The world turned dark, and for a moment, Lud could hear nothing but his own heartbeat. Then came Sarah's voice, faint yet filled with urgency, cutting through the silence: "Faust! Faust! Do you hear me? Faust!" He tried to respond, but the words wouldn't come.
As light flickered above him, he noticed he was seated in an empty space, surrounded by darkness. A man's voice broke through from a nearby seat:
"So this is how Maumar intends to play." Nemesis' voice was laced with dark amusement. "Some trial…"
Nemesis says while sitting on his seat in the darkness "Maumar has a weird taste, that's for sure. But no matter, I have spent longer time in the depths of the abyss, so this type of torture is nothing."
"Where are we?" Lud asked, scanning the shadows around him.
"Where do you think?" Nemesis scoffed. "We're inside my very essence—the concept of Nemesis. A trial of willpower, perhaps? If so, I could do this in my sleep."*
Lud frowned. "So… it's about who can endure this? Fine. I'll play Maumar's game."
"Oh, how noble," Nemesis sneered. "I assure you, though, your 'endurance' will be tested beyond your naïve little ideals."
Then both of them hear Li saying "It seems like he is not waking up Ms. Livendig. I suggest that we…"
But Sarah's voice echoed "No! It will work! It has to work! If not, then what are we supposed to do?!"
Li's voice echoed "We have to make sure our lord's effort is not to be wasted. We must move forward."
Sarah says "But how?! How are we supposed to do that?!"
Li's voice echoed "Like we did when he was gone before this was just a game to him. Although things have changed, we must persevere. I have taken the duties of our lord temporarily, so the battalion commanders should hold a meeting with some of the officials to determine the next course of action."
Sarah says in a much calmer voice "Fine. But whatever happens, that bitch must pay for what she did to him."
Li says, as if he wasn't responsible for allowing this to happen "Of course."
Lud asked "What was that?"
Nemesis answered "This is the beginning of my journey. When Ludwig Freigner became dräk'nor, all that was left was the body of Faust Ilumnos. No sense of self left in the body. Just an empty shell of the former self. In desperation, Sarah placed the Grail of seven sins into that body in the hope that it would reawaken him, but all it did was to bring me into being. A consciousness that had no freedom to move the body it was in."
Lud asks "So… you are… the embodiment of that world item?"
Nemesis says "That is what I thought I was at least. But now that we are in this kind of hell together, I don't know if that is the complete truth anymore."
Lud asks "What do you mean?"
Nemesis says "You really are a dimwit, aren't you. Well since we come from the same cloth, I can't say that I am a genius myself, but the essence is simple. This thing is only possible because the world somehow registers us as the same entity or whatnot, making us live through my life again like this."
Lud says "But I have been into the abyss before and we didn't connect then."
Nemesis says "I see. The explanation could be that I already was a singular entity or that this whole abyss stuff is a whole lot more messed up than I thought it was."
Lud asks "So… what will we do now?"
Nemesis says "Good question. We have until the end of time to talk since that is when I entered the abyss, so we can listen to what my body could hear during that time, talk to each other or just wait."
Lud says "So… we will be here for a while then."
Nemesis says "Oh trust me, 'a while' is one hell of an understatement."
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After hearing commotion outside, Lud asked Nemesis "Why are they all bickering so much?"
Nemesis looked at Lud with a raised brow. "Haven't you noticed that there are factions in Elysium?"
Lud frowned, taken aback. "Factions? What are you on about?"
Nemesis chuckled. "So you haven't. Well, since we have all the time in the world, let me enlighten you."
"There are three factions in Elysium: The Guardians, The Vanguard, and The Balancekeepers."
"The Guardians are focused on preserving the status quo, maintaining current systems, and defending Elysium without unnecessary risks. Tear, Xu, and Marchosias belong to this faction."
"The Vanguard is committed to expanding Elysium's influence, pushing outward to claim new territories and take on a more proactive role. Lili, Illi, Elisia, and Brutus align with them."
"And then we have The Balancekeepers, who prefer a middle ground. They watch, waiting to intervene only when necessary, avoiding extremes. Li, Lych, Liz, and Sarah are in this faction."
Lud shook his head. "But… I thought we were all on the same team."
Nemesis smirked. "Of course you would. You and your naïve way of seeing things—all sunshine and rainbows." He paused, letting the words sink in. "Yes, they belong to different factions. But make no mistake—they're all still loyal to their one and only king."
