Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

[Vol.4] Quest 367- A Fathers Gifts & Tale

As they are walking back home, the whole city is engulfed in a massive festival.

"Hm♪ Hm♪" Ai held Elysium close, hugging him so intensely that he was carrying her.

The kids were still messing around in Elysium’s sea of stars. That is his mantle. Circe follows while Hecton and Fafnir return to his shadow. As for Nox, she took her favorite spot, the top of Cirrus’ head.

"How do you feel?" Malion asked.

"Do you see the world as Art does?" asked Ryuu.

"He hasn’t changed that much!" Artemis said. "You didn’t change that much, did you?" She asked a bit worriedly.

The three walk next to him as closely as they can.

"Depends." Elysium stands still and looks into the sea of people walking around. "Do you see the interconnectivity of the world? The seams of reality, the full scope of the electromagnetic spectrum. Atoms floating around aimlessly in clouds of possibilities. All within a mechanistic clockwork of reality hinging on a precious, impossible defiance of entropy, on life." He looked to Ai, Ryuu, and Malion, creating arms of night to hold their hands, smiling. "It is beautiful beyond the words I wish I could express in a more, shall we say, simpler and purer form." He looked to Artemis. "I fully understand now why the gods came down. From the bland, empty paradise of heaven. Why they find the mortals so iridescent, like precious jewels, each one a little different but with an impossible shine that separates them from the others." He looked at each of them. "You are all so precious. Calling it as such only devalues what you are all."

The three of them blush at his words. Ai didn’t pay attention. She only cared that he was there.

"A-Art, what do you say?" Ryuu said, stammering a bit, finding it hard to look at him in his stoic gaze.

"Well, I couldn’t put it into such descriptive words, but yeah. He sees what gods do." Artemis said, jealous of his compliments to them.

"Do not be jealous. You are even more beautiful now. Formed by nature, colored by the moon, shaped by the wildlife and its animals, polished by the hunt and your efforts with the bow, yet molded into who you are by your preferences. You are the guardian of all young women, soon-to-be mothers, and the purity that they gain upon being brought into this world. Yet you have the sharpness to cull those who force themselves onto them with a sudden and quick death."

"!!!" Artemis turned as red as a strawberry, she unintentionally curled her feet at his brazen complement. "I… You have gotten far too good with your words." Artemis turned her head while combing her hair to make herself look a bit more nice, but they could see her bright red ears.

"Of course, you all never left my mind in eons. But when the memories of you all begin to dim they flicker back into a intense flame, reminding me of why I made the choices that I did." He made another smile that ignited that love and passion in his wives hearts again.

They resumed walking again, they all held Elysium's extra limbs previously as to never let him leave them again. Yet he got rid of his extra arms, not for any bad intentions but because he was not use to having so many arms.

"Why did you get rid of your extra limbs?" asked Circe.

"Yes, I would like to hold the hand of my husband more now that they're alive again," Malion said giving him a peeved look.

"We can’t express how much we missed you, Cirrus," Ryuu added. "Your words touch us very deeply."

"My bad, but multiple limbs are odd for me; like, can you imagine an extra body part? I had two arms, two legs, and a single head for the longest time. Adding more is easy, but keeping them is foreign."

"Fair enough. If you’re not comfortable with it, then it’s fine." Ryuu nodded. "But we would like to hold you more intimately, we don't want to lose you again."

"You won't have to worry." He directs his smile towards Ryuu. "I will be staying in this world, in this plane of existence for a long time to come. Time that I will spend with you and all my loved ones."

"Hm." She smiles just as warmly at him as he did her. "You certainly did return more of a romantic poet now."

"Time does that to a man who hasn't seen or held his own wives in so long."

Callisto then asked something. She has been meaning to ask her father who is now a genuine god.

"Hey, Dad, can you do anything cool?" asked Callisto, poking through his chest and appearing right next to Ai’s chest. "Like god stuff?"

"Depends. What do you have in mind?" Elysium glanced down at Callisto. "Heh. Your like a Chestburster." He comments thinking about the second stage of a Xenomorph.

"?" Everyone tilt's their head, confused by what he meant.

