The next day, I decided to visit the Cursebreaker before meeting with the Artificer.
Cassandra was with me and Isabella stayed back. The two of us boarded the ship and were immediately confronted by Rastair.
"Good to see you, Ras-"
"MIZIIIIIIK!!!!!" She shouted as she hugged me.
"GET OFF ME, YOU DAMN GIANT WOMAN!"
"I'M NOT A GIANT!!!" She said as she pulled away.
"Ugh...what is it!? Did something happen!?" I said.
"What!? Of course something happened! Iris already told me! You died, didn't you!?" Rastair said.
"Yeah, but I'm fine now! What about it!?"
"Oooh...are you not in a good mood? That's kinda hot... Want me to give you a fun time? I'll make you feel better~!" She said with a sly smile.
I could in my current state, but it might kill you. So no.
"Hard pass."
"Ehhh...you're no fun..." Rastair said.
"You died on Delvandal, didn't you? When Rose destroyed it?" I said.
Rastair nodded.
"I was just relaxing on Ripper Isle, sipping a glass of wine and enjoying my latest haul. Then...it was like everything degraded around me and I ceased to be. Remembering yourself dying is weird..." She said.
Story of my life...
I looked back at Cassandra, but I wasn't looking at her. Isabella switched over and bowed her head.
"I'm so sorry, Rastair... I wasn't myself. Please forgive me...
"Y-yeah...no problem. I'm alive again so it's no biggie... But just to be clear, you're not gonna go crazy again, are you?"
"She won't. I've already made sure of it," I said.
"Great! Hey, you've been going to bed with Cassandra then, right? What about Isabella?"
"She divorced me as Rose. She has to work hard if she wants to be my wife again. Vengeance wants me to punish her even if it was a misunderstanding. And not technically her fault... But if you must know, I'm still making time for her in that way."
Isabella composed herself.
"I've been lucky enough to receive a light punishment. Although it means I'll be sharing Mizik with my sister from now on..."
"And when Vengeance is satisfied with his petty nonsense, I'll remarry you," I said.
"Wait...so that means you'll have two wives...?" Rastair said.
"When I decide to finally marry them again, yes. Isabella divorced me during that incident and I'm choosing to remain this way as part of her punishment. I never married Cassandra in this timeline, either."
"Oh... Want three? I don't care about the other two if it means I can get some action with-"
"Absolutely not. I would probably kill you by accident. The answer is still no."
"I'd be fine! Come ooooon... What about the others, though? I mean, Leiso still has a thing for you, right? And then there's those weird servant girls... Stella seems to be more obsessed than the others. And hey...it's not because I'm too tall, is it!?"
"It has nothing to do with your height. Honestly...you aren't really my type. Leiso is family to me. I don't see her that way. And Stella...I don't really know much about her. But I doubt I want to touch someone that's been defiled by Jarbold. Marriage is only reserved for Isabella and Cassandra."
"Fair enough... Speaking of those two, didn't you say Isabella and Cassandra were identical twins?" Rastair said.
"Yes. They look exactly alike. Except Cassandra doesn't have a mole under her eye. Cassandra has been using illusions to change her appearance when she switches over, so you might notice a slight difference in their hair style as well."
"I guess, but the eye color is the way I tell them apart. Did they have the same eye color, too?"
I nodded.
"Difar's Corruption is the reason Cassandra has purple eyes. Theoretically, if the brand on her soul was removed, she should look normal again."
"I see. Well, if you ever feel like you want to go to bed with a tall beauty, let me know! And don't worry, I'll make sure to get plenty strong so that I can get a good taste of the high quality meat those two have been enjoying~!" Rastair said with a wink.
"By the gods, you're annoying sometimes..." I said.
"Oh my! So brutal! I might not be able to resist if you keep that up, sweetie~!"
"I'm leaving now."
I turned and left because I was getting tired of her antics.
After that, I went further into the ship and found the Enforcers, along with Iris.
"Ah, Mizik. And...hey, is she still an enemy?" Iris said.
"Would I gladly walk next to her while unarmed if she was? No. We talked things out. But, we're not married, anymore. She's a slave until she redeems herself. That's the punishment Vengeance accepted," I said.
"That's kind of messed up, man. That's your wife. It wasn't really her fault that she went crazy," Jallah said.
"If I want your opinion, Jallah, I'll ask you for it. Shut your trap and don't pretend to understand Vengeance and his petty bullshit. Isabella and Rose merged. Her punishment is more lenient because it's partially Isabella and she did nothing wrong," I said angrily.
"Ah...geez, man. What's gotten into you?" Jallah said.
"How about the fact that I died a thousand times? How about succumbing to Abyssal Madness!? How about all of the nonsense I've had to put up with for my entire life? How about Vakra BETRAYING ME and sending us back into this old timeline!? By the way...I'M CURSED AGAIN, YOU JACKASS!" I shouted.
Jallah seemed to shrink away at my comments.
"I don't think he meant anything by it, Mizik..." Iris said.
"Irrelevant. And if you want to know...in my fit of madness, I ended up subjugating an entire world and completely destroying it for fun. I might have left that detail out," I said.
"You have truly fallen far, haven't you?" Leiso said.
"If you hate me now, I completely understand. I'm a ruthless monster without any more mercy to spare. The lives of anyone outside this ship are meaningless to me. With the exception of Iris and Johann," I said.
"No. I don't hate you. In fact, I only feel sorry for you. I'm disappointed..." Leiso said.
"In what? Me?" I said.
"No...the fact that such a wonderful man has had to endure such hardships for something he never wanted to be a part of. My feelings for you remain unchanged," Leiso said.
What's wrong with these people?
"I didn't know you were into crazy guys, Lei..." Jallah said.
