I had a dream.
Not the usual nightmare, but a dream from when I was very little, walking hand in hand with my grandfather.
"Grandpa, Grandpa."
"Hm? What is it?"
"What did my parents do?"
"Hmm, so you're curious after all?"
"Yep!"
What is this?
I was sure there had been a saying in the East for situations like this.
I fell asleep after watching a butterfly, and in my dream, a butterfly appeared.
Was that a dream of watching a butterfly, or a dream of becoming a butterfly?
Eh? You can't even tell the difference? Butterfly~♡ Butterfly~♡ (feat. Aphrodite)
...Huh, something feels off.
It was definitely a corrupted memory, but unfortunately, there was no one in reality or in the dream to correct my ignorance. Not that it mattered, since I wasn't planning to go around talking about it anyway.
Anyway, this was exactly that kind of situation. I had no idea whether I was observing my younger self, or whether I had actually become him.
Regardless, my mouth was moving independently of my thoughts, as if an old memory had simply surfaced.
"You mean your parents...? To put it simply, your father was a hero unmatched in the world, and your mother was a beauty beyond compare."
"Un-mat-ched? Be-yond com-pare?"
The words were too difficult, so my pronunciation slipped. Honestly, even now, they felt like they'd tie my tongue in knots if I tried to say them.
Why did Grandpa use such complex language with a little kid?
"Of course. Your father was a son and comrade who shared the harshest adventures with me, a hero who accomplished feats even I had no choice but to be amazed by! He was truly worthy of being called unmatched in the world! (There was no one like that bastard even in places far greater than a kingdom...)
I couldn't hear the last part very well, but it seemed my father had been a wonderful man. For Grandpa, who was usually so stingy with his praise, to evaluate him like that was surprising.
"And your mother had white hair just like yours, a frail woman like a single, delicate flower. Her beauty was enough to topple a nation! (She almost brought down something far greater than a kingdom, in fact). She was the one and only flower your father spent his whole life pursuing, and it would be no exaggeration to call her a beauty beyond compare!"
"Ooh...!"
I was impressed, but I didn't understand more than half of what Grandpa was saying. I was probably just thinking, So Dad was amazing and Mom was pretty~
How do I know? Because I'm thinking the exact same thing right now! What on earth is he talking about?
Still, I trusted him more this time. Grandpa's standards for beauty were incredibly strict.
He'd even gotten punched for telling our kind neighbors, "Your character is lovely, but your looks are deeply regrettable."
So Mother was beautiful.
For some reason, the description focused far more on appearance than Father's did, but little me seemed to have been perfectly happy with that.
I didn't know it back then. I didn't know what death was.
Even when I was told my parents had passed away, I couldn't connect that fact to the reality that I would never see them again.
I still don't know whether I truly didn't understand, or whether I simply didn't want to.
Still, I...
"Um..."
I...
"Excuse me...?"
I... uh, what was it...
Shake, shake. Shake, shake.
"Mm..."
"Eek, what do we do? I think he's waking up!"
Someone had forcibly dragged me up from the depths of my sentimentality.
The me who had been walking hand in hand with Grandpa was now lying on a sofa, staring at the ceiling.
Facing the story of my own life, now brought to a full stop, I lifted my head.
When I turned, I saw white hair. White hair just like mine.
For a moment, I thought it was my own and reached up to touch it. It was fine. The silky texture of my hair flowed across my fingertips.
"...?"
"...?"
When I tilted my head, the other person tilted theirs too. A soft, fluffy atmosphere seemed to fill the room.
How should I put this? It felt like the kind of gentle tension you'd get from two rabbits staring at each other—a mood so soft that my own momentum seemed to be shaved away in chunks.
Not that I had any momentum to begin with. It just felt that way.
What is this sweetness? I'm not good with sweets.
"Hello!"
"Ah, yes. Hello..."
Even in this situation, she speaks to me without hesitation. Strong mental fortitude~
She was the type I'd never dealt with before—someone who moved entirely at her own pace.
Someone who somehow swept you along with her, yet didn't make you feel bad about it.
Who is this person?
"I'm Materia!"
"Ah, I see. I'm..."
Just as I was about to say my name, I suddenly came to my senses.
Right. I'd been thrown into the past.