"What's a Chestburster?" Callisto asked.

"Don't worry about it." He patted the side of her head. "So you were saying?"

"Well, for one, can you make two of yourselves? You made this mantle and even two more arms."

"Hm? You can do a lot more than what gods can do. I didn’t even feel an ounce of Arcanum off you?" Artemis was intrigued, he plucked the very moon itself and then put it back as easily as a book from it's self.

"Well, I use something different. It is something I will explain later if it doesn’t slip my mind."

"So can you make another you?" Ryuu asked.

"It's the same reason with the extra limbs. It's weird."

"Weird how?" Artemis asked.

"Well, I would have two different points of view; can you imagine how disorienting that is?"

'It's also for personal safety and existential reasons. My long travels did well to mend my mind and emotions, but those memories are engrained in me, those experiences are scars upon my soul.’

"But aren’t you a god?" Hakushika said. "It shouldn’t be that weird, right?"

"Sure, but if I wasn’t holding back my vision, also, as I said before, it’s weird having extra body parts."

'Well, some things I am used to... I should keep that a secret for now.’

"By how much?"

"Well, let’s see, uh... I can perceive beyond 26 dimensions, and I am essentially kneecapping myself to three, so... yeah."

"Bullshit!" Artemis said, not believing him. "You cannot perceive that much! I can only perceive up to 12 dimensions!"

"Is it really that impressive?" Ai said, having nuzzled into Elysium’s neck, not really getting what the fuss was about.

"Mom, think of it this way. You can see me, Dad, and everyone else here, right?" Haku replied.

"Yeah?"

"That is three dimensions. We have perspectives, overlapping shadows and shading, texture, gradient, and relative sizes to allow you to see a whole thing or person."

"Okay, I’m following." Ai doesn’t really get it.

"Okay, so try to imagine what it would be like to see what another dimension would be like."

"No, I think I’m good with three."

"It's not that hard!"

"Fom," Auberon spoke up. "If you were only two dimensions, all you would see is a line, and you would only be able to move in two directions, left and right, maybe up if you jumped."

"Ooh, so I see!" She got it.

"Cirrus, mind making me something so I don’t have to walk everywhere?" Lenoa asked, getting tired of walking. "Haku, by the way, you should come to help around the shop if you're that smart. I’m sure making potions and whatnot will be easy. You can also work on simplifying examples."

"I’ll think about it, Grandma." Haku nodded.

'I forget Auberon is an artist. He knows the best way to explain dimensions.'

"Sure here. Snap!" With the snap of Elysium’s fingers, a wheelchair appeared before her.

"Ooh!" She takes a seat on it. "Ooh~ Yeah. That’s good. Circe mind pushing me?"

"Of course." Circe pushed her along.

"Kihihi! Ah! This is really nice!"

"Dad?" Alise said. "Could you make Grandma Lenoa young again, so she doesn’t have to be pushed around?"

Everyone looked at Elysium and Lenoa.

"Well—"

"No," Lenoa said standoffishly. "I prefer I stay my age."

"But why?" Auberon asked. "Wouldn’t you be able to do more things because you're younger?"

"Nope! The perk of being old is that I ain’t gotta do shiiiiiiiiet!"

Ai, Artemis, Malion, and Ryuu could see the family resemblance between her, Cirrus, and Nox. The three of them influenced one another very well. Circe and Fels were the outliers in it.

They continue back to the Moonlight Tower.

Returning home, they head to the top, the master bedroom.

"Alright," Elysium sits down on the bed. "Now! Clap!" He said, putting his hands together. "Hakushika, Callisto, Auberon, and Alise. Step forward. I want to do this first and get it out of the way."

The four of them stepped forward.

Elysium could see the nervousness on their faces.

"Now that I am well, not dead, I have already planned to give you four something special. Nox, Hecton, Circe, and Fafnir come to my side. Haku, take a step forward."

While Nox and Circe stepped to be by Elysium’s side, Hecton and Fafnir emerged from the shadows.

Haku stepped forward, nervous, as he looked at his father’s helpers. The ones who stood by his side as he went into his fatal battle.