"He's not crazy, he's broken. You've seen it before, haven't you? I'm 1,500 years old. When you've lived that long, you learn to read people differently. Especially in my line of work," Leiso said.
"If I may interject, I would like to run a few tests on Mizik's mental state. If possible, maybe on the other two girls as well. Although, I doubt Cassandra has changed much..." Carlos said.
"You're a doctor, now?" I asked.
"I've studied in all kinds of medical fields and sciences. Two of them are neuroscience and psychology. I'm not just a lab monkey, Mizik, I'm a medical professional," Carlos said.
"Do you think I'm mentally ill?" I asked.
"Most likely. You weren't like this years ago," he said.
I already knew something wasn't right in my head. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. But I had no desire to be treated.
"I refuse. I don't need a psyche evaluation. I'm perfectly aware of what I am and this is how it has to be," I said.
"Eh...suit yourself. If you change your mind, you know where to find me," Carlos said.
"Hey...can you apologize to Jallah?" Iris asked.
"There's no need, Iris. He's right. I shouldn't have just assumed Mizik would purposefully be like that to Isabella. Even if her...alter ego...caused so much harm. And if you don't mind me saying, Mizik, I didn't think you had it in you to destroy an entire world for fun," Jallah said.
"That was only the first of many. The amount of exp I got from it was absurdly high, so I'll need to destroy a lot more in the coming years to prepare myself for killing Difar."
Jallah shook his head.
"I don't know how to feel about that... It's just wrong...but..."
"Jallah..." Leiso said.
"He's right. It's definitely wrong. But I have to be a necesssary evil. I'll bear as many sins as needed if it means gaining the power to destroy the Corruption," I said.
"As a soldier, I understand the need to strive for the greater good. I'll follow you always, Mizik," Leiso said with a smile.
"I'll hold you to it."
At that point, the Enforcers left and so did Iris.
We began walking away as well when suddenly, there was a flash of light and the Artificer appeared on the ship.
"You should warn people before you do that..." I said in a low tone.
"My apologies. I didn't mean to startle you," the Artificer said.
"I wouldn't say I'm startled. Just that we have rules against outsiders and intruders randomly SHOWING UP UNNANOUNCED ON OUR SHIP!!! Especially when they aren't completely TRUSTWORTHY!!!"
He flinched at my malicious tone and composed himself.
"Are you still having trouble trusting me, Destroyer?" He asked.
"You're the same type of entity as the Oracle, right? A 'Guardian'? I don't trust you because of that. I also have a significant grudge against the dumbass that waited until I had died a thousand times before taking action."
"I won't argue with you... All I can say is that I am bound by the law of the Creator not to interfere with another divine realm unless explicitly told-"
"I really couldn't care less. Now why are you on my ship?"
He paused again and composed himself.
"I came to inform you that the Deus Arms are finished being reforged."
He manifested the device that held them and mentioned for me to take the four weapons.
I took Intelligence first and handed it to Cassandra.
"Ah! My darling has given me my wonderful weapon back! Thank you, darling! I love you so much!!!" Cassandra said happily.
"You too..." I said.
She cradled the dagger against her cheek affectionately.
"I missed you, Intelligence! His Majesty has given you back to me!" She said.
Next, I picked up Strength and heard it speak.
[The mighty Overseer has awoken! My power is yours to command! If you'd like, feel free to wield my blade in its name! Or better yet, find me a wielder that will serve you!]
We'll see.
I placed the sword in my inventory and reached for Willpower.
As soon as my hand touched it, I heard it speak.
[Overseer! Forgive my insolence! I have committed a terrible crime by allowing myself to be changed. I shall resist with every ounce of my power, should it happen again!]
Really isn't your fault. But okay...
[The Overseer is kind. My blade shall strike true to destroy thine enemies. Wield me or find someone with great mental fortitude that will serve thee well.]
Right...
I dreaded what was next... I placed Willpower in my inventory and reached for Faith.
[OH JOYOUS DAY!!! THE OVERSEER HAS AWOKEN!!! MY GLORIOUS LORD, THE OVERSEER!!! I SHALL SERVE YOU WELL!!!]
Umm...
[IT WOULD PLEASE ME GREATLY TO BE HELD BY SUCH A MAGNIFICENT WIELDER! BUT PLEASE, HELP ME FIND SOMEONE WHO WILL SERVE YOU WITH GREAT ZEAL AND REVERENCE! MY OVERSEER, I ADORE YOU!!!]
Please calm down...and okay... Vengeance, why are these swords asking me to use them?
[You and I are one being. We are the Overseer. You are permitted to use another sword if you wish, but bear in mind that I will always remain your true blade. The Deus Arms serve you, now.]
I smiled and almost laughed as the pain assaulted my head.
Actually...it sort of felt good.
The pain made me laugh.
"Darling...? Are you well?" Cassandra said.
"Just fine..."
"I'll leave you to it, Destroyer. If you find any more Deus Arms, please do not hesitate to bring them to me. I will reforge and return them to you," the Artificer said.
"I have a question before you go, actually."
"Please ask it."
"Are the Deus Arms affected by the reset magic? When I got Vengeance back in Lorelei, he didn't seem to have forgotten anything."
It was something that had weighed on my mind a lot, actually. It would mean that even my own sword wanted to see me fail if Vengeance purposely kept information from me.
"Yes they are. The final reset was an anomaly, however. Because of the unique conditions of what I have decided to call 'The Reset Incident', Vengeance retained its memories this time around. Does that answer your question?"
I nodded.
"It does. Anyway, I'll be going to the bridge. But before I go, if you betray me...you won't live to regret it," I said.
"I am well aware, Destroyer. The Oracle was a fine example of that...and will be again when you decide to deal with her. I'll take my leave for now," he said.
The Artificer disappeared and I left to take command of the Cursebreaker once more...