" Papa… Can I ask you something? "
Rosie says as she's lying snuggled up to you as you both look up at the stars in the beautiful night sky. You run your fingers gently through her hair as she lays on your chest talking to you. You're both laying in the grass in Ariel's old garden, and it's been several days since you've gotten Rosie back.
" Of course. What's on your mind? "
You feel uncertainty and nervousness in Rosie's voice as she speaks to you.
" When you were gone, Tom told me that you went away so you could get stronger… and everyone else said that you were a murderer… "
You remain silent as you contemplate a way to tell your daughter the truth. After a short moment of silent thought, you respond to Rosie.
" Tom was right… but everything that I did, I did for you. After we lost Mama, I couldn't bear the thought of losing you too… I was too weak to stop Anito and it cost us your mother's life, so I traveled long and far to fight the strongest opponents and get stronger. Stronger, so you wouldn't suffer the same fate as your mother if someone were to wish you harm. "
" But they said that you killed gods, Papa. Did you really kill them? "
Rosie looks up at you with nervous eyes. You rub her back gently, then sigh as you tell her the truth.
" Yes, Rosie… I killed them all. I had to kill them to take their powers. Plus, gods are usually very arrogant beings, and they're not all good. If Papa didn't kill them, then I would've been running the risk of them causing problems for me later down the road if I decided to revisit their universe. "
Rosie's eyes light up in wonder upon hearing what you said. She quickly sits up and fixes her hair before she looks back at you and asks you a question with a tone of bewilderment.
" So you have the powers of hundreds of gods!? "
You nod your head subtly, then Rosie continues talking to you.
" You must be really strong then, Papa! With powers like that, you could probably beat The One and stop The Great Purge! "
You chuckle slightly under your breath before responding to Rosie.
" I don't know, Rosie. The gods that I fought are like ants compared to him. Plus if Papa did manage to kill him, I'm afraid that the Omniverse would cease to exist and everyone alive, dead, and yet to be born would cease to exist as well. "
Upon hearing your response, Rosie looks down with a look of defeat stained on her face. After a brief moment of silence, you can tell that she's got something emotional on her mind, so you ask her about it.
" What's the matter, Rosie? Are you alright? "
Rosie's eyes begin to water as she looks back at you again. She speaks to you like she's on the verge of crying.
" Yeah, I'm okay Papa… When you were gone I missed you so much. I miss Mama too… It was really hard when you left after we lost Mama. "
You hold your arms out to Rosie and she lays back down on you as she silently cries. You hold your daughter warmly as you think about everything that's happened. As Rosie cries in your embrace, you speak to her in an assured manner.
" I'm here now, Rosie… and you don't ever have to worry about me leaving ever again… "
Rosie looks up at you once more. Tears run down her face as she responds.
" You promise? "
" I promise, Rosie… I promise that no matter what, I'll always be here for you and do whatever it takes to save you. "
Rosie smiles through the tears and buries her face in your chest as you both lay together among the roses. As you hold your daughter in your arms, it feels as if everything that you've had to do to get to this point was absolutely worth it.
Suddenly, you hear Tom's voice inside your head.
" Hey Donny, can I have a word? "
You look over to Ariel's cottage to see him in the kitchen looking at you and Rosie through the window with a slight smile. He continues to telepathically talk to you.
" Don't hurry though. It doesn't have to be immediately. I'm not trying to interrupt your daddy-daughter time. "
" It's alright. "
You say back to him telepathically.
" I'll be inside in just a moment. "
You hold Rosie for a bit longer before you lean up and kiss her on the forehead and look at her with loving eyes as you speak to her.
" We should go inside and get ready for bed. If you stay up much longer, you're not gonna get enough sleep for tomorrow. "
" Awww… Papa, can I please stay out here a bit longer? When I'm out here with the roses, I feel like I'm with Mama again… "
Rosie says as you stand up. You look down at her and see that she's made herself comfortable sitting on the grass where both of you were laying, so you kneel down to her and give her an answer.
" Sure. I suppose you can stay out here for a bit longer. Just make sure you stay within my sight from the back window, alright? Gimme a hug though before I go inside. "
" Thanks Papa! You're the best! "
Rosie says happily as she leans in and gives you a hug. After you hug your daughter, you stand back up and begin heading inside. As you're heading back towards the cottage, you turn back to see her make herself comfortable laying on the grass again as she goes back to gazing up at the stars.
