Aiden's scream echoed throughout the apartment, seemingly not bothering Midori in the slightest. He got up, before he went over to her, who gently looked in his direction.
"What the hell! You never told me you had powers!" Aiden began confronting Midori about her false nature and her hidden power.
"You are mistaken, Aiden." Midori's tone seemed to have shifted completely, now speaking much calmer and slower. "Midori has no power. I, on the other hand, do."
"You? What do you mean, you?" Aiden wasn't lenient, he was going to get answers out of her one way or another.
"This day has come much earlier than I had hoped it would… I was hoping that I'd never even have to tell you this, instead just watch over you without a trace of my existence." Midori's words confused Aiden. Her demeanor not only shifted abruptly, but she also seemed much calmer and more composed than just five minutes ago. Was she lying to him all along?
"I assume the best way would be being direct. Aiden Silvius, my name is Synnove. I am the Deity of Nature and Peace." And then, silence… The words began sinking in to the depths of Aiden's soul, the lies he kept being fed. Until, he realized.
"Synnove?! The same Synnove whose men killed Ulrich?!" Aiden now threw himself on the floor, laying out flat. "Let me guess, you too want me to give Feyr control, don't you?"
And as a light no escaped Synnove's lips, Aiden immediately got back up and sat up straight.
"No?" Aiden implored. "I thought all of you Deities were the same."
"Please, do not compare me to him. You heard it mere moments ago. The Deity of Nature and Peace." Synnove now leaned over Aiden, bringing her face closer to his. "If you don't believe me, then this might reignite your memory." And as she said that, Midori's bright green eyes began fading, losing their color, and were replaced by a deep purple.
"The staircase!" Aiden's mind rushed back to the events of that fateful day, that fateful day when Aldegar told him he'll be moving to Sylvanwood. A gray womanly figure with purple eyes, warning Aiden of dangers to come. It couldn't be…
"I have to admit, that warning was a shot in the dark more than it was purposeful. I knew Cassius would come after you, but not so soon." Synnove was still completely calm, her voice as smooth flowing as ever. "Let me tell you the story, Aiden. The story of why I'm here."
"The Midori you knew, she was both her and me. She was a real person, but, she was a Synnove cultist. I can glance at her past memories, but they aren't fully there." Synnove leaned her head back, before she continued on.
"She was subjected to a ritual like you were, although of her own will. She gave me control. Once I was summoned, knowing under what circumstances I'd arrived, I had to improvise. Using what I had of Midori's memory, I pretended the ritual failed, and that I was still her. Thankfully, they believed it." Finally, Synnove's calm behavior began waning, and a hint of distress showed.
"After the War's end, the destruction of all the Factions meant that they ceased to exist, and so what info they had, began fading. Those who followed in the footsteps of worship when society formed, they saw me as a Deity of Chaos, not one of Peace. And my name, my legacy was tarnished. It is true, people worshiping me were the ones who killed your uncle. And although it was not my fault that my nature was falsely shown, I wished to make it up to you. I wanted to protect you, from the exact thing you ended up doing."
Aiden couldn't get a word to come out of his mouth. He was in a state of shock, one seemingly unbreakable. She wanted to keep him safe? After all what happened with Cassius, he wasn't sure whether to trust her.
"I know. It's a lot to take in. But trust me, this is just scraping the surface. I'll explain everything when an explanation is needed, but now, you need to talk." Synnove got up from the sofa, making her way to the tied up men. "Come on, Aiden."
"So, have you decided to speak up?" Synnove perched over one of the men.
"Yes, yes we have! Please, just don't kill us!" The man begged.
"Do any of you people not know how to listen?!" Synnove threw her hands in the air, clearly annoyed. "For the third time, Deity of Nature and Peace!"
She now leaned the three men against the wall, before she sat down on the floor. "Come on. We're listening." She gestured at Aiden to sit next to her.
"We- We were sent by Lord Cassius to capture Aiden, he wishes to redo the ritual and bring Feyr in truly." The man was hurriedly speaking, clearly scared. But Aiden couldn't guess, was it Synnove he was scared of, or was it him?
"We were supposed to take him while he's still weak!" The second captured spoke up. "But do not fret, for my master always has a back-up plan!"
"This one is an arrogant one, isn't he?" Synnove knocked the first cultist over back into a lying down position, before speaking to the other one again. "So, what does your 'master' have in stock for us? If it's anything like this, it'll fail."
"But of course not! If we fail, he'll send mercenaries. Ones with powers at that." The cultist had laughed, almost in triumph. "You'll be killed, and Aiden captured. Victory will be ours!"
And without a second thought, Aiden stood up and approached the man, kicking him in the head, and knocking him out cold.
"Aiden!" Synnove yelled. "We shouldn't kill these guys. They're weak." Synnove began laughing in the knocked out man's face.
"Ah, I'm making a hard case for myself." Synnove was wiping sweat off of her forehead. "Well, you can't bother doing peace with those who want war, can you?"
"So, one's taking a nap willingly, one's taking a nap forcefully." Synnove now moved over to the third man. "Will you be so kind to finish the story the last one began, so we can let you and your friends leave?" Synnove smiled at the man.
He began stuttering, still looking at the man Aiden kicked in the head. "I- We don't know much, I swear. All we were told was to attempt to take Aiden with us, and if we fail, he'll send some people with powers to take him instead."
"Alright, then. How many?" Synnove stood up, and recalled the vines holding the first two men.
"I'm not sure… I think around seven or eight." Synnove now extended her hand towards the third man, who ducked his head in fear.
In reality, she just recalled the vines holding him, and told him to get up.
"When he wakes up, tell your friend to stop being so arrogant! Now go, get out." She waved her hand towards the door, signaling at them to leave. They quickly ran out.
All of this had happened, and Aiden still wasn't able to get even a single word to come out of his mouth. He just stood there, as Synnove went and placed another kettle on the stove.
"I'm gonna make myself another cup, you want one too?" Yet, no reply. Aiden was basically a statue at this point. Not only could he not decide on whether to believe Synnove or not, he was wondering, was he friends with nothing but a facade up until now? Or was it actually Synnove seeping through the cracks?
"I'll take that as a yes." Leaving the kettle on the stove, she made her way over to the still frozen Aiden, laying him down on the sofa again. "Wow, he hit you hard. Your face is swelling up. I'll go get an ice pack."
She brought Aiden the ice, gently placing it on his cheek. "Listen, I know it's a lot. But, if one of those mercenaries shows up now, we're as good as dead. We have no weapons, no advantage, nothing." Grabbing Aiden by the shoulder, she shook him up a bit. "If nothing, at least tell me what your new power is. By the time those fools report to whoever they're reporting to, you'll get time to rest."
And for the first time in what felt like forever, Aiden spoke up. "Inherit. I take the powers of those I kill."
Synnove's eyes widened, as she seemed intrigued by this prospect. "Inherit, huh…?"