When he woke up again, Adam noticed a few more hours had passed since his return from the Medical Bay. A total of six hours since the completion of the Singularity.
"I should summon them back first." Adam mutters as he opens the System Menus and navigates to the Companion Tab.
Adam's fingers work in autopilot as usual and would tap the only two options, Sif and Alina. But what happened instead was the newest addition was placed at the very front and was the one he tapped instead. When his eyes glanced over the tab. His finger already tapped.
It happened instantaneously and Slaanesh appeared looking happy that she was finally released from the limbo realm where companions like her would end up when unsummoned.
"I'm finally free…" She cheered but that came to an abrupt end.
*gulp*
"H-Hey… what are you doing?" She called out while her voice was shaking in fear understandably when the blue energy clad Power Sword relic was placed a hairbreadth away from her jugular.
She hesitates to breathe or even swallow a mouthful of air when the vibration of the Power Sword feels like it's touching against her skin. But that would be impossible as her throat would have been sliced open by then.
Instead of a verbal answer, what she gets instead is an intense stare. Not that she disliked such intense attention. Especially from the one who she would acknowledge. But his stare made her feel like her own skin and flesh had been stripped away revealing what underneath. How her body tricks, moves and is alive.
"You… you sold your soul to that God?" Adam sounded so confused, betrayed and also angry.
After all, how could he not notice the similar state of Slaanesh's soul and his own. Although her own is a little bit different. But minor details aside, she obviously made a pact with that whimsical God for whatever wish she had in mind which resulted in her current state.
"That, I did." Slaanesh nods, not afraid to reveal it. Not that she could hide it from him now.
But, her response only made Adam even more confused.
"Why?" He asked, genuinely confused why the most prideful and vain Chaos God would rather choose to turn himself into this than to accept death.
Even if Adam could not claim to fully understand the mind and thoughts of Slaanesh. He is very certain that Slaanesh's hatred of him stemmed from his inability to tolerate Adam's existence as the sole inviolable purity in his own presence. Their hatred should be irreconcilable and would only end when either one of them perished.
Yet…
"Why?" He asked for the second time.
Adam stared at the former Chaos God who had fallen from power and reduced to such a pitiful existence compared to her prime.
Barely a fraction of a fraction of Slaanesh's power in his prime remained in her. Compared to the dreaded Chaos God Slaanesh who wreaked havoc to a whole galaxy, her present state is no different than a slightly above average mortal with fancy 'tricks'.
To her response, she also couldn't answer the question.
"I also wonder why." Slaanesh shared a similar look of confusion before she closed her eyes and tried to recall her memories. "The only thing I could recall was a single line of thoughts when faced with that God." She said, giving Adam a sense of suspense as he awaits for her answer.
"I thought, if I can't corrupt your purity or kill you myself. Then, I must have you. No one but me can have you." She mutters while recalling her memories and comes to a realization of her own purpose and desire.
Meanwhile Adam stared at her with wide eyes in disbelief of what he had just heard.
'What nonsense is she talking about? These have to be some kind of jokes right? It has to be…' Adam said in his mind but quickly dismissed the notion of this being a joke when he saw a literal fire burning in her eyes.
"You are not joking?" Adam tried to confirm the thought in his mind.
"Am I supposed to? I am very serious about my desire. Even if I no longer possess my whole divinity. I still retain a small shred of it as it embodied my existence and personality. In other words, it's my soul and nature. Passion, desire, pleasure and obsession are my domains. Naturally, I do not joke." She replied frankly.
Adam stared at her for a moment before his hand moved, driving his blade with a swift slicing movement before her head slid off her neck.
"As I thought, allowing you to live is a mistake." Adam said without a shred of remorse as he decapitated the weak and powerless Slaanesh before a spark of flame appeared and consumed her corpse in a fiery blaze to exterminate every last bit of her existence.
Adam knew that the Chaos Gods were not inherently evil. They are merely a physical representation of the strong primordial emotions given form and power that birthed the energies in the Warp. However, the extremities are what drove them into wickedness.
Slaanesh might look harmless for now. But he could see the obsession deeply rooted inside her and him being the focal point of her obsession. He might not know what her obsession would lead to. Like a loaded gun. She could be useful. But also equally risky. Adam certainly is not interested to check or wait for the danger to manifest. For him, the Chaos Gods are enemies that he needs to exterminate. There's no 'ifs' of 'buts'.
Adam watches as the corpse is consumed by the Psychic Flame. But even after a minute had passed. Her corpse remains untouched by the flame and even shows signs of regenerating which made him frown.
Not giving up, Adam carves up the corpse into smaller pieces and fuels the Psychic Flame with even more Psychic power. But the results remain the same.
It got to an extent people in Chaldea started to notice the unusual activities inside Adam's room and came to check up on him only to stumble into him covered in blood while mincing up an already unrecognizable pile of flesh and using various methods to dispose of it.
"Adam! What happened to you! What are you doing!" Malcador arrived in an instant after a traumatized Mash rushed up to Romani and Olga to report about Adam's suspicious behavior in his room.
Malcador and the others worried that Adam's mind was tempered after all which caused his current behavior.
Along with Malcador are all other Servants including Sigismund who are alerted to assist if Adam is needed to be restrained.
Adam stared at the crowd barging into his room with a very tense look like they were about to fight. He was confused but still calmly explained what he was doing.
"Wait. Slaanesh is still alive! And you can summon her!" Malcador stated in shock as his eyes turned to the charred pile of meat that is still trying to regenerate even in such a state normally considered already impossible to regenerate.
