Three days have passed since that incident. Harry, Henry, Bruce and David are sitting facing each other. All of them have tired looks on their faces. Harry is looking the worst. It's like he was made to fight 3 world wars all by himself.
David and Henry are relatively better compared to him. But Bruce is giving Harry a tough competition. His condition is equally bad as Harry.
And they aren't the only ones there. All of them have gathered on an island. It's an uninhabited island and Harry has made a house on it. They all have gathered there. Natasha, Noe, Ruby, Eris, June and Clarissa and one other person were there.
"Harry, you look like you are about to die." (Bruce)
"Say it to yourself. Have you looked at yourself?" (Harry)
"Calm down. My head hurts." (Henry)
"My conscience hurts." (David)
After they were taken away from the cemetery by their significant others, they were put through a lot.
I'll omit the details.
"Harry, you had it coming." (June)
Says June. It's the imaginary June. The real June still has no idea about her. It's better if she doesn't know about it. It'll invite unnecessary troubles.
"But still, why did you mom? Why did you do that to me?" (Harry)
"Now you call me mom. Just call me Clarissa. And from now on, we are not mother and son. You are my man and I am your woman. Just remember that." (Clarissa)
The relationships between everyone has changed drastically. Harry was put through a foursome for 3 days and 2 nights straight.
The unknown woman who is with Natasha looks at Bruce. She is blushing after hearing Clarissa.
Natasha looks at her surprised.
"Bruce, didn't you say that she is a succubus?" (Natasha)
"She is a half succubus and half god. But she is just a normal woman. She gets easily flustered." (Bruce)
The unknown woman is none other than Mylene. She is Eris's younger sister and a half succubus. But she is rather modest when it comes to her desires so she is not like anything a succubus would be.
And yes, Natasha forced Bruce to bring her to earth. A fight was ensuing but seeing her and actually understanding her nature, Natasha decided not to fight. They are becoming great friends.
Harry, Bruce, Henry and David look at each other suddenly. They become serious.
"Ah…why is he coming?" (Harry)
"I don't know. We'll just have to ask him." (David)
The girls were a bit confused.
"Someone will suddenly appear. Don't freak out." (Bruce)
And someone did pop out.
"Did I catch you all at a bad time?"
The mysterious intruder said. His face is average. Black hair and a muscular build. But he is nothing special.
"No. But what made you come out of your cave?" (Harry)
"As sharp as always. Can't you be a little a little nicer to your senior?"
"You should do something befitting your rank. Why are you always holed up in your own small cave, Constant?" (Bruce)
"Not you too, Bruce. Here I am, finally outside after 250 billion years and you all are dissing me." (Constant)
The four of them are flabbergasted. But the others are just confused. Constant noticed their bewilderment and took a seat. A chair suddenly appeared behind him and he sat on it.
"Hello. This is the first time any one of you are meeting me. My name is Constant. It's a pleasure." (Constant)
He introduced himself normally and everyone dropped their guard a bit.
"No need to introduce yourselves. I already know everyone here." (Constant)
Before any of the girls could even begin their introduction, he stopped them. It made them put on their guards again.
"So, to what do we mere mortals owe the pleasure of having a creator?" (Harry)
"Stop sounding so thorny. You guys are creators as well. How about you four take on your jobs as well?" (Constant)
"As well? Says the guy who slacks off the most." (Henry)
Henry smirks. But he noticed Noe's gaze and coughed.
"Constant, state your reason. Why are you here?" (Bruce)
"I thought why not create my own world. But I had no framework. So I tried to copy someone else's. But Noah kicked me out. Cygnus kicked me out. Seina kicked me out. And I couldn't even contact her. So I thought I will ask you four." (Constant)
They sigh.
"We see you after billions of years and you are here to just copy our framework."
"But I was lonely. Late I might be but I realized that I am lonely. 250 billion years of loneliness is a lot. I've done everything I could on my own. But it seems that this loneliness won't leave me."
Constant was sulking. But they agreed to give him the framework and Constant left. He would come back at a later date to pick it up.