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Lud asks "What happened to Altair?"
Nemesis replied "My timeline's Altair became a wanted criminal in the eyes of Elysium. Of course this meant that the star elves became our enemies and that is something that we won't be hearing from for quite some time."
Lud asks "How will it end?"
Nemesis says "Elysium wipes the star elves into dust after all the battalion leaders had made their judgments. This also meant that Elysium became quite a war focused nation and many fell to their might. The Genocide of Lutah is what they called it."
Lud says "That is… why would they do that."
Nemesis says "I guess that their loyalty to their king was just so great."
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Lud and Nemesis could hear someone breathing heavily and both of them had a weird sensation. Lud asked "What is going on out there?"
Nemesis replied "If I recall correctly, that is Sarah having sex with our body."
This surprised Lud and he asked in shock "She is doing what now?"
Nemesis says "Of course she would. After accepting that I wouldn't wake up, the conclusion people outside came up with is to produce an heir. Since our equipment still worked, there was no issue."
Lud says "But… Isn't this considered rape by some standards?"
Nemesis says "Most likely. But since the conclusion they came up with was made with the assumption that I would never wake up again, they saw no issue doing this."
Lud says "This just feels so wrong."
Nemesis replied "Get used to it. We'll be hearing a lot of this kind of thing in the near future. But don't worry, when all the women who volunteered have gotten pregnant, there won't be any kind of reproduction in a while."
Lud noticed something in Nemesis' words and said "In a while you say."
Nemesis just says "Well, look at the bright side, if you are the one that wins this little bout, then you can say that you had the experience of having sex with your underlings."
Lud stayed silent for a moment and Nemesis continued "Granted, if you end up in the same body as before, the body is still considered virgin by some standards. Weird how you can be and not be a virgin at the same time."
Lud asked "Will the… children that come out of all of this really be okay?"
Nemesis answered "Define okay."
Lud says "So that is a no I take."
Nemesis says "We will be hearing them confessing a lot of things to us during their lifetimes."
Lud says "You said that we will be here until the end of time, correct?"
Nemesis answered "Yes, if I understand our predicament correctly."
Lud asks "Then how many generations of our descendants will we be hearing from."
Nemesis answers "Plenty."
Lud repeated Nemesis' words "Plenty?"
Nemesis repeated again "Plenty."
Lud rubbed his head in contemplation, until a thought came to him. He decided to ask "So… we will experience losing some people as well during all this."
Nemesis says "Time is a bitch, aint it."
Lud says "But why will our body last so long?"
Nemesis shrugs and says "Who knows. Maybe it has always been ageless or maybe becoming a thryv'nith has something to do with it. Either way, we will be here a long time."
Lud wonders "Will I actually be able to bear with this?"
"Feel free to give up whenever you're ready," Nemesis taunted. "I'll happily take my prize at the end of this tunnel."
Lud's gaze hardened. "I'll endure whatever it takes. For the people waiting on the other side."
Nemesis chuckled. "Bold words for a man trapped in a cage of my own making."
"Maybe," Lud shot back. "But this time, you're in here with me."
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Lud asks "How will this, genocide of Lutah end for Elysium?"
Nemesis says "Elysium becomes the greatest nation to rule the middle realm and all other races don't dare to make any hasty moves against it. Personally, I would have just continued to wreck Lutah even more, but it is the people who we put our trust in that made that decision, so I can't really blame them for going all out."
Lud comments, "You really are a horrible person."
Nemesis shrugs it off by saying "I am the epitome of sin after all."
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Lud asks "So, since they have come and talked to us so much, do they know that we can hear them?"
Nemesis says "Quite likely. One of Lili's devices detected that there was brain activity in us, so that is why they calmed down a bit at one point. Whether they think we can hear them probably differs from person to person."
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After an unknown amount of time, Lud decided to ask a question that he should have asked long ago. "Why do you do what you do?"
Nemesis asked back "Do I need a reason?"
Lud said "Everyone has reasons for doing what they do, so what is yours?"
Nemesis chuckled a bit and then said "There is no reason. I'm not some misunderstood villain who has a tragic backstory. I simply wish to destroy. Destruction for the sake of destruction. The ultimate sin. No reason behind it. Just unadulterated destruction until I can't continue any more. And when that happens, either I have met my end or the world has been completely annihilated."
