The Sun God's wariness of Alaric was justified. No matter how Alaric felt about humanity, the Nyarlathotep within him tugged, yearning to reclaim him as its own.
Such a being, with the power to destroy the world, could drag it down with him if he chose to fall.
The Sun God saw this and resolved to hold Alaric back, to help him resist that instinct... and to prepare for the worst.
…
When Sasrir saw Alaric again, his expression was layered with complexity.
"What's wrong, Sasrir? Upset?" Alaric asked, curious about the intricate look on Sasrir's face. "Or did my sudden cancellation of your summoning disrupt your work?"
"No," Sasrir shook his head, gazing at the young man before him. After a moment, he said, "I just realized I don't understand you as well as the Lord does."
Alaric raised an eyebrow, studying Sasrir before breaking into a grin, as if grasping something. "I've never hidden my nature, Sasrir. You shouldn't think too highly of me. I do like good people like you, but that's why I respect your choices."
"Even if those choices are wrong?" Sasrir asked, meeting his gaze.
"Even if they're wrong," Alaric confirmed, nodding. He flashed a playful smile. "So, I really am a very, very wicked kitten. Stay vigilant, Sasrir."
Sasrir blinked, then chuckled, as if something clicked. "Very, very wicked indeed."
"But…" Sasrir's tone shifted, his eyes on Alaric. "As long as we make the right choices, you'd be a very, very good kitten, wouldn't you?"
"Oh, absolutely. I do lean toward happy endings," Alaric admitted.
If Sasrir and others fell into his trap, Alaric wouldn't mind watching a "hero becomes the dragon" tragedy unfold. But since they'd sidestepped it, he was genuinely willing to help them make the world better.
For Alaric, a beautiful story always trumped tragedy.
"I understand," Sasrir nodded, taking a deep breath, as if solidifying a resolve.
Alaric smiled at him.
It was because of people like this that he'd never truly fallen.
Sometimes, Alaric felt lucky. Time and again, he'd entrusted the future to such people, and they'd delivered answers that satisfied him.
Those answers shaped the Alaric of today, making him choose the brighter path when given the option, rather than dragging everyone down with him.
He'd sometimes wonder: if he'd met people who chose to fall, would he have become one of countless Nyarlathoteps, crafting tragedies and reveling in others' descent?
"That's why I like good people!" Alaric thought with a sigh.
He should've fallen, but they held him back.
So, while Alaric could never be a god who loved the world, he didn't mind lending a hand when these people needed it.
"This is the Astral World?" Sasrir, snapping out of his resolve, noticed they weren't in reality.
"Yeah, Aucuses wanted to see you. I told him to prepare an avatar, but I figured a meeting in person would mean more," Alaric said with a smile.
At the mention of the familiar name, Sasrir paused, his expression growing complex.
He knew what had happened in the future and Aucuses' situation.
But he didn't blame Aucuses. It wasn't his fault... just a cause for some regret.
"You don't seem opposed to meeting him. Shall we go?" Alaric asked, looking at Sasrir.
Sasrir nodded, offering no objection.
They soon arrived near Eternal Blazing Sun's divine kingdom. Before entering, Alaric noticed a lively commotion inside.
He raised an eyebrow, glancing in with Sasrir. As expected, Aucuses and Roselle were brawling, with the God of Steam and Machinery blatantly favoring Roselle in the sidelines.
Nearby, an Amon watched, not joining in. But the occasional glint of his monocle and Aucuses' sporadic freezes betrayed Amon's meddling.
It looked like a one-on-one, but it was really three against one.
Still, Alaric could tell they weren't serious... more like playful roughhousing or venting.
But if it went on, things might heat up for real.
"Is that all, Aucuses? Didn't eat breakfast? Or have you not only failed to improve after all these years but actually regressed?" Roselle taunted loudly, dodging Aucuses' attacks.
"Scram!" Aucuses spat, his face dark, nearly conjuring a miniature sun to hurl at Roselle.
"What are you doing?"
A familiar voice, unheard for ages, cut through. Aucuses froze, his attack fizzling out, and he stiffly turned toward the sound.
As expected, he saw a familiar figure: Sasrir, the Dark Angel, once Deputy of Heaven.
Everyone knew the Sun God wasn't much for parenting, so Sasrir had raised most of the children the Sun God took in... including Aucuses.
To Aucuses, the Sun God was like a father, while Sasrir was akin to an elder brother.
Now, Aucuses felt the guilt of a kid caught misbehaving.
Back then, when the Eight Kings of Angels fought, Sasrir was the mediator. Unlike the Sun God, who didn't care about brawls, Sasrir didn't mind them either but would smile while handling the fallout, then dump a mountain of paperwork on you, insisting you finish it before leaving.
As Sasrir put it: "If you've got energy to burn fighting, why not help with some real work?"
Recalling that work-filled hell, Aucuses shuddered, his expression softening into something more obedient.
***
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