exploration records - memories of a certain disciple (9-10)
Drifting in Avelhein, someone’s memories flow.
In the Vriksha Forest of Grand Gaia, it was a warm day. There was sunlight and chirping birds in a small open space among the trees. The members of Terzette - Restoc, Nigel, Faber, Olivia, and their close friend Sharon, are enjoying a break in between their missions. It was a peaceful time. Smiles, trust, and respect flowed in abundance. They chatted casually in a relaxed atmosphere. Restoc, the former disciple who was now living as a human, was the happiest he had ever been in his life. The only regret he has is that eventually he will have to say goodbye due to the difference in their lifespans.
Terzette had come to Vriksha after hearing about the appearance of a demon. There normally would be no time for conversation, but they hadn't come across anything. However, there would be a price to pay for this carelessness. The demon was so skilled at concealing its presence that even the experienced Terzette were unable to notice it. The only exception was Restoc, who was able to sense its attack at the final moment.
Its sharp horns tear towards Nigel, and without thinking, Restoc pushed him out of the line of fire. Even with his skills, he was unable to completely block the attack, and the demon's horns pierce Restoc's palm. He grabbed the horn with his other hand, and utilized the pause to commence battle. Not wasting a moment, Nigel and Olivia attacked, while Faber utilized the crossfire to aim his cannon. The God Slayer Crossbow landed a fatal attack on the demon. The battle ended quickly. They were all undoubtedly strong - which might have been why they had let their guard down.
While recieving first aid on his hand, Restoc thought about how he had instinctively protected Nigel. He had decided to live as a human, but still didn't understand his own actions. He hadn't even thought about what he was doing before he pushed his friend out of the way. A beautiful story - a perfect example of friendship. He gradually became horrified of how dramatically he had changed. Maybe he was an entirely different being now. He felt the gap between his past and present selves. In his head, his past self was criticizing him, calling him a Fallen God.
Drifting in Avelhein, someone’s memories flow.
Ever since the incident in Vriksha Forest, Restoc felt as though he had been split in two. His current self as a human, and his past self as a disciple. Restoc the disciple was dead, and he was haunting Restoc the human. Every time he did something, there was a whisper in his ear of how a disciple should have done it. It would have driven any human mad. Or maybe he had already lost his mind, and was having auditory hallucinations.
Was insanity the price he had to pay for pretending to be human? Or had he simply been wearing a mask for so long that he had forgotten what the real him was? Restoc asked these questions over and over again. On the surface he appeared to be the same as before, chatting idly with Nigel and Faber. It was a strange sensation, as if two souls were in one body. Restoc believed that the person he was trying to be was an extension of his true self, and he had worked hard for it. His past was nothing but an illusion that he must dispel.
A year passed, and Restoc was still tormented, although he still shows no sign of it. His close friends probably never imagined he was struggling with such things - after all, they didn't even know he wasn't human.
Terzette was given the task of investigating Arturia. Thanks to Sharon's efforts (her wheedling<3), all three squads would be going. However, Nigel wouldn't be going, as he was on a mission in Azcastelli (that lugina dragged him to<3). His younger brother, the lieutenant, became acting commander of their squad. This was a common occurance.
There was no danger whatsoever in the ruins of Arturia. The members of Terzette were in a good mood, and went about their duties as if they were sightseeing. This had happened before - Restoc remembered their carelessness in the Vriksha Forest. The ghost of the disciple's voice grew louder. Sharon continues to investigate the artifacts. They appear to be a device that calculates the coordinates of unknown other worlds. Combined with her portable gate generator, it would allow them to go literally anywhere. This power would surpass that of even Lucius.
The past Restoc whispers that if the current Restoc is rumored to be the reincarnation of the Legendary Summoner, then summoning the Divine Ten should be easy. In other words, he should be more powerful than the gods. If he could obtain the pwoer to travel between worlds, he might even be able to surpass the summoner favored by Tilith. Then it would be possible to carry out Karna Masta's final order. Humanity could be destroyed.
Why did he ever pretend to be human? Why would he ever live among them? What was the purpose of this? The means had replaced the ends. Of course, he had known this for a long time, and had accepted it. But his ghost kept whispering.
The other members of the corps also seemed to understand that the discovery of this artifact meant that humans had surpassed Lucius' powers. One of them said, jokingly, "The age of the Gods has come to an end!".
It made him angry, and the laughter of his comrades only dug in deeper. No - it's you humans who are done here.
He tried to contain his rising fury. He had used his will as a human to overcome his past, but his ghost laughs at him, saying that without borrowed powers, humans would never stand against the gods. That couldn't be true - the heroes of the God War resisted the Divine Army with their own strength. What good had it been, though? Every single person left in Grand Gaia had died. The divisions of Restoc's will fight - the human versus the disciple. But Restoc was never human to begin with. He isn't human.
Certainly, the power of humans may exceed that of the gods, but the power of those who pretend to be human certainly can't. (? why?)
The god who wanted to be human - Restoc is dead.
The being standing before them was not the Restoc that Terzette knew. This was the disciple of the God Emperor, Karna Masta. He had finally regained his true self, had mastered summoning, had surpassed humanity. He would eradicate man from every world, and restart the Age of the Gods anew.