Lud asks "So do you enjoy doing what you do?"
Nemesis says "Of course I do. The feeling of seeing something that once was to not be anymore is exhilarating. There is of course the factor where something new can sprout from one thing being destroyed, but that is not the goal. There is no goal. Only to destroy, destroy and destroy."
Lud asks "Do you think… that it is something that I harbor as well?"
Nemesis shrugs and says "Who knows. While my body once might have been that of Faust Ilumnos or Ludwig Freigner, now I'm only Nemesis. A vessel of sin. The primordial sin of annihilation."
Lud asks "Do you have any regrets?"
Nemesis says a simple "No."
Lud asks "Even if I end up being the winner of this trial?"
Nemesis scoffs and says "Bold words for someone who is so naive. But even if you end up being the last man standing after all this is over, I don't have any regrets. As a wise man said 'death comes to us all' so there is no backing down."
Lud says "I think that you do have regrets. I don't know what kind exactly, but I have a feeling that you do."
Nemesis says "Think what you will."
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Time has passed and Lud made a comment "Since we can think but not move our body, do you think that this is some kind of medical condition?"
Nemesis says "Who knows. Maybe, maybe not. In my opinion, this is just something magical that Maumar put us through."
Lud thinks a little further and says "I'm pretty sure that there exists conditions similar to what we are in now. 'Locked-in syndrome' was it?"
Nemesis says "I don't think that our situation can be compared to that of our world. I may not be the smartest, but I don't think this is the same."
Lud says "Let's agree to disagree."
Nemesis says "Sure. That makes things easier."
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Time passed in their endless waiting. So much so that the even fateweaver changed the writing system for a moment. One of their conversations turned to lighter—though somewhat bizarre—topics.
Lud: "So, who's the hottest person you know?"
Nemesis: "Honestly? The archon. Quite a looker, in my opinion."
Lud: horrified "That is so wrong on so many levels."
Nemesis: frowns "Why?"
Lud: "You really don't know?"
Nemesis: "Know what?"
Lud: "I thought you singular entities had access to everything in a timeline. And yet you didn't check the one thing that would've made it very clear what Toki is to us?"
Nemesis: "You forget—we're still pretty much three-dimensional beings. We don't find every little detail. It's like skimming an encyclopedia and missing a line in some random entry."
Lud: sighs "Still, surprising that you missed it. It's a pretty big detail."
Nemesis: pauses, intrigued "All right, enlighten me. What detail did I miss?"
Lud: flatly "Toki is a child of another version of us."
Nemesis simply makes an "Ah" sound, and there's an awkward pause.
Nemesis: clears his throat "Well, in that case… I'd say Elisia is quite attractive too."
Lud: "Seriously?"
Nemesis: "What? Don't tell me I missed another critical detail."
Lud: sighs "Obviously, Tifa's the MVP."
Nemesis: "I get it, but… I'm not into her hair."
Lud: indignant "What's wrong with her hair? You're literally just another me that absorbed some goblet!"
Nemesis: deadpan "That 'goblet' happens to be a world item. Multiply that by the many I've absorbed, and you get me."
Lud: "Still, what's wrong with dark bronze hair?"
Nemesis: shrugs "It's just… meh."
Lud: "How dare you call it 'meh'?!"
Nemesis: "Are you a simp for her or something?"
Lud: grumbles "She was our girlfriend on Earth."
Nemesis: unmoved "And her hair's still meh."
Lud: gritting his teeth "Then what's so great about Elisia?"
Nemesis: smirks "Proportions. And the ears."
Lud: groans "You're such a pervert."
Nemesis: "Hey, evolutionary traits. You can't argue with biology."
Lud: "Since when did you care about evolutionary traits?"
Nemesis: shrugs casually "Honestly, I don't care about attraction much at all. I mean… I've done things with both men and women before, but it wasn't about attraction."
Lud: grimaces "You're really a horrible person."
Nemesis: mockingly "Yes, yes, epitome of sin here. Why does this man even ask?"
There's a beat of silence.
Lud: hesitantly "Seriously though… men as well?"
Nemesis: "Yep."
Lud: "Why?"
Nemesis: smiles darkly "Lych."
Lud: sighs, shaking his head "Can't argue with that."
