He couldn’t breath, the smoke and embers choking him and stinging his eyes and face as they buzzed around him like a cloud of angry hornets, all the while still whispering to him.
“Give up.”“Give in.”
“Lay down and die.”
“Child!”
“You can’t change.”“You are nothing.”
“Prince Consort!”“You will only hurt others.”
“Their blood is on your hands.”“You are empty.”
“Mikado!”
His eyes squinted open. That wasn’t the voice of the figure, it was someone else. Through smoke filled eyes, he could see a new figure standing over him, dressed in a colorful yukata. He’d never seen him before, but somehow the figure looked familiar.
“Just die.”
“Tell me, Mikado, what ever happened to the authority that appeared when you first called me?”“You are nothing.”
What was he talking about. He didn’t know who he was.
“A foolish child.”
“W-*cough*what are you-” he began to cough out.
“You hurt everyone.”
“Do you not recall?” the new figure asked,
“You sounded quite authoritative when you told the wraith ‘What’s mine is off limits!’”“You save no one.”
Mori’s eyes widened, despite the smoke stinging them, and he was finally able to truly see the figure standing over him. Crouched before him was the kitsune masked kaijin he’d transformed into to save Kanna.
“Always to be feared.”
“All coming back to you now then, Mikado? Excellent, then perhaps you can answer some questions for me. Firstly, why were you so willing to lay down and die?”“Hated.”
“Otoya, he-” Mori replied, before the smoke caused him to break off into another coughing fit.
“Distrusted.”
“The one you serve as dictator to wished for you to die, and you sought to grant him his wish?”“Deserving of nothing more.”
Mori nodded.
“Worthless.”
“Another question then. Why was a dictator given power in ancient times?”“You can never change.”“Because the people-” he broke off coughing.
“You will help no one.”
“-the people were in crisis. They needed- “ The smoke seemed to be trying harder to force itself into his lungs.
“You will lead no one!”
“They needed someone to help lead them.”“YOU ARE NOTHING!”
“The people could not trust themselves to decide.” The kitsune replied,
“They were fearful, panicked, and driven to bad decisions by that fear and desperation. They needed someone to help them make the right decision. Someone they trusted to save them from their worst selves.”“YOU WILL NEVER SAVE ANY-”
“Enough!” the kitsune shouted. He snapped his fingers in front of Mori’s eyes and a blinding burst of blue fire flashed in his palm, banishing the smoke with the force of a thunderclap.
With the smoke in his eyes cleared, Mori stared at the towering black Akuma that Otoya had become.
“Does this look like a decision made by a man who is in the right state of mind to be making his own decisions?” The kistune asked,
“Further, can you really believe any decision an Akuma makes is what they truly want? Did Akitsuki want to hurt Demura and the others? Do you want any of what the demon that speaks to you wants?”
“No.” Mori answered, shifting onto his knees.
“You forgot why you came here, Mikado.” the Kitsune continued,
“You aren’t here to debate the importance of punishment or reform, or what makes one most deserving of power, or planning vs impulse.”The Kistune stood up, reaching his full height.
“You are here because you have a duty. You have power over others, Mikado. You call yourself their dictator, and you know the responsibility that comes with that. You are here to protect that which is yours.”“No one can take what belongs to you from you. Not a demon, a god, or even death himself. If they dare try, then you must seize it back. Do you understand?”“I-”“YOU WILL ONLY HURT THOSE YOU SEEK TO AID!”
The smoke returned like a roaring current, scorching his eyes and filling his lungs. He was knocked back down to the ground by the force of it. The embers scorched his skin as he closed his eyes to get away from the pain.
“YOU ARE WORTHLESS! EMPTY! NOTHING!”
“I gave you what I could, the rest is up to you, Mikado!” The Kitsune shouted to him,
“Call me once more! Prove you have the strength to perform your duty!”“YOU ARE WEAK! INSIGNIFICANT!”
He was surrounded by darkness again. The only sound was the screaming of the smoke in his ears, as the sparks and embers scorched his skin. He wanted to stay down, just collapse, not fight against the pressure crushing him to the floor.
“Just lay down and die!”
But he couldn’t now. There was something much more important than the voices in his head he had to deal with now.
He forced himself to get up, until he was kneeling on one knee.
“You only hurt others!”
“Miyazono Otoya! Sakurajima Kanna!” He shouted out,
“Understand that you are mine, and I swear, I will save both of you!”“YOU WILL SAVE NO ONE!”
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Topic: FEF: Demon Soul Saga IC Thread: Chapter 3: Hunt for the Eighth God (Read 70270 times)