Beatle and Sabbath struggle, still walking in the snow, only to see a barn.
The barn was large enough to keep them in, and it came from a time when the sizes of man were all the same. They entered, and warmed themselves with the hay.
Sabbath smiles, tending to Beatle’s wounds. “I love you!”
Beatle chuckles. “You don’t have to strictly administer what I said. Telling me to love me every hour. It was just a metaphor.”
“But I love you.”
Beatle smiles softly. But he frowns.
“Hey. Listen to me. You don’t have to punish yourself for hurting that kid…” said Black Sabbath.
Beatle chuckles.
Sabbath gently takes his hand off the candle’s flaming wick.
“Ah… Didn’t notice.”
“Beatle. You are not a bad person. You are an optimist. You believe that the best thing for each person is life.”
“I thought the base was empty...” Beatle teared up. “He told me-...”
“Listen. You never wanted to be the Saint King. You never did. You chose to be Beatle. But then they forced you into the role.” Sabbath hugs him. “What do you want to do? Movies marathon? I brought my iPad!”
“I wanna rest.”
“Okay…”
“I chose Miguel Azral to be my successor because I damn well know he’ll make a better job as the Saint King than me. He is much, much more rebellious, clever, and capable than me. I am just a slow autistic kid thrust into all this. And him? At 15 he defeated an Ogre.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“What’s your point?”
“I am not cut out to be this. I… renounce my Saint King status-...”
Sabbath gives him the hardest smack of his life.
“DUDE!!!”
“Don’t ever say that! DON’T EVER SAY THAT!!! If you were never the Saint King, you’d never have had our daughters! Our friends! DON’T EVER… SAY THAT!!!”
“So, the only people that matter is our own?”
“No. But don’t you dare renounce who you are. You helped shape who I fucking am. You helped me be a better person as Black Sabbath. I fought by your side. YOU’RE MY GUY!!! And you just renounce everything you worked for? You achieved!? You DEFEATED MORNINGSTAR AND UNBREAKABLE!!! YOU SAVED MIGUEL AZRAL!!! YOU SAVED THE WORLD COUNTLESS TIMES!!!”
“I got a kid’s father killed”
“Yeah! And I’m a shit parent who barely wants to see her kids THAT HAPPENED TO ALSO CAUSE THE END OF THE MULTIVERSE BY RUINING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MORNINGSTAR!!! But unlike me, you FUCKING MEANT WELL!!! You mean well! And Unter means to hate! You were damaged by Aurora, by me, by Unbreakable, and you chose to forgive ALL OF US!!! HELL!!! YOU FORGAVE UNBREAKABLE!!! You forgave me! You forgave me! And I know, you think I never cared about you-...”
“Now that’s where you’re wrong. I did think that. But not anymore. I am not Miguel Ibarra anymore, I am Beatle Saint King. And I damn well know you care about me. Your whole life and vocation is about caring about me. Do not dare put yourself down like that again, not by Miguel.”
“Then don’t ever renounce yourself.”
“Neither should you… Then what can I do?”
“You could… legalize and consider their country as legitimate.”
“Already did that. He just sent me a note with a middle finger back in the middle ages.”
“Then uhm… We could kill ‘im.”
“No. That wouldn’t be right.”
“Then what?”
“I can… I can… Shit…”
“What?”
“I will get reprimanded by God for this. I can… bring back the dead.”
“Yeah. You did that with Miguel Azral’s body.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Wait… You’re saying you could bring back others without their-?”
“No. God no. I can’t do that… But didn’t he say he buried his father. Human bones don’t exactly rot in ice, especially on these conditions.”
“Beatle… You would inch closer to your ascension. Miguel Azral needs more time to-...”
“I know. But it’s worth it. The little guy counts. And, if we look at this with a utilitarian approach, if he goes berserk and kills our worlds, then that’s on us.”
“It’s cute when you pretend to be utilitarian to look good before God.”
“Shhh… He sees all.”
“Well… So, we dig up his body, right?”
“Yeah. And I will bleed on him.”
“This is kinda fucked-...”
“Definitely.”
Beatle senses something. He releases a sigh.
“He’s fine with it?”
“No. i sense danger. It means he very well isn’t.”