't happen. 

As the fight was winding down and they were no longer in imminent danger, he took a moment to slip the cat pendant into her pocket. 

"What did you just put in my pocket?" She asked, trying to twist around to check, but was unable to shift her arms that far.

"A present for later... It was supposed to be a surprise for you to find another day." He sighed. Apparently, he wasn't stealthy enough for that.

"Okay. Well, thank you. If you let me drive this again, I'll act surprised when I find it!" She said, teasing him a bit. 

"Heh, we have a long way to go before you're actually piloting this. Though I might need to bind you to me again if we need to use it before my arm is fixed."

"This...binding… is an interesting feeling. Wait... what is on my butt! Is that your... thing? Are you doing something perverted to me?"

"It's just a natural reaction. You have been wiggling on my lap for thirty minutes."

"You're lucky you're such a nice guy, else I wouldn't believe you." She said, then leaned back on his chest as he brought them back to the gate. "Can you cook?"

"Yeah, I'm decent at it, why?"

"Just want to learn more about the man whose party I joined. I'd be happy to have a man who could cook for me once in a while, who could fill my belly every day... very happy."

"You okay down there?"

"Hun? Sorry... just hot... It's quite hot in here, and being tied to you isn't helping."

"Happens when you are making the miniature star that you're driving work hard. Give me a minute, and we can get out."

"Star? There is a star powering this???"

"Sorry. It's a joke that you would need to know some of the science behind how it works to understand. Basically, the power source inside this thing uses the same process the sun uses to make heat, just on a vastly smaller scale. If it gets damaged, it can release a lot of energy as it explodes, though nowhere near as big an explosion as your spell makes."

"You will have to tell me about these worlds you have been to sometime. It sounds incredible."

"Well, maybe one day, if the stars align, I might be able to let you see some of these worlds in person."

"I'd like that. Do they have good food in those worlds?"

"Yes, though some of the best food I ever had was in a world similar to this one."

"Mmm... I want to try it all. Bring me with you, please! I want to eat all the food across the multiverse!"

"Heh, sure thing, darling. One day, we will go on a gastro adventure. Might have to bring some others with us, though."

"Mmm... sounds perfect."

He lay the mech down by the gate, and they climbed out. He pocketed it, and the two of them entered the courtyard to the cheers of the Moonfall clan, some of them falling to their knees and bowing towards them. Before he could question their actions, Mica rushed towards him and leapt into his arm, tears rolling down her face.

"Thank you, thank you so much for saving us." She said, crying into his chest.

"My pleasure, hon. Is everyone safe? I see there are injured... where is Aqua?"

"We had a few casualties, including Aqua. She...she took a sword in the gut protecting me. She sacrificed herself to save me and our child's life." She said, looking up at him with sadness in her eyes.

John stiffened up at her words, then looked around, looking for her body. He felt his eye tighten.

Did her body disappear when she died? Can gods even die?

"Where is her body?"

"I don't know. Beldia teleported it, saying he had use for it. You killed him a few minutes later when you landed in the courtyard."

"I see... bring me to the wounded... I'll do what I can for them." He said, holding his emotions in check. Leaving for DEN would do nothing for him right now; he didn't have a body he could resurrect at a later time. He felt moisture forming at the corners of his eyes, but tears would have to wait. 

Take care of the living, then mourn the dead. Oh, Aqua... thank you for saving my family. I'll make sure your sacrifice was not in vain.

"Where am I? What happened?" Aqua asked, opening her eyes in a dark room. She was seated on a rickety old wooden chair, surrounded by darkness. In front of her was a familiar-looking throne and side table. "Why am I in the Parallel World Control Centre?"

"Lady Aqua, welcome back," Eris said, floating down from the ceiling in her nun robes and sitting on the throne. She was smiling sadly at her for some reason.

"Eris? What am I doing here?"

"Well, you died."

"Died? I... I guess that is what happened. Man, that was scary. I don't think I ever want to become a mortal again. Did the Moonfall clan survive?"

"Yes. John showed up a few minutes later and crushed Beldia under the feet of that mech of his, then led the charge to clear out the undead. He is currently healing the remaining injured of the Moonfall Clan while trying to figure out how to get your body back to resurrect you."

"Damn, I wish I could have seen that. That's what he gets for unravelling the magic of a goddess. Ahh... well, it's good to be back home. I'll miss John, heck, I'll even miss those exhibitionist Wolfkin, but what can you do? I'll send him a message to let him know I'm fine up here. Maybe tomorrow I'll go back down in my avatar and visit him and heal his body. Right now, I just want to go to my room and cuddle with the plushie he gave me for a bit and read some more romance- Wait? My body back? I'm in my body. How would he get my body back?" 