"Because you are the oldest, you have a claim to the position of Head of the Kyūjouno Family. Do you wish to rule it?"

"I um…" Haku digs deep into himself and still finds parts lacking. "Not yet, father. I am not ready to take over."

"Very well, Akio will take the role until you are ready." Elysium reached into his sleeves and pulled out a piece of paper. He waved his hand, and the paper was fully written and signed with the seal of the Kyūjouno family. "If or when you return, hand this to Akio." He said handing it to Hakushika. "Now, Circe."

She stepped forward.

"Um… What is going on?" Haku said, unsure of what was going to happen next.

"Circe has made a contract with me, and with my death, she is contracted to all of my blood."

"!!" Immediately, the kid’s eyes widen.

"S-so what are you giving her to—"

"No. I am not giving her away. She picked who she wished to serve or not serve."

"But doesn’t she wish to be free!?"

"Haku," Circe said softly, stepping forward. "It is my choice. I wish to serve as your companion as you go off and make your own stories your way in the world."

Haku could see the resolve in her eyes. They were the most certain eyes he ever laid eyes upon. He will not reject her wishes.

"If that is what you want, then I will accept it," Haku said with a resolute and noble expression.

Circe made a soft smile.

"Thank you."

She transformed into her hawk form and landed on Haku’s shoulders.

Haku stepped back in line.

"Callisto. Forward." Elysium said.

She stepped forward as well with a bright smile.

"Now Callisto. As my eldest daughter, I wish to give you..." He looked at Nox, and she knew from a glance what he wanted. In a flash, she turned into White Night and landed in his hand. "White Night."

She walked up, and he handed it to her.

"Uoo… R-really!"

"Yeah. Nox is already contracted to you, so it was kind of obvious."

Regardless if they didn't make a contract already Cirrus was always going to leave it for Callisto. Mostly to give her a weapon should her heritage be known.

"Thank you, Dad!!" She went up and hugged him.

"Also, Nox will ensure you aren’t reckless." He pats her back. "Knowing you, I’m really worried about what you will do without supervision."

"What!? You don’t trust me!!" She leaned back.

"No."

"No," said everyone in the room.

"Don’t worry, I’ll keep her out of trouble; at least try to. She seems the kind to throw herself into things." Nox said.

'We should have worked on that.’ Elysium and Artemis thought the same thing.

"Hmm!!!" Callisto went back to her position, a bit peeved.

"Next. Auberon." Elysium said, looking at Auberon.

"Gulp!"

Auberon took a step forward and looked at Hecton and Fafnir.

"Auberon. My boy. I wish to give you…"

Stepping forward was Fafnir.

"I am Fafnir. I served as master’s shadow, and if you wish, I would like to be your shadow." She bowed gracefully.

"Y-yes! It is nice to meet you, Fafnir!" He held out his hand. "I would be honored if you are my shadow!"

"Hm." Fafnir smiled. "Then it's a shared deal, young master." She held his hand and shook.

She then melted into the shadow of his sleeve and back down to his feet.

"Ooh! That’s cool!"

He took a step back, and Alise stepped forward.

"S-so are you…" Alise looked at Hecton.

Hecton stepped forward and knelt before her. Even kneeling he dwarfed the young half-elf.

"I am." He nods. "I am Hecton. I served as your father’s arms. I pride myself on my multipurpose ability."

"It’s nice to meet you again!" Alise said proudly, holding out her hand. "Lets get along!"

Hecton smiled gently.

"It is my pleasure, Lady Alise." Hecton held hers and shook it.

And much like Fafnir, he melded into her shadow.

"Alright, now if you kids can go, I have to talk with your moms, Astraea and Lenoa."

"Why I wanna stay!" Callisto said.

"It's not for your ears sweetie."

"Come on Calli." Auberon said. "Lets go."

"But don't you wann—"

"Hecton can you take Calli?" Alise asked.

From her shadow his arms shot out and grabbed Callisto.

"GAK!? You are so fast!"

The three of them leave the room.

"Take me back to my shop, Circe," Lenoa said. "I have seen what I wanted. I’ll see you when I bite the dust, Cirrus."

"Lenoa!" Circe transforms back. "Don’t say that! Haku, I will be back soon."