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Some time passes and Lud and Nemesis are now staring into each other's eyes in silence.
Lud raises his hand on the side and snaps his fingers, which makes Nemesis look at the fingers for a moment. This makes Lud say "I won" and Nemesis shouts "Dammit!"
Turns out they had a staring match.
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Lud stares at the white sky in boredom and asks Nemesis "Hey, do you think that this white area will get bigger if I manage to convert you to be good or something?"
Nemesis says "That would be a classic symbolism I'd say, but I doubt that you can manage that."
Lud says "Well, I guess I should start trying to convert you."
Nemesis says "I'd like to see you try."
Lud responds "Because it is getting boring?"
Nemesis sighs and replies "Sort of, yeah."
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Nemesis: "If you had to sacrifice one of your battalion leaders, which would you choose?"
Lud: without hesitation "Brutus."
Nemesis: smirking "Cold. Though, I can't argue. The guy's pretty replaceable."
Lud: "He's only in charge because he was first in line, not because he's any good. His wife practically does his job already."
Nemesis: "True… What was her name again?"
Lud: pauses, then frowns "Good question…"
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Lud: "What did you do the first time around, when I wasn't here?"
Nemesis: "Sleep. Lots of sleep."
Lud: sighs "And now we can't even do that."
Nemesis: "Well, I've had time to think about it, and I'm starting to suspect we're not in the same experience I had before."
Lud: "You mean…?"
Nemesis: "I don't think we're fully inside that version of me. We're more like… alongside him."
Lud: "What makes you say that?"
Nemesis: deadpan "Because I can look at your face."
Lud: after a beat "That… actually makes sense. You probably had nothing but darkness the first time, so zoning out was easier."
Nemesis: "Glad you're finally catching on."
Lud: "No, I'm probably just slow because it took you pointing it out."
Nemesis: "Fair."
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Nemesis: "Hypothetically… would you sleep with me here if we could?"
Lud: deadpan "I'm neither gay enough nor narcissistic enough to consider that."
Nemesis: nodding "Fair."
They sit in silence for a moment before Lud's eyes narrow.
Lud: "Wait, you didn't… do that with other versions of us, did you?"
Nemesis: "Not that I recall."
Lud: sighing in relief "Oh, thank god."
Nemesis: smirking "Technically, we're here thanks to A god."
Lud: "Just… let me have this."
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Lud is repeatedly smacking his head against the back of his chair.
Nemesis: sighs "Can you stop? You're giving me a headache."
Lud: "What else am I supposed to do? There's nothing else I can do."
Nemesis: "Just wait patiently, and it'll be over eventually."
Lud: chuckles "You're actually encouraging me to hold on? This place must be getting to you, too."
Nemesis: "It'll end. Eventually."
Lud: "Easy for you to say. You've done this once before."
Nemesis: "Hey, it could be worse. At least we're not enduring what the star elves do with their criminals."
Lud: pausing "Oh yeah… That punishment where they stare into space until their sentence is up. What was it called again?"
Nemesis: "Lonely Immortality, I think."
Lud: grimaces "Yeah… sounds about right."
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Lud: "Do you think Lych is… you know, into guys?"
Nemesis: bluntly "He's bi."
Lud: skeptical "How can you say that so confidently?"
Nemesis: "I've seen enough timelines to know."
Lud: nodding thoughtfully "Right… makes sense."
A slight pause as the thought sinks in. Then Lud's eyes widen.
Lud: alarmed "Wait—don't tell me that in one of them, I… end up with him?"
Nemesis remains silent, staring blankly.
Lud: more worried "Say something!"
Nemesis: smirking "You said not to tell you."
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Lud: "You know the worst part of all this?"
Nemesis: deadpan "Being trapped here with me?"
Lud: "Actually, I'm glad for the company. The worst part is that, for some reason, we can't get up from these chairs."
Nemesis: shrugs "Yeah, whoever designed this place has a strange sense of humor."
Lud: "Feels almost like a metaphor for paraplegia… though we can still move our legs, so maybe not."
Nemesis: blankly "I don't know what 'metaphor' or 'paraplegia' means, but I disagree on principle."
Lud: sighs "Honestly, I'm not totally sure on 'metaphor,' but 'paraplegia' means losing control over your lower body or something."
Nemesis: crosses arms, unconvinced "Regardless, I disagree."
