- To Be One Of The Gods

Dante remained in the seat next to Sofia, holding her hand. She had been unconscious for over an hour now. She had to wake up soon.

He felt guilty, truthfully. He was weak. He didn't fight the three bounty hunters who'd attacked them, only watched as Sofia had risked her life to protect him and Min-jun.

She had professed her love for him. Of course she would protect him.

So he felt guilty. He couldn't return that love. She was still mostly a stranger to him, one who could easily be manipulating him. But he didn't believe that anymore. Her presence was becoming more welcome with every passing minute, maybe even…familiar.

Dante still didn't have any memories of his life before Elendir. One moment had been darkness. The next, he was staring into Sofia's beautiful eyes.

"You were one of those kids!" Sofia had said. The words finally dawned on him. Vaas had used him when he was a child. They performed experiments on kids? Had they been the ones who'd given him his powers?

His powers. Maybe…?

Dante looked at Sofia, concentrating. If he could enter her mind, maybe he could will her to wake up.

He searched, looking for a connection to latch onto with his mind.

Finally, he found the city. Normally, there would be a bridge between his mind and the other person's. But now, he found himself floating in space. In front of him stood Sofia's mind, bustling with activity. But something was different. Hundred foot walls surrounded the land, blocking his view of the inside. She was there. He could feel her presence. But he couldn't find her.

"Don't use that on me, Dante."

Her voice sucked him back to reality. When using his power, Dante had felt disconnected, just floating in the emptiness. Now he was grounded. He still held onto Sofia's hand, and she held it back. Her blue eyes stared into his, searching.

Dante leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her neck. "Thank goodness you're alright. You've been unconscious for nearly two hours now."

Sofia pulled away from him, her cheeks red. She glanced around the ship. "Where are we?"

"A spaceship. Some guy named Kenji saved us. He got us off Elendir just in time."

"Just in time for what?" Sofia asked.

Dante hesitated. "Vaas tried to take control of Elendir. They tried to land, just as we were leaving. Then…a god destroyed it."

"A god?"

"It was like a tree. It had roots, leaves, and branches. I don't believe it was a god, though. Just a monster. Either way, they completely destroyed Elendir, and we barely got out in time." It all sounded ridiculous to Dante as he explained it.

"That's…incredible! Damn it…if only I had been awake to see it. What a sight. A god…."

Dante frowned. "You believe in god? What…no, you don't understand. It was evil. It killed thousands of people. We would've been one of those people if we hadn't barely crawled out of its grasp!"

"I understand. Some gods are evil, some are good. And of course I believe in gods. The universe is so vast. They just reside above all of us lower life forms, keeping everything perfectly balanced between chaos and order. That was one of them, I'm sure of it. Oh, I wonder what is going on in their minds. If they even have minds…it's all so complex."

"It was a god," said Kenji from the cockpit. He looked over his shoulder, smiling at Sofia. "With my own two katanas, I cut his tendrils from my ship. After that, he realized my strength and gave up pursuit. I saved us all."

"Don't let it go to your head, Uncle," Hyunji said crossly. "I didn't believe in gods either. I will say that it was one damn powerful being. And what else is a god other than that? A powerful being, above all other life, crushing innocents to death with joy?"

"He wasn't above me!" Said Kenji modestly.

Hyunji rolled her eyes. "You fought a few small tendrils. I'm sure it was much stronger than you think. Also, it was evil. I guess having that much power could make anyone want to use it for destruction."

"I would use it for good," Sofia said. "To be able to give life to the universe…nothing could ever top that."

"I would destroy everything," Min-jun said quietly, staring out the window at the passing stars. "End all life. So people would only have to suffer once, instead of their entire lives. It would be mercy."

"You don't mean that," Hyunji said.

"This is a stupid conversation," Jade said in a bored tone.

"You don't mean that," Hyunji repeated, looking at Jade with a hurt expression.

"I would use my powers to create a million katanas and spread them evenly across the cosmos. The people chosen by the katanas would become part of my grand army. And I would have infinite food," added Kenji.

"What would you do, Dante?" Sofia asked.

He thought for a moment. What would he do? "Probably something good too. I would want to help people individually. Make sure they're content living their lives. Be able to make them happy, even. Why end the suffering with killing when you can make suffering disappear completely."

"Well, since we're all going," Hyunji said. "I suppose I would use it for my family. Make their lives long, prosperous. Eighty years isn't enough for humans to live happily. I would want them to live for centuries. So we can truly experience the universe."

"That's stupid," Min-jun said. "Millions of humans have lived happily in their short lifetimes. I plan on it too. Living longer would be sad and depressing."

"Hey…what's going on girl?" Kenji said, laying a hand on the dashboard. The ship was shaking quietly. He looked out the window and gasped. "Hey guys, this isn't good. The Galeion seems to be out of fuel. Also, it happens to be missing part of its right wing."

"Are we going to crash?" Hyunji asked worriedly.

"Part of it's right wing? How have we not wrecked yet?" Ask Sofia.

"Don't worry about it!" Kenji said with a smile. "We're in Sector 616 right now. I know a planet, I know a guy. We'll land and get her fixed in no time."

"Will you be able to land it?" Asked Min-jun.

"Please, Cookie. You know better. I'm the best pilot to have ever existed."

"That's a bit of an overstatement," Hyunji mumbled.

Kenji sat back down in the cockpit. "Prepare for the smoothest landing of your lives!"