"No problem." He nods.

Circe takes Lenoa back home.

With the kids all gone the adults could speak in private.

"Fels, you can come out now."

Removing their invisibility cloak, Fels appeared behind him.

"I was wondering where you went," Ai said.

"Things have been busy." Fels nodded.

"Alright, well, I guess it’s no better time to tell you all what happened after I died. So ahem!" He clears his throat and tells his part. "So I’ll start right when I got to heaven."

Right when Cirrus died he opened his eyes, he found himself in a stream.

"!!" He quickly sits up from the coldness of the water. "What the fuck!? Huh?" He looked around to find himself in a forest.

"It seems we are in Artemis’s domain."

He looked behind himself to see Vesta. Soaked wet.

She walked out of the stream and squeezed the water out of her clothes.

"Oh, Vesta, you're here as well, huh? I thought I would be somewhere random or something."

"Guess not. How lucky we arrived at a…" Vesta looked around. "Possibly a good place."

He got up and looked at his reflection in the water.

"…Huh? I guess I am dead. I am wearing the stuff when you came and helped me and Nox. These antlers are kinda… hm. It doesn't really fit me without the mask. Let me just—Hrr!" Cirrus broke his antlers off. "Ahhh!! That feels good! Like I got rid of useless weight!"

Ichor spilled down his face.

"Of course. I died with you, Cirrus. How’s not dying from poison? Or a devastating power?"

"Uh. Pretty good, but um..." He dunks his head into the water, and his injury quickly heals itself. "Oh? I heal rather fast here."

"Most likely, this is a recovery area with small repositories to take a break from the hunt."

"Hmm…" Looks around and comes to a conclusion. "No, this is where Artemis bathes."

Vesta looks at him.

"I’ll take your word. She is your wife."

"You don’t wanna know?"

"No. I doubt you would even tell."

"You know me so well."

"Considering how long I have been with you, yeah, I kinda know you rather well."

Back in the present.

"Hm! Hm!" Artemis pats Elysium’s shoulder. "You really know me, huh?" She was beaming with joy.

"Of course, I know you. I would be dead if I didn’t learn everything about you. Hell, when we first got together, me and Ai zealously listened to every word that left your lips."

"It’s true." Ai nodded. "Aphrodite said you had Yandere potential. She then explained what it was, and we did our best to learn everything about you and your likes."

"I am not a yandere!" Artemis turned to Ryuu and Malion. "I’m not right!"

The two of them were informed and told what it was from Cirrus and Ai.

"Well, thinking of a 'you' who was rejected brings fear to my heart, something that not even Hera could match," Malion answered.

"I can see it. Both you and Ai have that quality." Ryuu gave her answer.

"What!?" Ai shouted. "I do not!"

Everyone looked at her.

"I can see it," they all said.

"Personally, I think out of you, Ryuu don't have that quality," Elysium added. "I can only imagine you crying your heart out... Hm." He makes a slightly painful expression. The stars on his clothing turned blue. "I made myself sad."

"True," Said Malion.

"Don’t worry, Ryuu," Artemis said, coming up to her. "We are here for you now."

"That’s right," Ai said, also coming from behind her. "Don’t cry anymore."

"Sniff! Sniff!" Astraea holds back her tears. "Look, Lion, you have such a big family now!"

"W-what!?" Ryuu was flustered by their pouring of love. "I am fine!? Our husband is back! C-Cirrus, can you get back to the story?" She shouted as Ai, Artemis, Malion, and Astraea began to glob around her.

"Yeah, so as I was saying."

Back to the story.

"So..." Cirrus looked around. "You know how to go about this place?"

"Yes, and no. That lazy goddess Hestia never went to Artemis’s domain. In fact, I think... yeah, actually, no god ever came here since, well, it’s just pure wilderness."

There were things that Elysium would leave out.

"Yeah, I kinda expected that. So what about Apollo? Did he never come here? Not even Hermes or any god?"

"Hmm… I would say Apollo and Zeus have the most knowledge of how to navigate this place. Albeit, Apollo knows a small fraction, while Zeus knows all the bathing spots. A gods domain is pretty large."