Lud: "So you do think it's a metaphor?"
Nemesis: pauses thoughtfully "Yes… No… Actually, yes."
Lud: eyeing him "Was that last part necessary?"
Nemesis: smirks "Absolutely."
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Lud: "Why can't you just stop breaking everything in your path?"
Nemesis: casually "I don't want to."
Lud: exasperated "Are you… a toddler?"
Nemesis: raises an eyebrow "A toddler lacks the… scope of my talents."
Lud: sighs, resigned "Alright, fair point. But still, can't you just… try to stop?"
Nemesis: shakes head "No."
Lud: "Just once?"
Nemesis: deadpan "No."
Lud: mutters "You're impossible."
Nemesis: smirking "Feeling's mutual."
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Lud: "I'm surprised that so few of our descendants turned out to be gay."
Nemesis: eyes narrowing "And that would be an issue because…?"
Lud: awkwardly "It's not an issue. I just… thought the odds would be different, that's all."
Nemesis: shrugs "People have been gay since the dawn of time, Lud."
Lud: sighs "Yeah… I just didn't think my descendants would be. Feels a bit surreal."
Nemesis: dryly "That's what a homophobe would say."
Lud: frowns "Didn't you imply once that I ended up with Lych in some timeline?"
Nemesis: deadpan "Lych is… Lych."
Lud: nods slowly "Hard to argue with that."
Nemesis: smirking "He's canonically male, but that doesn't mean you can't treat him however you like."
Lud: squints at him "Since when did you become so… progressive?"
Nemesis: smirks "I have my moments. Right before I… make everyone around me disappear."
Lud: mutters "Of course."
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Nemesis: "Do you think I'm a bad person?"
Lud: without hesitation "Absolutely."
Nemesis: clutches chest mockingly "Ouch."
Lud: "What did you expect me to say?"
Nemesis: shrugs "I thought you'd soften it a little, considering I'm technically you too."
Lud: "Do you think I'm a bad person?"
Nemesis: nonchalant "No. You're just a naive guy trying to do good. While I… accomplish things, you fumble around."
Lud: rolls eyes "Which was… exactly my point."
Nemesis: deadpan "What point? You didn't actually make one."
Lud: sighs "I don't even know anymore."
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Lud: "Have you ever considered being kind?"
Nemesis: smirks "Why would I?"
Lud: leans forward "You'd get more done if you were kinder."
Nemesis: smirking "Kindness and destruction don't exactly go hand in hand, Lud."
Lud: shrugs "You don't know that. It might work."
Nemesis: nonchalant "Maybe… in some hypothetical side story."
Lud: frowns "What?"
Nemesis: stares at him "What?"
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Nemesis: squints "Is Maumar… a virgin?"
Lud: blinking, incredulous "What?"
Nemesis: "I mean, think about it. Why would he bother with sex? And… with who, exactly?"
Lud: raising an eyebrow "He has… something going on with Ao, doesn't he?"
Nemesis: snorts "You think his multidimensional self would go for a stuck-up god like her? Unbelievable."
Lud: smirking slightly "So, not an Ao fan, huh? Because she's associated with Altair?"
Nemesis: crosses arms, annoyed "I have my own beef with Ao."
Lud: leaning forward "What did Ao do? Will I ever find out, or are you going to keep it cryptic?"
Nemesis: "I mean, her association with Altair didn't do her any favors, but that's not the whole reason I dislike her."
Lud: "Then why not just tell me?"
Nemesis: shakes head firmly "No."
Lud: grins "You're not… embarrassed to say it, are you?"
Nemesis: laughing loudly "HAH! Me, embarrassed? Why would I feel embarrassed?"
Lud: narrowing his eyes thoughtfully "Because you have a thing for Riatla, and Ao did something to her in her timeline that makes you mad."
Nemesis: stiffens "How did you come up with that?"
Lud: shrugs "So I was right."
Nemesis: glares "Don't tell me that was just a guess."
Lud: silent, trying not to smile
Nemesis: exasperated "Say something!"
Lud: calmly "You told me not to say anything."
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Lud: "It's kind of messed up, you know, to both love and hate Riatla."
Nemesis: scoffing "I never said I loved her! I don't even think I have room for that."
Lud: grins "But you do fancy her."
Nemesis: frowns, looking away "No… I don't."
Lud: "Why don't you say that while looking me in the eyes?"