"Whew, that was sudden." (Harry)
"Yeah. First, he goes missing and now he shows up." (Henry)
Henry is annoyed. Bruce is wryly smiling. David has a stiff face. But they are soon bombarded with questions.
"We decided that we would keep this matter a secret for a bit longer. But Constant suddenly dropping by changed the pace. It might sound a little too much. But bear with us."
Bruce said and a story began.
"It might be better to just explain who Constant is." (Harry)
"Yeah. If we start from the origin, it would be easier for us to explain." (David)
"I'll do it then." (Harry)
Harry clears his throat. Everyone looks at him.
"Constant is the name of the person who has just visited us. And as his name suggests, he is the only constant. Meaning, he is unchanging. Immortality has its limits. Even gods die. But Constant can not.
250 billion years have passed since Constant took over and he still is the same. It's not like we are that old. We four are the youngest of the bunch. But even so, we know everything about him." (Harry)
But Clarissa stops Harry midway through.
"You are talking about some big numbers. 250 billion years? I can't even imagine that amount of time. And youngest of the bunch? Then what are you all?" (Clarissa)
She raised the questions everyone had.
"We were normal humans until Eris put us through that entire ordeal. But when we were being sent back to earth, we got lost. Our destination changed and we ended up somewhere else.
Then a lot of things happened but those aren't very important. In the end, we were about to be wiped out completely by the admin when Constant came to help us. He negated the laws set by the admin and even made us the new administrators of this world. But we were not strong enough so four of us had to do it together." (Harry)
This time, Natasha stops Harry.
"What is this admin you talk of?" (Natasha)
"Admin or administrators are the creators and caretakers of the world. This world was created by someone else and that person passed away before he could choose their successor. The system was designed to run automatically if something like that happened.
This world was running without an admin until we four took over the job. It's now our duty to watch over this world and run it." (Bruce)
Bruce explained and Eris had a lot of questions. Because she is a god. That fact is undeniable. So why are they calling themselves the creators?
"Judging from your expression, you will ask why are we creators? And if we are the creators then what are you and other gods?" (Harry)
Harry guessed her question. A legitimate question.
"It's a long and complicated answer. The one who created this system wanted to rule over it alone. But their death put a strain on the system. So to relieve some of the strain, a few proxies were created. To help the system with governing this world.
Those proxies developed sentience over time and were the first generation of beings nowadays known as the gods. You should know their names. Kronus, Aether, Chaos, Phanes and so on." (Harry)
It turned into a mythology lesson but Eris knew about them and she connected the dots. But how is Constant connected to it?
"Constant was a human from before our world was even created. He is one of the only remaining ones from his world. The world that existed before time.
As a normal human, he was under the rule of ancient gods. His god, in particular, was a very fickle person. They wanted worship everyday multiple times and would create disturbances so his worshipers never stop their prayers.
Constant could not bear to see that. He tried to make people aware of this. However, blind devotion had turned them into puppets. In the end, Constant was executed for blasphemy against his god.
His soul was sent to the deepest part of hell and he was cut off from the cycle of reincarnation. But there he met others who had tried and failed to overthrow the god.
He managed to make an alliance with other protesters and began a war.
It was the first and the only divine war that destroyed his world utterly. After the destruction, he came into contact with the system of his world. He took over the system as its new admin and freed a few people from the system.
From there, he started a crusade where he would eventually kill every tyrant god and destroy the entire world. And by that I mean the entirety. Only the void was left after he was alone.
From there, he created a basic construct in which his companions made their own worlds and became their own administrators.
But Constant didn't make one. He just went away on his own." (Harry)
Harry finished. But no one asked anything. He was about to begin again when Ruby asked him.
"If he is that powerful, why did he come here to ask for your help?" (Ruby)
"He seemed like he was suffering a lot. What is his problem?" (Noe)
"Even a being as strong as him has his troubles. But his fundamental problem is pretty simple. I guess you have guessed it, haven't you, Clarissa?" (Harry)
"He seems just like you, Harry. Worrying about silly things and tormenting yourself." (Clarissa)
"He is. But this problem has persisted for far too long. 250 billion years of loneliness. His self imposed exile and his strong self hatred has brought him to the point where he wants to create his own world to distract himself." (Harry)
"Are all of you like this? Over analyzing things and jumping to conclusions and thinking that nothing good can ever happen." (June)
June sounds annoyed but the others nod with her. Harry and co. weakly laugh.
