"Did I hear that right!?" I asked.
"Two Ultra Aspects!?" Isabella said.
Iris nodded.
"This has never happened before. In the entire history of Ignitus, no one has ever awakened two Ultra Aspects at the same time. It's unheard of. Impossible! Such a person can't exist! But...here are two of them right in front of me!"
"How powerful would that make someone?" I asked.
"Let's put it into perspective... Dante is more powerful than the vast majority of our military combined. He is the only one capable of doing battle with Kazuma and he has only one Ultra Aspect. Both of you would easily be more powerful than Dante or Kazuma... Perhaps even combined. Novak and I would be the only things capable of actually challenging you based on power alone..."
"But you're gods. Do gods even fight?" I asked.
"Of course they do! That asshole of a war god LOVES to fight people. I'm really powerful too, you know! Novak might also be evil, but he's still a god. In our divine forms, we rank higher than all mortal beings in battle. And in our supreme forms, we can destroy entire worlds. Fortunately, by order of the divine council, we are not allowed to assume our divine or supreme forms in mortal worlds without permission. Doing so is a violation of the law of the Creator."
That made sense. If gods were going around obliterating everything, that would cause significant problems. It also explained the existence of the Enforcers and Overlords.
However...
Since I had never seen a god fight, I had nothing to compare their strength to anyway. Regardless, learning that Isabella and I would have such power was comforting to hear. It meant that we might be able to slay the Source and avenge our home.
"Iris...if we'll have that much power, could you grant us a request?" I asked.
"You may not return to Avernia. I'm sorry, but...there are complications with that world at the moment..."
"Complications?" Isabella said.
"Yes...I did some asking around in the divine realm and discovered something odd. Usually, I can inquire about or travel to any world I wish as long as I have permission to do so. I asked the council of the divines about Avernia and the answers I got were sketchy at best."
"Tell us everything," I said.
"If you insist..."
Iris teleported over and stood directly in front of us.
"When I asked about a world called Avernia and of the Demon King ruling it, they told me they would search for any information they could find. When they got back to me, they said that the being ruling it was not a Demon King. It was a god of some kind. Well...not a god like I am. Something far more sinister with the power to rival or even be greater than ours. They told me that I was not permitted to go anywhere near or even learn about what was happening there. So I'll ask you two: what are you not telling us?"
I looked at Isabella and she shook her head sadly.
I sighed.
"Let's go somewhere private. You'll want to hear this..." I said.
Iris teleported us inside the awakening room of the building and smiled.
"We have privacy here. You may speak."
I wanted to ask about the switches on the thrones if she could just teleport us, but...now was not the time.
"Iris. Do you trust us?" I asked.
"Of course, but if you're lying to me, that is an issue by itself. We should always be up front with one another."
"Then we only request that you don't tell the other Enforcers what we're about to say. Especially Gavin. It's not good..." I said.
"Very well. I will keep my mouth shut until it is no longer necessary. You will be the ones to tell them if that time ever comes."
"Fine. The thing that took over our world...wasn't a Demon King at all. That was an excuse made up by Isabella to get Michael off our backs. Just something plausible so that you wouldn't distrust us," I said.
"Indeed. I am very sorry...but we felt it was necessary to avoid further suspicion..." Isabella said.
Iris shook her head.
"I don't really care about that. Yes, you lied, but that's not important right now. Tell me what happened on Avernia."
"We...called it the Black Ooze...a dark substance that appeared in our world out of nowhere and consumed everything."
Iris continued staring at me as I spoke and I continued.
I spent the next two hours explaining everything I could to her. I showed her my journal and research materials. We also recounted our experience with the shadow dragon and finally the battle of Geldekairn.
I made sure to mention the significance of the unknown skill and its ability to destroy the Ooze. On top of what really happened to Isabella, my father, and even Knight Captain Cain.
As we spoke, Iris' eyes got wider and wider in fear. At the end, she just dropped to her knees.