Nemesis: glares "Shut your mouth, you naive little—" mutters "bottom-feeding, …uh, … bitch-fucker 9000!"
Silence.
Lud: confused "Where did the '9000' come from?"
Nemesis: calmly, without missing a beat "Sounded cool in the moment."
Lud: stifling a laugh "You wanted your insult to sound… cool?"
Nemesis: rubbing his temples furiously "I don't know what I'm thinking anymore! It's your fault—all your talking is messing with my head, making me think I actually care about Riatla!"
Lud: smiling "So you do admit it."
Nemesis: glaring "Shut up, you bottom-feeding, …son of a bitch!"
Lud: raises an eyebrow "No '9000' this time? And you realize we have the same mother, right?"
Nemesis: grits teeth "Just… shut up."
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Lud: "So, do you know this Fateweaver guy?"
Nemesis: blankly "Never heard of him. He sounds important. Is he important?"
Lud: "According to Toki, he's the one who, uh… decides our fates."
Nemesis: "So he's the one who put us in this mess?"
Lud: "Well, technically that was Maumar."
Nemesis: "Right."
Lud: "But Fateweaver made Maumar make that decision."
Nemesis: nodding thoughtfully "So he is guilty."
Lud: "Pretty much."
Nemesis: coldly "May he meet a hell worse than ours."
Lud: sighs "Can't disagree with that."
Somewhere, Fateweaver has taken note of this conversation.
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Lud: groans "Remind me why we're doing all this?"
Nemesis: "For Maumar's amusement."
Lud: sighs, frustrated "You're serious?"
Nemesis: "At this point, I'm just hoping someone is getting a laugh."
Lud: dryly "Not me."
Nemesis: sighs "Same."
They sit in silence for a moment.
Lud: "So, what's the real reason?"
Nemesis: vague "Some trial for you and me. For some… reason I can't remember right now."
Lud: smirking "Would you kindly try, big brother?"
Nemesis: pauses, visibly uncomfortable "At first, I thought I liked being called 'big brother'… but after thinking about it, it feels wrong. Please stop."
Lud: grins "Not until you remind me of the reason, big brother."
Nemesis: grumbling "Fine. Just… let me think."
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Lud: "Have you figured it out yet?"
Nemesis: distracted "Figured out what?"
Lud: irritated "Are you kidding me? I asked you to recall why we're in this mess, or I'll keep calling you big brother."
Nemesis: mutters "Right, that. Just… don't do that. Give me a second."
Lud: warning "If you forget halfway through this time, I swear to god—"
Nemesis: dryly "What'll you do? Annoy me to death?"
Lud: leans in "Don't tempt me. I'm this close to starting."
Nemesis: holding up hands "Fine, fine. Just… give me a second."
Lud: crosses arms "You better not forget halfway through."
Nemesis: grits teeth "I know."
Lud: "Better not."
Nemesis: snaps "I get it! Now shut the hell up!"
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Lud: glancing over "Have you figured it out yet?"
Nemesis: distracted "What? Oh, right—the reason we're here."
Lud: impatiently "So?"
Nemesis: shrugs "To make you the next vessel, I think."
Lud: frowns "The next vessel… of the Abyss?"
Nemesis: waves a hand vaguely "I mean, I can't remember Maumar's exact words. Maybe I never knew them. But… something about you taking Maumar's place and the end of time being postponed."
Lud: sighs, skeptical "And if I don't want to?"
Nemesis: dryly "Then just give up here."
Lud: rolls his eyes "Wow, such a compelling argument."
Nemesis: leaning in "Oh, really? You're just going to abandon your friends?"
Lud: narrows eyes "And who are you to lecture me?"
Nemesis: grins "Fine, do it. I dare you."
Lud: crossing arms "Well, now I'm not gonna."
Nemesis: smirking "You were never going to, and we both know it."
Lud: "Well, you don't know."
Nemesis: chuckles "You're insane. We've been here so long, you're losing it."
Lud: dryly "Look who's talking."
Nemesis: smirks "This isn't my first rodeo, kiddo."
Lud: scowls "Call me 'kiddo' again, and I'll start calling you 'big brother.'"
Nemesis: sighs "Fine, be boring. Not like you were going to last until the end of time anyway."
Lud: curious "How far away is that, exactly?"
