Chapter 40: Deus Ex Machina

With the declaration from their god, the twins breathed a sigh of relief. Their surroundings were reduced to a barren wasteland of rubble and flames, and only the two of them remained. They looked at each other and smiled. That smile slowly faded, and a look of realization came over them.

They were still enemies.

"!"

"!"

The two quickly distanced themselves and observed the other with great caution.

(This is bad. I completely forgot we were fighting. I'm pretty much exhausted.)

"My sister, have you forgotten we now share thoughts?"

Zagon showed a tired smile.

"It was great when we were fighting but now it's just creepy."

"After some practice I'm sure we'll be able to block each other. However, that is in the future. At the moment, we know what's going on in each other's head. What's going on in each other's heart."

Zagon's eyes narrowed.

"Look into my heart, Kelz. See what I'm truly feeling, look at the world through my eyes. After you do, can you say that I was wrong?"

"I can. You are wrong."

Kelz answered immediately. She looked at Zagon with eyes devoid of doubt.

"I can see where you're coming from, but you are wrong. Fighting someone like Giovanni convinced me more than ever."

"Are you comparing me to that devil?"

"Are you saying you're different?"

"Of course! I'm merely protecting my people!"

"By massacring countless innocents. You want to kill people who haven't done us harm, people who don't even know we exist. That's something Giovanni was planning to do to our people."

"...."

"Your silence tells me you think I'm right."

"You can read my thoughts, you know I don't. I admit you have a point. What I'm doing is similar, but the intent—"

"The intent doesn't matter! The result will be the same!"

"The result will be different."

Zagon's eyes shone a dangerous glint.

"It will be their people in the dirt and not ours. That's all that matters."

Kelz looked at him in silence before sighing.

"Once again we can't come to an agreement."

Blue flames gathered around her.

"Looks like we can't."

Static started dancing around Zagon.

"Then we have no other choice but to fight once again."

Zagon wore a pained expression on his face.

"My other half, whether it's you or me who falls, let the survivor do their best to bring prosperity to our people."

Kelz on the other hand wore a peaceful expression. The two took a fighting pose while gently eyeing the other.

(Yeah, enough of that.)

A voice rang in their heads. The flames and lightning around them disappeared. They returned to their normal appearances.

"?!"

They look around in confusion.

(Why are you two looking around like idiots? I took away your powers for a bit.)

"Lord Octivinus?"

(My children, you have entertained me well. I found your resolve and determination to protect your people admirable. Even when faced with death, you continued to push forward. However, you could only do that because you had each other.)

Octivinus' voice was right next to their ears as if he was standing beside them.

(You two are at your strongest when together, so if one were to lose the other, they would become stagnant. That would be a waste. That's why I stopped your fight. Well, if you fought to death both of you would die, so it would be pointless anyway...I'm not picking a third Lord in one generation.)

Octivinus sounded a bit annoyed.

(Anyway, I order the both of you to stop fighting immediately.)

"But Your Holiness, what about our resources? If nothing will be done, our people will die in a generation."

Zagon asked.

(Work together and find a solution for that. You're both Lords after all. However, I'm against your idea of conquering the world.)

Zagon's eyes widened.

"…Are you saying I'm wrong?"

(Wrong? That's subjective. If you win you're right, but that's only if you win. I was a conqueror in my original world and now I'm…..Nevermind.)

Zagon and Kelz were confused by what Octivinus was about to say.

(Anyway, the reason I'm against your plan is because you would lose. You would surely have killed millions, even billions, but your people would ultimately lose.)

"Why?"

(Human malice.)

Octivinus answered without hesitation.

(You think you know malice or how dangerous humans can be, but you know nothing. Don't underestimate how far they would go to survive. The man named Giovanni Delgado is the personification of human malice. There are more out there like him hidden in the masses. It would be best you don't awaken them.)

Octivinus paused for a bit before continuing.

(Anyway, you two need to work together to find the best solution when dealing with the outside world. It will be tough and you'll need to use force every now and again, but you'll need compassion too.)

It felt like they could hear him smiling.

(Don't worry, the two of you can do it. I'll send someone to help you out as well, so you'll be fine.)

"Someone?"

Octivinus didn't answer and spoke.

(Anyway, good luck, Lords. You two are the strongest Lords to have ever existed, you're also the only ones to share the title. I'm sure you'll be able to stir your people in a new era.)

The two knelt and spoke in unison.

"Thank you for your guidance."

(Continue to entertain me, My Children.)

Octivinus' voice disappeared and they slowly stood up and looked at each other.

"Well…"

"Yeah…"

There was an air of awkwardness around them.

"We should probably tell everyone what happened."

Kelz said after a while. Zagon nodded and looked around.

"This is gonna be a pain to rebuild."

Several days later.

"I can't believe they rebuilt the majority of the island already."

Damini said while walking with her siblings through the rebuilt residential area.

"The two sides came together and gave it their all. Considering their superhuman abilities, it's not that impossible."

Chul answered.

"It's more surprising how fast they can go from enemies to allies again like they didn't try to kill each other."