Hearing the pile of charred flesh is Slaanesh. Many Servants went into a state of alert and battle ready as the Chaldea was with lockdown of the entire wing where the dorm area was located. However, Adam expressed that their reaction is too exaggerated after he explained Slaanesh's present state being a slightly above average mortal and not his prime self.
"I could hardly feel any danger from her abilities and power. However, I can't say the same for her influence towards the Chaldean."
Malcador and Sigismund agreed that what made the Daemon back in their universe so dangerous is their ability to corrupt humans.
Thus, they could understand why Adam is trying to exterminate Slaanesh despite her already surrendering to him. Who knows what kind of ploy the fallen Chaos God had in her mind to play.
But, Adam already tried every method known to him to exercise Slaanesh. Yet, none bore any results. Which means the only option left is to simply seal her away.
"Finally done? As much as I enjoyed such brutality. I prefer to not be on the receiving side. Also… what with the crowd gathering in your room?" Slaanesh fully regenerated in minutes and didn't look like she minded that Adam decapitated her head and did all sorts of things to kill her.
"Slaanesh…" Malcador and Sigismund hissed, especially Sigismund with the hate dripping in his voice when they confirmed this woman resembling Nero is indeed Slaanesh.
"What are you trying to achieve with this? What is your purpose in approaching Adam!" Malcador interrogates.
Slaanesh looks slightly annoyed to be ordered by someone other than the person she acknowledged. But she still answered the question because she knew the necessity to show willingness to cooperate. Besides, when she saw the way that girl named Olga looked at Adam. A smirk appeared on her face.
"I said it once and I'll say it again."
She repeats the same declaration she made to Adam word by word to Malcador who looks impressed yet simultaneously disturbed how Adam manages to stir an obsession out of Slaanesh. Naturally, she didn't miss taking a delightful look at the 'colorful' expression on Olga's face.
"Besides, if you are worried I would harm him. You can rest your worries. I couldn't even if I wanted to." She added which made Adam raise his brow at it because he sort of expected this would be the case although he isn't quite sure.
The most basic condition to recruit a companion is the target has to be an ally. Not simply a temporary ally that could change their mind later. But a genuine ally that is willing to aid him. Adam didn't think Slaanesh could trick the System itself. But he can't discount the possibility that the God could bypass the conditions since he literally made it.
"Why should we trust your words? You could be lying to us to lower our vigilance." Malcador isn't satisfied with her answer.
"I could be." She nods.
Slaanesh did not deny his claim which is counterproductive to her attempt to convince the crowd. But then she turns to Adam and looks at him with a grin.
"But a simple command could fix it. After all, in order to survive. I made a pact that compelled me to obey his will." She said, wondering very curiously, what would he do if she revealed that he had the ability to compel her to obey his order.
"Terminate yourself." The words escaped his mouth without a shred of hesitation.
"My. Such a cold-hearted order. But I expected nothing less than this from you."
Slaanesh chuckled as her left hand moved without her volition and formed a spearhead with her own palm before plunging it through her chest and ribs to her own beating heart and crushing it. Her face suddenly twisted in pain before a mouthful of blood coughed out from her mouth. But, she still remains standing despite that and struggles to lift her head up to meet Adam's eyes.
"But it is futile because like you, I also cannot truly die." She whispers between coughs with her unfocused eyes growing dull by the second, just loud enough for him to hear before she falls down like a marionette with its string cut off.
Aside from Malcador and Sigismund, the rest stared at Adam in shock at how he ordered Slaanesh to kill herself just to prove that she cannot disobey him. Even if Slaanesh is an evil person, they can't help but feel some twinge of pity for her.
Everyone mutely stared at Slaanesh's corpse with a bloody gaping hole on her chest. Her crushed heart slowly started to reform just moments after her death and after that, the hole on her chest started to mend.
Then, her eyes opened and blinked in a pleasant surprise before she stared at Adam from the ground who had a foul mood hanging around him as he stared at Slaanesh once again revived from death.
Just as Adam is about to risk offending the God by tearing apart Slaanesh's soul that is branded by a black pulsating chain made of shadow. Malcador stopped him.
"Adam! That's enough. You had barely recovered from your previous battle. Don't strain yourself with such rash acts." Malcador said sternly and ready to stop him by any means needed.
Adam stared challengingly at Malcador, their eyes locked in a silent yet tense battle of will before Adam gave up and turned around.
An invisible force suddenly pushed everyone out of his room before the door closed, leaving him alone in his room while Malcador sighed helplessly.
"This little brat still knows how to throw a tantrum." Malcador shook his head because the reason why Adam forced everyone out and closed the door is because of him stopping Adam from going through with his act.
Malcador shifted his eyes to Slaanesh and saw her turn disinterested in everything the moment Adam disappeared from her vision.
This is both troubling and good news in some sense.
The Chaos Gods are innocent in some sense that they are literally a personification of the emotions they represent.
For the present Slaanesh's case. Her obsession for Adam is true from the way she immediately loses interest in the world around her the moment Adam is out of the picture. That means nothing else in the world or universe could interest her but Adam. Which is good since she wouldn't be up to no good.
Not to mention, she is the personification of desire, passion and perfection which means she will genuinely pursue Adam in whatever way she interprets her desire for him would be. Her perfectionism would also mean she wouldn't do anything half-heartedly while serving as his companion or whatever that entails which means she would and could cooperate.
Malcador sighed for one last time.
"To obtain the favor and acknowledgement of Slaanesh, your luck is either really that good or wretched." Malcador mused as snippets of the future appear into his mind.
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