"The problem is that Constant is stuck. His past memories have become a wall that has stopped him. He can't let go of his past. Which is why he shut himself away from others. And he worries about his love life a little too much.
His inexperience in that field is something we all worry about. A 250 billion years old inexperienced person is not something anyone can imagine." (Harry)
They all chuckled. The women were chuckling at which the men were puzzled.
"Why are you all chuckling?" (Bruce)
"I guess you all are similar. That Constant and you four." (Eris)
"You can say that. But his problem is a little severe." (Harry)
Harry and co. exchange glances at each other and they all stand up.
"We'll go and take a look at the situation. What is Constant really up to?" (Harry)
"We'll go with you."
The others stand up as well. But Bruce raised his hand.
"You all should stay here. You might not like what you will see." (Bruce)
"Even so, somehow we all have a feeling that Constant is just over complicating a simple problem. We can give him some advice." (Eris)
They all left for Constant's place. But what they arrived at was a white space. Nothing but white. It's like one dimensional infinite white space.
"Where are we?" (Natasha)
"This is Constant's construct. It's completely blank as you are seeing." (Bruce)
Harry closes his eyes and opens them.
"I sense two persons. But one feels oddly similar to Constant." (Harry)
They start walking and stumble upon a colorful room. They walk in and find someone wearing an apron and cooking. He looks just like Constant but the air around him is a bit different.
He notices the gazes and turns to them to be a bit surprised.
"Well, he did say we might have some company. You all must be from Harry, David, Henry and Bruce and their companions."
"Yes. But who are you?" (Harry)
"Ah.. I am Akatsuki. You can say that I am Constant but a bit different. You can also say that he is my father since he created me." (Akatsuki)
Everyone is confused. But Akatsuki leads them to another colorful room. It has many seating options. Akatsuki sits on a beanbag. Others take the sofas.
"Where is he?" (Harry)
"He is sleeping." (Akatsuki)
Akatsuki snaps his fingers and a glass pod appears. Inside of it is Constant. Floating in water with his eyes closed.
"Why is he sleeping inside of a water filled pod?" (David)
"He has been having nightmares as of late. So I suggested he might do this. He didn't want to be seen crying. So crying in the water will make it impossible to notice." (Akatsuki)
"Constant was crying? That's almost impossible." (Harry)
"Yeah. That's why he is doing it. To not betray other's' expectations." (Akatsuki)
Henry goes near the pod. But Akatsuki warns him.
"I wouldn't touch the pod if I were you." (Akatsuki)
Henry does anyway and quickly backs out.
He yells at Harry.
"Quickly cut off my right arm. Do it." (Henry)
Harry cuts off his entire right arm. It was clean amputation.
Harry stops the bleeding and David heals him. His right arm is regrown.
"That liquid is Chthulu's venom. It almost killed me as well." (Akatsuki)
"You should have said so." (David)
Noe is worried about Henry but Akatsuki assured her.
"Chthulu's venom can immediately kill even a being like David. It's just that dangerous. But to Constant, that is nothing more than sweetened water." (Akatsuki)
"Sweetened water?" (Bruce)
"Yeah. I saw Constant drinking it once and asked if it was good. He said that it's refreshing with a minty taste and is sweet. It will be the perfect drink for hot summer day." (Akatsuki)
They all sigh. But Eris was staring at Akatsuki.