Once you enter the cottage, you close the door gently behind you and you head towards the kitchen. Once you arrive in the kitchen, you see Tom still standing next to the window looking out at Rosie. Tom speaks to you as he stands in the window.
" She's a strong girl… I couldn't imagine going through what she went through at her age. She handled the trauma well and didn't let it affect her. "
You walk up and stand next to Tom and look out of the window as well. You conversate with him as you both look at Rosie laying in Ariel's garden.
" She handled the trauma well because you were there to help her through it. "
Tom smiles as he responds to you.
" We're brothers, Donny. Taking care of her was the least that I could've done. I know that if the roles were reversed, you would've done the same. "
" Thank you, Tom. "
You say to him as you turn to the side and look at him. Tom's face goes serious as he continues to look out the window and responds to you.
" Don't mention it… There is something I'd like to have a talk with you about though, regarding Rosie. "
" What is it? "
You ask him nervously.
" It's her power as a Black Trap. She's still unstable. Her power has been awakening at random intervals and she can't control it. I've tried to teach her how to suppress it and I've explained the gravity of why she shouldn't use it, but it appears that her human-half is weakening her. "
" What are you saying, exactly? "
" I'm saying that she's incredibly dangerous. I've been fortunate enough to have caught each awakening before she was able to siphon any Light from the other things in existence around her, but if we keep her here in the Omniverse, it's only a matter of time before we're unable to catch it and she accidentally summons The One… and if that happens… "
" You can't be recommending what I think you are… "
You can tell that Tom is heartbroken and having a hard time bringing this up to you. He takes a deep breath and responds.
" Yes, Donny. She'll be the safest if she's with The Absolute. The Absolute is the only being that's powerful enough to reside outside of The Omniverse. He created us. Rosie is the first of her kind. I'm sure that The Absolute would be more than happy to take care of her as she grows older and becomes familiar with her abilities. "
You turn around at Tom and you feel insulted as you raise your voice at him.
" No. I'm not giving her away to our father. Not after everything that I've gone through to protect her. "
" Donny, listen. If she summons The One, there's nothing you'll be able to do about it. You know that even as powerful as you are, you pale in comparison to him. He'll kill her. He'll kill us all. You know he will. "
You begin shouting at Tom and you tear up as the fear of you losing your daughter painfully squeezes your heart.
" Two years, Tom! Two years and hundreds of men and gods dead! I killed them, Tom! I killed them all so when I came back, I wouldn't have to worry about Rosie! Now you're telling me that I should just give my daughter away?! Do you not understand the pain and mental toll that it took on me to kill every single one?! To have those innocent men and gods die by my hand just so Rosie could be safe!? No!! I made her a promise. I'm not going to leave her again. "
Tom grabs you by the back of your neck and puts your forehead on his, glaring into your eyes as he tries to reason with you.
" ABBADON, LISTEN TO ME. SHE'S NOT SAFE. I DON'T WANT YOU TO LOSE- "
An explosion of Light coming from Ariel's garden interrupts Tom and the window that you both were looking through shatters. You and Tom both fall to the floor and broken glass covers the entire kitchen. As you're on the floor, you realize that the blast came from where Rosie is.
Time feels frozen as all of your worst emotions flood your entire being and you quickly stand back up. Fear. Anger. Stress. Despair. All of it consumes you as you rise to your feet and look out of the window for Rosie.
You see her silhouette.
Standing alone.
Staring up at a giant eye floating in front of her.
She's holding a rose in her hand.
It's glowing green.
Then suddenly the rose disappears.
She used her power.
That must mean that the eye is…
Oh no…
You scream at her.
" ROSIEEE!!! "
She turns and looks at you, confused.
…
" Papa? "
The Light emanating from the eye touches Rosie.
Rosie turns to dust.
You let out an agonizing scream as the dust falls to the floor into a pile.
In that moment, you let loose any restraint of your power and Ariel's cottage explodes away from you as a pair of giant glowing green wings burst out of your back. Your wings shatter the very fabric of space as they open. The Light emanating from the eye reaches out to you, but your wings close around you and the aura from your wings stops it.
The eye speaks.
" ᴀ ᴍᴏʀᴛᴀʟ… ɪᴍᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙʟᴇ. "