"By the Creator...what in the nine hells did you just tell me!?"
"The truth," I said.
"It's too hard to believe! Something like that only exists in sealed worlds! Places taken over by horrific parasite beings or deities from the outer realms! Black Ooze!? That's just terrifying! You two have seen hell, haven't you!? That's enough to drive most people mad! How are you still sane after the things you've seen!?" Iris ranted.
"We're somewhat...broken... Although, we are still rational. We have nightmares fairly often about the things we saw, but we keep it hidden," Isabella said.
"I'm sorry to say this, but I cannot allow you two to return to Avernia. I will not risk such a substance coming to our world. You might hate me for it, but it's for your own...no...for our own good! Please just stay on Ignitus. You'll be much safer here!" Iris said as she looked up at us pleadingly.
I shook my head.
"We still don't know if anywhere is safe. The Oracle mentioned that all of creation was in danger. For all we know, it could be here soon. Or maybe it's already here..." I said.
"Eeehhhhh...please don't say that! I don't want that horrible substance in our world. That Source guy needs to die! I'm going to put in a request for a hero to be sent to Avernia...or just to deal with the Source. Something has to be done and you two are clearly not ready for such a thing. Please, leave it to the divine council. They'll take care of it."
"Do they know about us? You won't be in trouble for mentioning it, will you?" I asked.
"I don't know, but damn it all! This goes beyond anything I've ever seen! This could be a major crisis!!! If even the gods on Avernia feared it, what else can we do!?" Iris said hysterically.
"Wait...I just remembered something. Can you contact the gods of Avernia?" I asked.
"Sure. I have to bypass security, though. If that world is classified, then it's likely that their involvement with it has been blacked out. Hell, there's no guarantee that they're even gods within my divine realm, either. Why do you ask?"
"I want to beat the shit out of those useless cowardly gods for leaving us all to die. It's only fair," I said angrily.
"Look, I understand, but...they could probably still kill you. They are gods after all!" Iris said.
"I don't care. I want to at least yell at them for their cowardice!" I said.
"Fair enough. I'll see what I can do. But don't expect a miracle. The council is very particular about these things."
"Also, do you know who the Oracle is?" I asked.
"Of course. She's the Creator's personal messenger. The Guardian Deity of Excelsis. Very opinionated as well. If you ask me, she's a bit high and mighty. I haven't spoken to her directly, though. But, that's mainly because she's in charge of the divine realm I come from."
"Does the Creator need a messenger?" Isabella asked.
"The Creator doesn't need anything. He's the Creator. He chooses to do things a certain way because that's just what he does. We don't understand it and we haven't tried to understand it for a very long time."
"You don't have contact with him?" I asked.
"He only contacts people that he has a purpose for. He either sends the Oracle to deliver a message or he communicates directly. Whatever that might be is up to him. Other than that, we don't know anything and I'm serious about that."
There goes my hope of talking to him about this damn skill...
"Well, it seems like you two might have a special ability that lets you purge this Black Ooze. If it surfaces here, I plan to put you two in charge of dealing with it. Sound good?"
"Yes, ma'am," I said.
"Lady Iris. That is what you call me... Ma'am makes me sound like an old lady!"
"But aren't you a goddess? Doesn't that mean you're already really old?" Isabella asked.
Iris glared at Isabella.
"I might be old, but I still look young and cute! Leave me alone!"
"Yes, Lady Iris. My apologies..." Isabella said.
I could tell she was laughing internally as she spoke...
"Well then, you two have somewhere to be, yes?" Iris said with a smile.
Please no...we don't have school today, but...
"Ehm..."
Iris looked up for a moment as if she detected something.
"Seems like Leiso is looking around nearby for you two. Maybe you should get ready for your daily ass-kicking?"
Before we could protest, we were teleported out of the room and standing in front of us was...Leiso.
She jumped back and readied herself for battle but relaxed as soon as she realized it was us.