"You said that he created you. But you give off a different feel." (Eris)
"To be honest, he just based me on him. But we are different. I am what he wanted to be but could not. And he is what I might have been but didn't become." (Akatsuki)
"So, about Constant.." (David)
"Yeah. His wish hasn't changed. He still longs for what he can never have. Death is just a fairy tale for a being like him. He has been cursed. He will live till the end of time and start again and again and again. He has become the true Constant." (Akatsuki)
"He should just find a partner. You know, someone of the opposite gender." (Harry)
"I did suggest it. But he himself said that it was impossible. He had already run a simulation. He ran 1 trillion possible scenarios and not in a single one he had a lover. None in 1 trillion. I was stunned when I heard that. Constant said that it was because he was just an irregular." (Akatsuki)
"That's more severe. Zero out of 1 trillion. How bad do you have to be to have a lousy luck like that? He isn't even that bad looking. I have seen worse looking guys with life partners." (Henry)
"Yeah. His attempts at finding a partner were all failed. Eventually, he gave up. And became a recluse.
Somewhere along the lines, he started writing a story with me as the protagonist. And that's how he created me. In that sense he is my father." (Akatsuki)
But Natasha raised her hand.
"Yes, Ms. Natasha, do you have any questions?" (Akatsuki)
"You went on about how he never found a partner. But did he actually try to find one? Aside from simulations." (Natasha)
Her question is a valid one. Simulations are to one end, just imaginary. Reality could be different.
"I do not know. But he mentioned that he was rejected once by his longtime crush. He gathered his courage and decided to confess his love to her. But she shot him down and insulted him. It broke him and he had to move away from that town to try to forget it." (Akatsuki)
"That's one bad woman. So, did he ever try again?" (Natasha)
"He was a lot more emotional before. I guess he never thought of finding someone else. And I guess his world was pretty ruthless. I only saw a glimpse of it but it's totally different from the world you all know." (Akatsuki)
Natasha didn't ask any more questions. But Eris started asking.
"Tell me, why was he rejected? He must have found a few points." (Eris)
"I did make a list of potential reasons for his rejection. He was a bit on the fat side. His face wasn't very handsome. He wasn't very rich. He wasn't from a well off family. His family wasn't a famous family.
He was somewhat unreliable and sometimes lazy. He didn't care much for his looks.
And he didn't buy her presents on a regular basis. Once a month was the limit." (Akatsuki)
Eris sighed. So did the other women.
"What kind of a girl was she? She was a bit too materialistic. Isn't that a gold digger?" (Natasha)
"Yeah. And just because he wasn't the gold mine, she rejected him so badly that he gave up trying." (Noe)
"No, she wasn't a gold digger. That was how his world was. The beautiful and the rich were lauded while the poor and the mediocre suffered. He had a crush on that girl since he was 7 but that crush brutally rejected him when he confessed his love. They were both 21." (Akatsuki)
"A one sided love that he nurtured for more than 14 years, rejected in a matter of seconds. If I was there, I might have slapped that girl right in her face." (Natasha)
Natasha is fuming. But Mylene and Ruby haven't spoken a word. Mylene was just hugging Bruce's left arm like there's no tomorrow. Ruby on the other hand was sleeping.
But suddenly a sound came.
"Who is it?" (Akatsuki)
"Delivery."
"What could be here? Wait a bit." (Akatsuki)
Akatsuki snaps his fingers and a woman enters the room.
"Oh…Chthulu, did he order something?" (Akatsuki)
"More venom. Man, I never thought that he would become a regular customer." (Chthulu)
A petite frame, purple hair, black eyes with yellow pupil, unusual teeth and a mischievous smile. That woman is called Chthulu.
"There are guests today." (Chthulu)
"Yeah. They are the admins and their partners. They are Bruce, Henry, David and Harry and co." (Akatsuki)
Akatsuki introduces them to Chthulu.
"My name is Chthulu. Daughter of Azathoth, the elder, and a good friend of Constant. Although Constant is older than my father, I consider him my friend. And he appreciates my venom so we are also business partners in that sense." (Chthulu)
"Did you bring it?" (Akatsuki)
"I have already stored it in the storage. By the way, why is he sleeping in a pod full of my venom?" (Chthulu)
"It's a long story. Do you wanna hear it?" (Akatsuki)
"I have time anyway. Might as well." (Chthulu)
She takes a seat as well.
"Constant plans on making a world of his own in order to distract himself from his loneliness. That's why he went to different admins for their data.