"I'm... Be... Be..."
"Be?"
"Be... Vesta."
I'd thought about giving my real name since she was a stranger, but I still wasn't prepared to say it.
Guilt stabbed at me for the blasphemy of using my god's alias as my own name, but unfortunately, the water had already been spilled.
"I see! Nice to meet you, Be-be-be-Vesta-kun!"
"It's not Be-be-be-Vesta, it's Vesta."
"Nice to meet you, Vesta-kun!"
"Yes, nice to meet you too, Miss Materia."
How should I put it? In a different way from Ais, she was a person who drained my energy.
If I had to compare her to someone... Tiona, maybe?
As I struggled to keep my head straight against the lethal dose of cheerfulness, the woman named Materia just kept staring at me with a grin.
"...Um, did you need something from me?"
"Ah, sorry. Was that rude?"
"No, not rude exactly..."
It was just that being looked at with such obvious interest was uncomfortable.
Not only did I feel like a spectacle, but I was sensitive to gazes, so I could feel the emotions hidden in them all too clearly.
The intense interest and curiosity in her eyes was extremely overwhelming.
"I'm Materia, you know!"
"...? Yes, I just heard that..."
"Ah, right! Then... um... hmm..."
She suddenly introduced herself again, then started groaning to herself, leaving me feeling a little dazed. What was with this person?
Since I didn't want to poke at her, I left her alone and looked for the Potato Balls I'd left over from yesterday. Fortunately, they were still sitting on the table, so it didn't seem like Materia had touched them.
Thank goodness. If I skipped breakfast, I wouldn't have any energy.
"Mm... mm..."
Watching the woman struggle with her thoughts, I quietly took out a Potato Ball and ate it.
Mm, Potato Balls are delicious even when cold. Maybe they're actually a complete food?
"Um... name... already said... Familia... can't... age... can't do that... then maybe a weather conversation would be safest?"
Materia was still muttering to herself.
She was mumbling something incredibly intense, and somehow that was even scarier.
"The weather is really nice today, isn't it?"
"Y-yes, it is...?"
"Oh? Were you eating something? Sorry!"
"(munch munch, gulp) No, no. My apologies."
She was energetic to the point of being overwhelming, but as the saying goes, you can't spit on a smiling face. Watching her grin through every little action, I felt my tension drain away all at once.
...She had the kind of cheerfulness that could blow away yesterday's gloom. Before I knew it, I felt like her energy might rub off on me too.
*
"Wha...t?"
"Th-that's... Lady Materia isn't in her room..."
At the same time, in Hera Familia.
Arphia's face, which had been full of anticipation at the thought of spending some quiet time with her little sister after finally getting her favorite sweet snack, went cold in an instant.
A lower-ranking member of Hera Familia, who had received Arphia's icy glare—though her eyes were closed, for some reason it still felt like it—shrunk back and broke out in a cold sweat.
Even as a low-ranking member, she was still Level 5. The reason she was cowering like a condemned criminal despite being someone who would be welcomed anywhere was probably because Arphia was one of the strongest monsters in this den of beasts known as Hera Familia.
Unlike the bedridden Materia, who was too frail to get out of bed, Arphia was the only one who could stand against the Empress. Add in her self-centered personality, and she was classified as an even more impossible person than the Empress herself.
The only one who could withstand her temper was their goddess, who bore the alias of the Hyper Ultra Hysteric Goddess. In the end, it was only natural that most of the Familia, especially the lower-ranking members, walked on eggshells around her.
And now her one and only beloved little sister had disappeared? If they could still see the sunrise tomorrow, it would be a miracle.
Arphia's cold gaze seemed to tear through her from the inside. True to her alias, it was a quiet but merciless stare, and the lower-ranking member was already on the verge of crossing the River Styx.
Mother... I miss you...!
"Come out."
Suddenly, Arphia spoke. Her body moved before her mind did. It was the instinctive survival response of someone who wanted to live.
When they entered Materia's room, it was indeed completely empty. She wasn't hiding anywhere, and there was no reason for her to be, so there was only one conclusion.
She slowly lifted her head and looked in a certain direction. Even that made fatigue wash over her, but that wasn't important right now.
"Was this your doing?"
