de_bel_survivor | IC: Appointment Post

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!appointments,
!ic

IC: Appointment Post

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[Action, February 20th]
[Voice, March 12th]
[Written, August 30th]

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Ahaha... well, it may sound exciting, but it was terrifying at the time! [Though still not quite as terrifying as what came later.] We managed to survive that, obviously. Let's see... what next... later that day, we had our first run-in with a Septentrione, which was... well, I'll just call it an alien. This one was called Dubhe. We tried to escape it, but Daichi did a heroic stunt with a truck that damaged it enough for us to finish it off. Once we did that, we were drafted into JP's, a secret government agency that protected Japan from supernatural dangers.

That's...new. But then again, with how long demons have been around, of course there's a secret government organisation. We just got the SDF for our troubles.

[He have to admit, they're doing pretty well containing the demons for the entire week.]

So you joined JP's and then...went around, fighting?

That's right, kind of. Each day, a new Septentrione would show up, and we'd have to beat it or risk annihilation. There was Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, and Mizar. I can tell you more about each one if you'd like, but I'm going to keep the story moving for now.

At one point, we discovered the existence of a void that was consuming the world. When we confronted the leader of JP's with this discovery, he revealed that he knew about the void all along, and to "fix" it, he was going to go to a being called Polaris and negotiate with it to create a new world- a meritocracy. Naturally, this caused quite a stir among my friends. Some wanted the meritocracy, some sided with another person who sponsored a society where everyone would be equal, while others decided they didn't want to deal with either side.

...And that's why you asked "me" about your choices during the experiment.

[Even if this Polaris can create a new world, how would humans follow the new world order?]

Before I can ask anything else, do you know what caused the void's appearance?

That's right. Before I came here, I was left with the decision of with faction I should side with. Can I ask you again which side you'd choose, now that it's you I'm talking to and not your brainwashed self?

Ah, right. Polaris caused the void. That was how he deleted the world. He was dissatisfied with my world and the people in it, so the void was his way of erasing everything so he could start over.

Because of that, the leader of JP's sought to use Polaris's power. If he can delete the world, he can possibly rewind it.

[Kouki's deliberately leaving Hiro's question alone, for now. The Messiah "him" isn't a brainwashed Kouki, as far as he understood. That Kouki is still himself, just walked on a different path and experienced different things.]

That's right. He wanted to pledge allegiance to Polaris and have him rewrite the world according to his wishes. The leaders of the other factions planned something like that as well. They'd all approach Polaris with a unified will and ask for him to rewrite or reset the world as they wanted it.

And what do you think of it? Do you want to reset the world, or install a meritocracy?

[He ask for Hiro's thoughts again, not giving his yet. Kouki don't want to influence his friend's decision too much.]

I... don't know yet. I'm torn. On the one hand, I really miss the way things were, and I think my friends would be happy to go back to their old lives, too. But on the other hand, the reset is a huge gamble because we might lose our memories and everything would just happen all over again. If I chose the meritocracy... our lives would change, sure, but it'd probably be for the better, and there'd be no risk of us losing our memories. History would go on.

Either way, you're taking a big risk.

Your memories and the possibility of history repeating itself, or a changed world where people live under a meritocracy with all the associated risks.

[He pause, thinking back on their conversation.] And who's to say that Polaris won't get dissatisfied in the future?

Yeah. I wish I didn't have to take such a big gamble either way, but I guess that's just how it is. One minute I lean towards going back, the next towards going forward... it's a hard decision, but I'm glad Luceti has given me the time to make it.

[Hiro pauses in turn, frowning.] Who knows... I can only hope that, when or if that time comes, there'll be a new crowd of people who are willing and able to fight for their world. [Another pause.] When you put it that way, it sounds like we're only delaying the inevitable- another world erasure. But we can only do what we can, right? All we can do is handle this ordeal from Polaris first before worrying about the future. Otherwise, there may not be a future for us to worry about.

Luceti's a blessing in disguise. I used to be stuck in an important decision, but being here means I can think about my choices.

[The time limit and the heavy expectation from everyone weighed down on his mind.]

And hopefully, if you do go forward, the next group of people can handle the challenge.

[He's quiet for a moment.]

...You asked which one I would choose, right?

Ah... you had a decision to make, too? What did you have to decide between? [He waits for Kouki to begin speaking again.]

Yeah. Which one would you choose? I'm just curious to hear what you would do.

My decision was to either send the demons back, control them, become the Messiah or the King of Bel and fight God. I'm now the King of Bel...

[There's a bit of smile on face. Did his eyes flash red for the briefest of seconds? Or merely Hiro's imagination?]

Therefore...I would choose to challenge Polaris himself and take him down.

[Is this Kouki speaking, or the demon king in him?]

[Whoa, something weird's going on with Kou... Hiro's eyes go wide for a moment, reflecting his slight alarm.]

You're... fighting God? Why are you doing that? And what is the King of Bel? [His tone is merely curious, not accusatory. Hiro knows to accept his friend's choices, no matter how dangerous or just plain odd they seem.]

Taking down Polaris... that is an option, actually, though not one I really considered. We would be free from Polaris's judgments, but also free from protection... huh. [He's mulling it over a bit.]

The King of Bel is the demon king. I rule over all the demons as their overlord. [It's a necessity for him to become the king. If he didn't, the other Bel demons would take the throne and leave the world in chaos.] I choose to fight God because when I win, humanity won't have to worry about Him any more.

[He gave up his own freedom and normal life to fight for them. A fact that he won't ever forget in Luceti, where he can have some semblance of a normal life.]

That's why I would choose to take down Polaris. Let humans protect themselves.

The demon overlord, huh... [He's not exactly sure what to think about the fact that his friend is a king of demons. At all.] Does that mean... you gave up your humanity? Did you choose to rule over the demons to protect people? [Hiro is thankful that none of his options require him to give up his humanity.]

I see... so you're the type who values ultimate freedom, huh? The way you want to preserve humanity's freedom to choose their own destiny would appeal to someone I know back home.

I did. In body and soul, I'm a demon.

[In fact, if Hiro uses the demon summoning program, it'll read him as a demon. Bel Abel. Not Human Kouki.]

I don't want God to impose his ordeals ever again. This way is best.

Body and soul, huh... [Nope. Still no idea what to think. Maybe he'll have a real reaction later, after it sinks in.] Say what you will, Kouki, but you still seem pretty human to me.

Yup, you're a freedom fighter, alright. What would you think about putting a different god on the throne- one who knows and loves humans? Or would that be too much of a risk for you?

[He leave the human comment alone.]

That's a big risk, and you have to find someone willing to take the throne without becoming like God.

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IC: Appointment Post

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