But Cygnus kicked him out. Seina kicked him out. Noah kicked him out. He didn't want to bother Ethan. So he went to visit you four for your data." (Akatsuki)
"I see. Well, Cygnus is a family man. He is happy with his wives and children. Seina has finally settled down so he wouldn't want any hassle. Noah is still in the process of marriage. His wedding ceremony is coming soon so he won't want to deal with this crap.
Ethan on the other hand has holed himself up in the Akashik Library. So he is currently unreachable. Meaning only we were left who would actually listen to him." (Harry)
"Yeah. Those four don't want to be bothered. So he decided to bother us." (Bruce)
"Yeah. Besides, he prefers not to mingle with the ones from his world. They have an estranged relationship with Constant." (Akatsuki)
"So, what were you discussing?" (Chthulu)
"Constant's love live. How he was rejected by his long time crush and got so depressed that he became a loner for 250 billion years." (Akatsuki)
Chthulu makes a face that shows that she has got it.
"But if you are talking about girls who like him, I can see 3." (Chthulu)
This shocked Akatsuki.
"There are 3 girls who like him? How can that be?" (Akatsuki)
"Hey, I am sitting right here. One of the girls who like him. It's just that he never asked. I thought he wasn't interested in having a lover." (Chthulu)
"You like him?" (Akatsuki)
"I do. I like him enough to supply him with my bodily fluids. Why do you think I give him my venom?" (Chthulu)
She is huffing and puffing.
"But what about other two?" (Akatsuki)
"You have never met them before. But they do exist." (Chthulu)
"I guess his simulations were wrong then." (Akatsuki)
"Constant ran simulations of his chances of finding lovers, didn't he? But that would be wrong because simulations are biased towards your own beliefs. He believes that he can't find love. So his simulations showed him the results which he believes." (Chthulu)
"Tell me Chthulu, why do you like Constant?" (David)
"Well David, there are not so many reasons. I just do. That's it. I have known him since my birth. And I kinda like him since then. And if he asks me, I would become his anything. Lover, wife, slave, sex doll anything." (Chthulu)
"Damn! You sure are hardcore." (Bruce)
Bruce wyly says.
"Because the other 2 girls who like him have only hurt him. They hurt him so much that he had to become a shut in for 250 billion years. So I want to heal him. But I won't make my move now. If I do, I would be just preying on his insecurities." (Chthulu)
"So you do understand that." (Akatsuki)
"That's the only reason why I haven't made the first move. But if he is searching for a lover now, I will make my move." (Chthulu)
This discussion is too much to understand at once. So Natasha, Noe, Mylene and Ruby didn't even try to get in the conversation.
They were just spectators. But they noticed something in the pod of Constant.
"Guys, why is the water level going down in the pod?" (Natasha)
"That's just Constant drinking the venom. Didn't I say that he likes to drink it as well." (Akatsuki)
Chthulu turned beet red. She was even steaming after hearing it.
"He drinks my venom?" (Chthulu)
"Yes. He says that it's delicious." (Akatsuki)
Chthulu hid her face and ran away.
"What happened to her?" (David)
"Maybe she became embarrassed. After all, her venom is just her saliva." (Harry)
The girls went ahh..like they understood.
"Why would she run away then?" (Bruce)
Bruce and David didn't get it.
"That's why you need to understand a maiden's heart. Constant is drinking her saliva. Her bodily fluids are being drunk. Of course she would be embarrassed." (Natasha)
"But doesn't it happen with kissing as well? I am drinking yours and you are drinking mine." (Bruce)
Natasha pinched Bruce. Mylene held his lips.
"You really need more education on this matter." (Natasha)
Akatsuki smiles. But his smile has a hint of loneliness.