"This isn't your body, Lady Aqua. This is just your soul. I did tell you that you died."

"Died? Like died, died? Then send me back!" She replied, then tried to use her powers to do it herself. She could feel they were still there, but they were walled off, inaccessible to her for some reason.

"I'm sorry, I truly am, but that is against the rules. Besides, you were a more powerful goddess than I am. Even if I did break the rules, your soul is beyond what I can handle. At least as you are now."

"What? You can't be serious?"

"I am. I only have two options for you. I can send you to heaven, where your soul may go and rest, or I can strip you of most of your divinity and send you to another world, where you will be reborn anew. I can leave your memories intact, so with a little time and perseverance, you could one day enter the pantheon of that world."

"You have to be kidding me. I'm a goddess! Why would I want to return to the mortal realm?"

"Because heaven is a finality. You're going there as a soul to rest, your energies returning to the life stream, not as the shepherd watching over her flock and able to leave again on a whim. Is your story over, Aqua, or is there more you wish to tell?"

"This is crazy. You're my junior! How can you force me to choose... this!"

"These are the rules, the same ones that we have been enforcing on the mortals for centuries." She said, then pulled a stuffed whale out of the air and floated it over to her. It was the one John had given her. "I'll even let you keep that as a memento of your past if you wish."

Aqua clutched the stuffy to her chest as if it were going to protect her from the choice she needed to make. Her mind was racing, going through all the rules and regulations they were supposed to follow when reincarnating people into other worlds, trying to find some sort of loophole. She knew the rules, but she had a much more laissez-faire attitude toward following them than Eris did, often breaking them to her bosses' dissatisfaction. It was one of the reasons she was responsible for Earth and several other planets that didn't even worship her; a punishment for her rule-breaking.  

"Is there no other way?" She asked, buying herself a few more moments as she tried to come up with something.

Why am I so dumb! It's all just a bunch of confusing words and edicts. You would need to be a lawyer to understand any of this!

"I'm sorry, Lady Aqua. I can provide you with some options if that would be more helpful. You can start off as a newborn, in an affluent family, or as an adult with no ties and some boons to start you off. It can be in a medieval world like this one, or an advanced civilization. I could even send you back to Japan on Earth. I know you like that culture."

"No. Not Earth. It is a silly place, and nothing makes sense there. Argh! Why... why did I step in front of that blade?"

"Good question. I watched you sacrifice yourself to save someone else. I didn't think you were even capable of such a selfless act." Eris replied, sounding genuinely sad. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Lady Aqua, you have been nothing but selfish and self-centred for the centuries I have known you. Yet in the few weeks you have been on the surface of my world, you have changed. Not a lot, and you keep falling back to your old ways, but you started to change. I was concerned at first, but I was happy to actually journey with you for a bit in my Avatar. It is a shame that your story ended so soon."

"Your Avatar? Wait... Chris? Why didn't you say something? How did I not notice?!?"

"I don't have a lot of divinity in my avatar, and my spells mirror those of adventurers. I didn't say anything because you always treat me as a lesser being, as if we were in conflict with each other rather than allies. It was nice to be treated with respect by you for once. Now, as much as I would love to keep chatting, I have a world to return to, and you have a choice to make."

"I... I... I'm sorry, Eris. Please forgive me." Aqua said, feeling thoroughly chastised by the younger goddess. Those few words felt... felt like a sword was plunged into her guts.

I really treated her badly, didn't I?

"Thank you, Lady Aqua. You're forgiven. Now, where would you like to go?"

"Before I decide, can... can I speak to John first? " She said, looking at the options Eris had provided her, not sure if she wanted them or just... end it.

"That is against the rules. However, if you want to write him a message, I'll happily deliver it to him. I have a feeling your death will be the catalyst for some significant changes in our world, and I want to be beside him while he does it."

"Please, Eris. Just a few words...I really want to hear his voice again... hear his advice."

"Mica is right. You really do have a crush on him, don't you?" 

"No... Maybe... I don't know, alright. He just made me feel good and set boundaries for me, yet wanted me to grow. I... I think I needed someone like that in my life. Not to control me, but direct me... I don't know... It's weird, right?"

"Not really. Goddess of Water and Healing, you might have been, but you were also a force of chaos. You were apathetic and unhappy even when you were up here, just reading those smut novels and eating comfort foods all day between reincarnating souls. Having someone provide you a little structure in your life was possibly the best thing that could have happened to you." Eris said, then with a sigh, steepled her hands in front of her.

Silver energy surrounded her body, and a portal was opened above them. A figure fell through it, letting out a surprised yelp as it landed on the floor in front of them.  