Nemesis: sarcastic "Oh, yes, because I have a perfect sense of time here."
Lud: smirking "Maybe you're one of those geniuses who counted seconds since we got here, like in those mangas."
Nemesis: deadpan "Honestly, do you see me having the patience for that?"
Lud: laughs "No. You're me, and neither of us has that kind of focus."
Nemesis: smirking "Exactly. So stop asking dumb questions."
Lud: sighs "So you have no idea how long we still have to wait."
Nemesis: shrugs "Nope."
Lud: sighs, defeated
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Nemesis: "Kid."
Lud: frowns "I told you not to call me that."
Nemesis: shrugs "You only banned 'kiddo.'"
Lud: sighs "Fair. Go on."
Nemesis: hesitates "Do you… think I could become a good person?"
Lud is silent, caught off guard.
Nemesis: grumbles "Is it that weird a question?"
Lud: blinks "It's just… you could've asked me anything else, and I'd be less surprised than I am right now."
Nemesis: rolls eyes "So it's that out of character for me."
Lud: leans forward "What made you ask that?"
Nemesis: looks away "Just… being here with you. Probably getting to me. Forget I said anything."
They sit in silence for a beat.
Lud: softly "I think you could. Become good, I mean."
Nemesis: snorts "You're kidding, right? Me, a good person?"
Lud: shrugs "No taking back what you've done, but anyone can at least try. You'd need… a blank slate, and… find a way to forgive yourself. Just my opinion."
Nemesis goes silent, staring off in thought.
Nemesis: murmurs "Do I want to forgive myself? I mean, I still enjoy destroying things."
Lud: smirks "I'm sure there are good jobs where you can do that."
Nemesis: raises an eyebrow "Like?"
Lud: after a pause "Like… an adventurer."
Nemesis: mulls it over "Adventurer…"
Lud: nods "Yeah."
Nemesis: thinking "I'll have to think about that. Thanks, kid."
Lud: smirks "You're welcome."
Nemesis: scoffs "No humility? Not even a little?"
Lud: grinning "Well, screw you too, if that's how you're playing."
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Nemesis: "Hey, kid."
Lud: sighs "What is it?"
Nemesis: hesitates "What was… our life like before Lutah?"
Lud: nods, understanding "Right, you don't remember that stuff, huh."
Nemesis: sighs "Yeah."
Lud: smiling softly "Well, then, we've got a lot to talk about."
They settle in, and Lud begins to tell Nemesis about his life on Earth, talking long into the timeless space around them.
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Nemesis: leans back, sighing "I see. That was… a lot."
Lud: nods "Yeah. Feeling better now?"
Nemesis: shrugs, smirking "Sort of. But don't start thinking of me as some misunderstood villain, alright?"
Lud: smiling wryly "Of course not. You're just a terrible person."
Nemesis: mocking bow "A reminder that I am the epitome of sin in Lutah."
Lud: chuckling "That's for sure."
As they spoke to each other, the room subtly transformed. Without either of them noticing, the space around them grows brighter, a gentle light filling the entire room—except for the area directly around Nemesis, where darkness clings to him like a shadowy aura, an inverse of their previous setting.
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Lud: "You still there?"
Silence.
Lud: "Nemesis?"
Silence.
Lud: "I'm going to call you big brother next if you don't answer."
Silence.
Lud: "Big… big brother."
Silence.
Lud: "So…"
Silence.
Lud: "It's just me now…"
Silence.
Lud: "Huh…"
Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
The room was bright, but somehow, it felt more dark than it did when it all started.
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Lud: "Is this what Nemesis experienced when he first started? I can't even hear any noise from the outside anymore. No people. No birds. No wind. Nothing. Just… silence."
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Lud: "When will it end?"
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Lud: "Haven't I…"
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Lud: "... Suffered enough?"
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Lud: "Who…"
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Lud: "What…"
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Lud: "Why…"
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Lud: "Just…"
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Lud: "End it…"
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Lud: "Please."
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A touch on the shoulder. That was the happiest thing that Lud had felt in… ages. When he looked up, he saw himself, a cracked version of him, with shadows spewing out of him.
The man said "You've done well kiddo. Let's not ever make this hell reappear in our lives."
Lud, smiled faintly at the man "I told you to not call me kiddo."
With that, the bright room… faded into nothing… separating the two forever… never to meet… again.