"When your God is still active and personally ordered the end of the war, it's not that hard."

Roxanne said.

"So what do we do now, General?"

Raphael didn't answer and kept walking in silence.

"Come on, we're trying to lighten the mood."

Roxanne patted his back.

"…I was recalling everything that happened in the short time we came here."

"Well, a lot did happen."

Ryder started listing off his fingers.

"We gained superpowers, met god-like beings, heard the voice of an actual god—"

"Ryder became all emo on us."

"Shut up, Gina."

Raphael walked in silence before mumbling.

"We lost our father twice."

They all became silent.

"The first one made me boiling with rage but the second time made me empty. The man who raised me and turned me into the person I am, died without remembering me."

A vibe of melancholy surrounded them.

"Why are you guys so depressed in the morning?"

Magnax and Janx stood before them.

"Huh? You two are still alive?"

Damini asked.

"What do you mean by that?!"

"I mean, we haven't seen you since the fighting began. I hardly remember who you are."

Magnax and Janx held their chest.

"Her words sting."

They coughed awkwardly

"We aren't combatants like Fayax and Brix. We're—"

"Fodder?"

"Background characters?"

"Plot devices?"

The two stood silently fighting back the tears.

"The Lords told us to call you guys to the new palace."

The siblings followed Magnax and Janx to the new Royal District. They arrived at a mansion made of blue and gold gemstones with a Phoenix and Serpent on the top.

"Welcome, guys."

They were greeted by Fayax and Brix.

"I heard you guys are official promoted to the Holy Knights. Congrats."

"Thanks. Everyone is waiting in the conference room."

They were led down the hall and to a large room with a giant table in the center.

"Hey, guys. Did you rest well on the lower island?"

Kelz greeted them with a face full of smiles. Zagon only gave them a nod. Next to him was Xeroi, while Zyna was seated next to Kelz.

"No matter how I think about it, this is strange."

Raphael mumbled as they sat after being gestured to.

"It is but it's God's orders. We must all work together."

Kelz spoke with a wry smile.

"I get that, but must we work with that?"

Gina pointed at someone slouching over in their seat. Their head was lying in a puddle of tears. This crying mess was Feng.

"Just like you guys he's in…mourning?"

Zagon didn't speak with confidence. Feng lifted his head and looked at Zagon with snot and tears smearing his face.

"You promised you wouldn't break him!!"

Feng bawled out and slammed his head back on the table and started crying harder.

"Hey, can't we kill him? He's pissing me off in all kind of ways."

Chul asked.

"Denied. He's sick in the head and lacks common sense, but his skills are necessary for the development of this country."

Zagon said.

"What about after he has no use?"

"Unless you want to fight me, then no."

Chul clicked his tongue.

"Let's calm down. We called you guys here because we want to discuss our plans with you."

Kelz intervened.

"We intend to remove the fog in a few years and then travel to other countries. We want to be as peaceful as possible, but we are willing to destroy all who seek to harm us. In order to diminish the number of conflicts, we need your help establishing relationships with countries that can back us."

"So you want to use Gustav's influence to help you out?"

Kelz nodded at Raphael.

"That will be tough. Gustav had a lot of connections and wealth, but it's not like we have the same thing."

"Are none of you his heir?"

Zagon asked.

"Roxanne and I are, but that's only on the military side. As for his wealth and influence, that belongs to his daughter. None of us are legally connected after all."

"Then can you convince her to help?"

Zyna asked.

"It shouldn't be a problem considering you gave us the elixir to save her. However, Melissa is a bit eccentric like her father. She's not as bad, but a bit odd. It's possible she'll have some weird requests, so be prepared for that."

"…We'll keep that in mind."

Over the next week, many events took place on the island, such as funerals, celebrations of the new Lords, and ceremonies to award those who fought to protect the island regardless of which side they were on. The final ceremony was about to begin.

"We need to pay respect to the Phoenix for helping us, huh?"

Roxanne said. She, the twins, Zyna, Xeroi, and her siblings were inside the holy temple.

"It's thanks to him intervening that we were able to solve everything."

Kelz said.

"A literally Deux Ex Machina huh? Just like the ancient Roman plays where the gods intervene in the story to solve everything."

Gina added.

"But it was only the Phoenix, the Serpent never made an appearance."

Chul said.

"I'm sure she had her reasons."

Zagon added. He was called the Son of the Serpent, so his words held weight.

They arrived at the ritual grounds under the temple. Someone was standing on the altar.

"Looks like the priest is already here."

Zyna said. Her eyes slowly widened as her eyes adjusted to the dark. She wasn't the only one. The expressions of everyone there changed as they saw who was standing on the altar. Shock, confusion, and fear. They experienced these emotions one after the other. They stopped in their tracks as the person turned towards them.

His green eyes shone brightly in the dimly lit area, and his smile was one of innocence and excitement. Yet, these things sent shivers down everyone's spines.

"Hello, everyone."

Giovanni waved at them grinning from ear to ear.

"It's been a while."