"Argh! Son of a bitch, my tailbone!" John growled, cycling his healing magic. He looked around, ready to draw his sword, but noticed he was back in that black space where he had arrived in this world. "Eris? Aqua?!? You're okay?!? Wait, what am I doing back in this place?"

"Sorry, John. I brought you here because I needed to talk to you. However, I was silly and forgot to grab something first. Please, have a seat. I'll be back in a few moments." Eris said, standing up and offering John her seat before disappearing through the floor.

"Uhh... sure? I just finished up healing the injured, so I have a few minutes." He replied, getting up off the floor. Instead of taking the seat, he walked over to Aqua. The goddess was sitting on the wooden chair, clutching that stuffed whale tightly in her arms, refusing to look up at him. She had several papers on her lap. "You okay?"

"No... I died, John."

"I know... thank you for saving my family, Aqua. I promise to come resurrect you as soon as I can find your body."

"It's too late for that. Too much time has passed, and besides, my soul is too much for a normal resurrection spell from an Arch Priest unless they cast it immediately after my demise. You would need to be a god of at least my former power to bring me back now." 

"What? What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter. I need some help. Eris... Eris has offered me a few different worlds she can reincarnate me in, but I don't know what to choose. I could really use your advice." She said, tears dropping on the papers on her lap.

"Aqua, are you... Come here." He said, wrapping his arm around her. 

"John... I... I'm scared. I don't want to do this alone. Coming to the mortal world was bad enough when I had some of my powers... going in like this... even with boons, is terrifying. I don't want to go to heaven, as that is the end, but I'm scared. Scared of what is on the other side." She said, clutching onto him.

"That is normal. We are all scared when the end is at hand. I was lucky to have this magical afterlife, but it could just as well have been oblivion for all I knew. You, you at least know you have a chance to have a new life. Sure, it can be scary to be a mortal, to be human, but that is part of life."

"I just wish... You could come with me. I know that is selfish, but you... You were trying to make me a better person. I... I think as much as I hated it, I need that guidance."

"Aqua..."

"Shh... It's fine. I know you want nothing to do with me. You were just waiting for me to mess things up so you could justify leaving me behind."

"That isn't what I wanted. I wanted you to stop trying to manipulate me every chance you got with silly crying games, to take responsibility for yourself and stand on your own two feet. If I were just going to leave you behind, I would have left you back in Axel when Darkness and I took off."

"So... you actually cared about me?"

"Of course. When you put your mind to it, you were a great worker and seemed to care about the people around you. You just kept making poor decisions when you let your mind wander or allowed peer pressure to manipulate you. You chose to drink instead of training with me, you chose to beg, instead of saving your money for food. If that continued, I would have left you to your own devices, but you were slowly changing. If you can stay focused, to choose when to have fun and when to be more frugal, I think you will do well wherever you end up."

"Kiss me."

"What?"

"Kiss me, please. Before I go, I want to know what that feels like."

"Aqua..." He said, then leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She wrapped her arms and legs around his body, clinging to him like a spider monkey again. She pushed her tongue into his mouth so he let her in, their tongues wrestling. He placed his hand on her ass to support her weight, the soft skin and fat squeezing between his fingers. He could feel her breasts pushing against his chest, the firm orbs flattening against his body as she hugged him tightly, almost desperately.

Soon enough, they broke the kiss. She looked into his eye, her blue orbs shining brightly again, her cheeks flushed with life. "Thank you. That was my first kiss, and it was magical."

"My pleasure, darlin'." He said, letting her down.

"Well, no sense waiting around here. I guess this world is as good as any other. If you become a god of DEN someday, come check in on me, okay? I'll be waiting." She said, grabbing a paper from the floor and funnelling some magic into it. A teleportation circle opened up underneath her. "Say goodbye to Eris for me... I don't think I can face her again right now."

"Hah, will do. Good luck!" He said, tears forming in his eyes.

"Thanks! Destroy that Devil King for me, too. He has been a pain in my ass for too long."

"Consider it done, darlin." He replied with a slight sniff. 

"Hmmm... darlin... I like that. Maybe... maybe I could have shared... Well, no matter. Goodbye, John." She said, tears streaking her cheeks. The teleporter activated before he could reply, and in a flash of light, Aqua was gone.

 He allowed the tears to run freely down his cheeks for a moment as he looked at the spot where Aqua had stood a moment ago. He hadn't had any thoughts of her as more than a possible ally until a few moments ago, but something tore at his chest as he watched her leave this world.  

"I need a break... DEN RETURN!" He said.

The world turned monochrome, twisted in on itself, and went black.