"I figured as much. So, um, what do we do now?"

"Well, you can come with me as I return to Hestia’s domain. I can use your help leaving this place since we both do not have Arcanum."

"Do I still have my Falna?"

"You do. It is why you are in Artemis’s domain. You were naturally drawn here. Plus, your soul is far stronger than most. Oh yeah, is Elpis not killing you with unbridled power? I wanted to ask again in case it’s delayed or something."

"Naw, it seems Elpis has cooled off since arriving here in heaven, or something else is taking the power? Also, that is a pretty neat feature of the Falna. So what happens if a god isn’t in their domain but their child dies?"

"Another god would come and send them back to Samsara after bleaching them. But seeing as each god has their own way of doing it, and this is just my guess, I believe Artemis was hunting them."

"Mmm… I see, got it. But do you not think they would change things given how many gods left for Gekai?"

"A very likely thing. The functions of heaven may have changed to accommodate the lack of gods."

"Then shall we go? I am interested in what Hestia Domain is like."

"It is a very relaxed place." She held out her hands.

They stared at one another for a while.

"Uhh… You want me to—"

"Yes, I want you to carry me. Do you see how small I am? It’s going to take forever if I have to walk everywhere. I also have no shoes."

"… Are you sure you’re not like Hestia?"

"Keep talking; see what happens."

"Can you not float?"

"… Carry me."

"Just say you wanna be carried. It’s not that embarrassing."

"No."

"God fu—"

Traversing through Artemis’s domain, Cirrus found it much more than he expected.

Thud!!

"Ahh!! Fuck!!" A thick wooden stick sprang and hit him in the shins. "Agh!! It’s like those Razor Scooters!!"

"Oh, that sounded rough," Vesta said, being piggybacked.

"Why the fuck is there a trap every five fucking feet!!"

"It’s Artemis’ domain. What did you expect?"

Back to the present.

"…So?" Elysium looks at Artemis. "You gonna fucking tell me why you just littered your domain with fucking traps, Art? Hm? Hmmm!!"

They could see he was noticeably angry. The stars in his clothes grew a bit brighter and slightly more red.

"Simple. It was to make it harder for myself when hunting," Artemis said bluntly in a matter-of-fact kind of tone.

"It is partially the reason no god goes to her domain," Astraea said. "Her and Eris are the most and least likely to visit. Eris is, well, Eris. I can't really make sense of her domain."

"There are other gods whose domains are way harsher than mine!" Artemis spoke boldly. "Like the domains in the Outer Gods area!"

"No, I went to them, and for the most part, they're all pretty cool; Cthulhu even had a swimming competition with some of the other gods... Grr…" Thinking of the subject of Outer Gods, Elysium remembered something that made the stars that covered him even more red. "Fucking Nyarlathotep, that squirmy ass little..."

Everyone in the room could start to see anger. Actual anger slowly began to radiate and form around Elysium.

"Elysium, dear," Astraea spoke up. "Your anger is materializing."

"Ah." He quickly calmed down. "Sorry. So, back to where I left off."

Back to the story.

Cirrus traveled for a while carrying Vesta when his stomach rumbled.

"Vesta, can we get hungry in Heaven?"

"No, but I believe it is a feature Artemis implemented to further make her domain harsh to increase her hunting skills."

"…Great. If we go by those assumptions, then we're gonna need to—"

Screech!!

They look to see giant birds coming their way.

"Are they normal or divine animals?"

"Divine."

"Great."

Cirrus put Vesta down, ripped a tree from the ground, and simply swung it at the birds enough for them to leave.

"Haa… Vesta, you do know where you’re going, right?"

"More or less. There are a few domains close to Artemis, and one of them is mine. We simply need to get out, and it should be smooth sailings."

"Cool."

Cirrus kept running with Vesta through miles and miles of forest.

The only time they stopped was when night came.

Crackle! Crackle!

"I didn’t think my time in heaven would be just running around with a goddess’s aspect, dodging traps, finding water, making utensils from wood, and hunting and skinning divine animals."

"That's Artemis’s heaven. Those who follow her forgo such luxuries as a home and appliances for the wild. Her children are forever on the hunt."