"By Iris, you two scared me half to death! Well, let's go. It's time for training!" She said.
"Umm...Leiso! Iris told us that you had a husband at one point?" Isabella said nervously.
She doesn't want to fight either, it seems.
Leiso's expression softened and she sighed.
"I don't know why she feels like telling people about my past, but yes. I had a husband that I loved very dearly. I cherished him with all that I had. Unfortunately, immortality is both a blessing and a curse. I have stopped aging and still continue to live over a thousand years later, but...I had to sit by while my husband and children grew old and died right in front of me."
I cast my gaze downward.
"That sounds difficult... I'm sorry for-"
"Don't be. I cherish the memories of them that I have. Being reminded helps me to not forget. Although, I wish I could remember everyone's faces..."
"Iris also said you had siblings? She mentioned strange names..." Isabella said.
"My brother was named Vikal and my sister was Orliid. Our names are like this because of the remote region we lived in...1,500 years ago. Leiso isn't as strange a name as you might think compared to some of the ones I've heard. Like Mizik, for example," She said while eying me curiously.
AGAIN WITH THIS!?
"Is my name really that weird!? What is it with you people and my name!? Its not hard! Michael keeps calling me Mack! Why!?" I ranted.
Then Leiso did something that surprised me.
She smiled and genuinely started laughing.
"Umm...Leiso...?" I said.
She laughed for a bit longer and wiped tears from her eyes.
"Ah...sorry. You sounded like my husband for a moment there. It brought back fond memories of him. Thank you for that, honestly. You know, Mizik, you're not so bad. If you weren't married, I might fancy you myself... Provided you were a little older, of course," Leiso said with a sly smile.
"Eh!? What!?" Isabella said.
Leiso chuckled again.
"Kidding! Just kidding! I won't try anything, Isabella. I was married once, and I understand how it is. You have a special guy here, if you don't mind me saying. Protect him at all costs."
We legitimately didn't know how to react to this.
It seems...Iris was correct.
Leiso put up a front of someone that was as tough and hardened as steel, but she was actually...
Kind of nice. Playful, even.
I fully expected her to snap back to normal and beat the crap out of us, but this wasn't so bad.
"Are you okay, Leiso? Did you hit your head?" Isabella asked.
"I'm feeling just fine. The memories of my family just put me in a particularly good mood. How about we take it a bit easier, today?" She said.
"Could we do this every day from now on, too?" I asked.
Leiso narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
"Don't push it, or we'll work extra hard, instead. Got it!?"
"YES MA'AM!" We both said as we stood up straight.
"Good. Let's relax for a bit then teach Mizik about weapons, again."
We followed Leiso to her temporary room and sat down with her. We had a genuine conversation with her and learned a few things. At the same time, we shared a few drinks. It seemed there was a legal age to be allowed to have alcohol, but Leiso chose to ignore it. Mainly because we had once been considered adults in our previous world where we were allowed to drink.
Leiso attended family gatherings of her descendants on occasion. She worked diligently all the time to keep up to date on their activities and they were kept very much aware of her identity. They all called her Ancestor Leiso.
Throughout everything, she had never forgotten about her children or her husband. They forever remained in her heart. They were the reason she fought so hard to protect this world. Her reason for getting up every day.
Immortality had truly taken it's toll on her, however. Every time a family member died, she wept for them in private. She attended their funerals at a distance and prayed for them to rest easy. She understood the necessity of death and was grateful for its mercy.
To Leiso, death was the one true fairness in life for mortals. She realized that better than most people.
Once we finished our talks with Leiso, she took the time to teach me more about weapons and then it was business as usual. The next day, after school, she kicked our asses again. Although this time...
It seemed like she was enjoying our company more. Like she was simply glad we were around.
I believe we made a true friend in Leiso.
And that was reason enough to protect this world.
A month after our talk with Iris, Carlos called a meeting of the Enforcers together.