"Your doing? Are you calling the captain 'your doing'?"
At her words, the space rippled and a woman appeared.
"C-captain!"
"Huh? You're still here? You can go now."
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
At her words, the member hurriedly fled. She was exhausted today. She wanted to see her parents back home so badly. Maybe she should take leave and go out for a bit...
"Tch, always butting in when a man and woman are in the middle of things. Stuff like this only burns hotter the more you try to stop it."
"Are those your last words? Then tell me where Materia is and die."
"Ha, that rotten bitch really needs a proper lesson in manners."
Suddenly, the space around them warped and began to envelop both her and Arphia.
"Come on then. I'll kill you today."
A little while later.
Boom!
Hera Familia's home collapsed in a heap.
*
It was an ordinary morning. In one male god's Familia, someone spoke up.
"Come to think of it, I don't see Cranel anywhere."
At those words, a large man flinched. It was the meal manager, Zald.
"He's not here?"
He poked his head out from the kitchen and looked around the dining hall. Sure enough, the usual slacker's face was nowhere to be seen.
Of course, not everyone in the Familia ate at the same time. Some didn't eat breakfast, and some ate late because they were training.
But Cranel was a little different. He was the kind of guy who always ate breakfast, saying he couldn't get any energy if he skipped it. And on top of that, he wasn't the sort to train voluntarily, so it was unlikely he was out training either.
Which meant... no way?
It was chilling. A knife had flown straight into his chest.
"...Where is the old man?"
"Uh... the god is over there."
At that, Zald tore off his apron and ran straight toward the god. His fellow cook screamed, but food was not important right now.
What mattered now was where Cranel was, who he was with, and what he was doing.
He prayed his suspicion was wrong, but knowing it probably wasn't, Zald approached the god's side while hoping this time his prediction would miss.
"Hm? Well, if it isn't Zald. What's with you, standing behind me all of a sudden? Only beauties are allowed to stand behind me, don't you remember that already?"
"Old man, I'm not in the mood for jokes. I'll ask plainly. That kid. Right now. Where is he?"
At Zald's words, an old god flinched. Then he turned his head with feigned innocence.
"Hmm? Zeus doesn't know anything like that?"
"You rotten bald bastard!!!"
"You brat, how dare you attack a god out of nowhere?! Gods don't get things like hair loss!"
"Shut up, is that really the problem right now?! Where the hell is Cranel?!!"
The dining hall erupted into chaos, and everyone's eyes turned toward the center of the uproar.
Among them were those quick enough to grasp the situation, their faces turning pale as they imagined the future and promptly vomited up everything they had eaten.
That even included a man even larger than Zald—the Familia captain, the [Great Figure] Maxim.
"No, I mean... he's in the prime of life, and the kid knows what's what too..."
"You insane old bastard! Are you trying to ruin the Familia or what?!"
"Don't overreact. I've done my share of womanizing, so I know how it goes! If the heavens get turned upside down five times or so, most of them will give in!"
"The heavens can be turned upside down and still put themselves back together!!"
If the Lower World gets turned upside down once, that's called utter ruin. In other words, it's called being finished.
In short, if you had to describe the current situation in one word...
"We're screwed."
In this horrifying situation, where everyone's feelings could be summed up in a single phrase, one thoughtless member who resembled the god raised a hand and timidly spoke up.
"Um... I don't really understand, but is this really that serious?"
"You. Imagine what would happen if the Black Dragon suddenly descended on Orario."
"Uh, that would be a huge disaster, right? Like, enough to turn Orario upside down?"
"Then what do you think would happen if Hera Familia invaded our Familia?"
"Kyaaaaaaah!!!"
The member collapsed foaming at the mouth just from imagining it. But no one blamed him. It was more than enough to warrant that reaction.
That was what it meant to face Hera Familia.
"Move! We have to find Cranel right now and offer him to Hera Familia!"
"""""Yes, sir!!"""""
The male god's children decided without hesitation to sell out their comrade. There was no longer any comradeship left in them, nothing at all. Only a vicious survival instinct remained.
That day, the two largest factions in Orario, Zeus and Hera Familia, turned Orario upside down.
Surprisingly, it was a scene everyone accepted as perfectly normal—except for one rabbit.