"You seem sad and lonely." (David)
"Well, it has been a while since I went back home. Constant said that I can return home anytime I want. But I don't want to leave him in this state. If I do, then he might start another war or something." (Akatsuki)
"You must have lovers, right?" (Harry)
"Yeah. Three of them." (Akatsuki)
"Must be tough." (Harry)
"No. They are wonderful people. Capable and self sufficient. But they are rather jealous so I need to stick closer to them. I guess my disappearing acts have turned them that way." (Akatsuki)
"Your disappearing acts? You disappear from time to time?" (Bruce)
"Yeah. Last time I disappeared, I couldn't go back for an entire year. After that, they became even more protective of me. But it was all Constant's doing." (Akatsuki)
"I bet they would be furious." (Natasha)
"Well, Mizuki gets really angry. But she loves me that much so it balances out. But Selena gets pretty worried about me. So I have to stay with her all time to ease her." (Akatsuki)
"You aren't like Constant at all." (Harry)
But suddenly Constant comes out of the pod. It startled everyone.
"Don't worry. He is still unconscious." (Akatsuki)
"But he is looking at me." (Henry)
"No. We aren't here for him. He isn't looking at us. Currently he is delirious. He is wandering through his memories. Now he is gonna take out his guitar and sing for a while. We should give him some room." (Akatsuki)
"Sing?" (Bruce)
"Yeah. He is gonna sing a song from his world. It's from his favorite game. So it's from before we were ever born." (Akatsuki)
And Constant takes out a guitar and sits on a stool. He clears his throat and starts playing the guitar.
"It sounds pretty good. The music is soothing and peaceful." (Harry)
"Yeah. It's called dream aria. It doesn't have any lyrics but it does have a chorus. He is gonna start now." (Akatsuki)
Constant starts his chorus in a high pitch. It's well balanced and his tone is even. He isn't dropping or adding pitches on his own.
"He is currently reminiscing his teenage years. He often said that 18 was his best year. He is probably living that age again." (Akatsuki)
A few minutes later, Constant stopped. The song has ended. Tears fall down from his eyes.
"He is probably gonna start a melancholic song. Brace yourself." (Akatsuki)
This time a grand piano comes. Constant sits in front of it and starts his song.
"What is this extremely melancholic song? It's like an entire nation was massacred and it's playing to remember the deceased people." (Bruce)
"It's also from the same game. This has no lyrics or chorus. Just pure music but it's so melancholic that even I cry sometimes." (Akatsuki)
They were all listening to Constant's song. But Chthulu came back.
"Oh…he is playing that song again. I have heard him play this before." (Chthulu)
"You came back?" (Akatsuki)
"Yeah. I just had to calm down a bit." (Chthulu)
"Why did you get so flustered anyway? Constant was just drinking your venom, that's all." (Bruce)
"Hey, how would you feel if someone suddenly drinks your saliva in front of you?" (Chthulu)
"I don't know. How about we find out?" (Bruce)
He grabs both Mylene and Natasha and is about to kiss them. But Natasha pinched his cheeks.
"I am not into exhibitionism. Let's continue that in the bedroom." (Natasha)
Mylene has hidden her face. Bruce gives a wry smile.
"Everyone, I believe it's time that we give Constant some alone time. When he is like this, I just leave him alone for some time." (Akatsuki)
"Then we'll leave the framework data to you and take our leave." (Harry)
Everyone agreed. Harry gives Akatsuki a memory chip.
"This is rather old, don't you think?" (Akatsuki)
"Well, our basic framework is simple. There's not much additional content so that alone is enough." (Harry)
"You guys didn't change the code?" (Akatsuki)
"We didn't feel like it. We like it as it is. If something happens, we can always rewrite the entire thing." (Henry)
"That's that then. I think I will go home too. If I stay any longer, Selene would catch wind of it and I will have to go through a sermon. That's scary." (Akatsuki)
"I'll be here for Constant. Looks like I can finally make a move on him. So I will press as hard as I can." (Chthulu)
Harry and co leaves. Akatsuki leaves as well. Only Constant and Chthulu are left behind. Constant is still playing and Chthulu is just listening to him playing.
"What do I do to fix him?" (Chthulu)
After all, Constant is still broken. And broken things take a long time to heal. But she decided to have a good chat with Constant first. Then she would make a decision.
But that's a story for later. Harry and co on the other hand haven't gone back to their world. Harry has brought them somewhere else. What is Harry trying to do?