"Thinking on it now, you must have really been in love with her or deeply loyal to her to live like this."

Present.

"Hey!!" Artemis shouted. "What’s that supposed to mean!!"

"Exactly as I said. There were no utilities; it was just you and the wild. So back to my story."

"Don’t just say that just move—"

It took them four days to reach the end of Artemis’s domain.

"Here we are," Vesta said.

"Huh? So this is the end of Artemis’s domain?"

He looks to see a large hedge that circles her entire domain.

"Every god has a different way to express the end of their domains. Hestia’s was a row of white marble arches; Athena’s was a simple, elegant pathway; and Aphrodite’s was a waterfall."

"Was it a waterfall just so she could see the person wet?"

"Hm. You know her well. Anyway, when we walk past this border, we will enter another god's domain."

"Any idea who it might be?"

"Four: Hestia, Hermes, Athena, and Aphrodite. We arranged Olympia in a grid pattern."

"Ah… What’s Hermes border?"

"A toll."

"Toll? So we have to give him money!?"

"Yes. Or just anything he sees has value."

"Fuck it, he’s not here. We’ll just barrel our way through."

"I hope we at least make it to his. If we make it to Athena’s, well, you should be ready to go to war."

"…Why?"

"Because her domain is a domain where—okay, you know the Three Kingdoms?"

"Oh, fuck me, are you serious? Is it just all armies fighting? Is Ares’s domain the same?"

"Kinda, but it’s just massive armies coming over the hill and clashing in a valley—just a lot of epic scenic areas."

"Hm. That’s pretty cool. I have to ask, but can you guys just go wherever you want? Like anywhere?"

"If you mean other realms like other versions of heaven from other worlds then... it’s iffy. Gods of Travel and Borders can go to other Conceptual Rings, but it’s difficult to return home with items or just about anything, knowledge also gets kinda scrambled a bit. Something with the worlds not fitting or synching. Some stuff does get through."

"… Can I ask what a Conceptual Ring is? Is that what you specifically call a world?"

"Yeah. We call it that because of how it looks. It’s hard to explain it. It’s really more like a thing you have to see with your own eyes, eyes that can see into higher dimensions."

"Okay, try me. I’m a pretty smart guy!"

"Not that smart. Nor am I talented with words or smart enough to get into the specifics of dimension theories and applications and that sort."

"Come on, give it a try!"

"You have to at least see and understand the fourth dimension. Only then could you even grasp the concept. Can you do that? Can you even comprehend a ■■■■■■■?"

Cirrus cut his losses immediately. The words? If he could even call it, words came in one ear and left right out the other.

"Alright, let's, uh, get going. Is there anything else I should know if we arrive in Athena’s domain?"

"Yes. Know that Athena is a very talented goddess. She has made copies of the souls of many great warriors and heroes. She calls them her War Arsenal."

"O…kay?"

"While Athena created copies of the souls, she loved and sent the real ones back to Samsara. These copied souls, Cirrus, are the cream of the crop. True Heroes of Heroes. The smartest and strongest."

"But their copies?"

"Even fake gems can be polished to shine like real things. But unlike true souls, they can’t move as they like in heaven. Stuck in the domain they found themselves in."

"So they're like Pokémon cards? You gotta collect them all and have them imprisoned within their domains?"

"Yes."

"Oh… Anyone else do this or…"

"Freya, Zeus, and many more gods do this, but Zeus has the largest collection of heroes. Unfortunately, Athena, the erudite that she is, would get Hermes by her side to copy the heroes Zeus had."

"And Zeus never caught on?"

"No. He was too busy either dealing with Hera or partying to even care or notice. Freya, on the other hand, both would meet and exchange heroes like trading cards. They both were good friends; they would regularly have war games with one another. Actually, no, they were more like rival generals than they were friends."

"…Great. So not only could we possibly be going into a battlefield filled with famed legendary heroes picked from Athena, Zeus, and Freya."

"And some more, but that’s not important right now." She held out her hand. "So, shall we head off to the unknown?"

"Haa… Sure. Why not?"

They held hands, and they stepped forward, crossing over Artemis’s domain.