Chapter Text
Truth be told, Kars didn't want to be impressed.
Not that he was—certainly, with the right amount of time and effort he would have been able to deconstruct and replicate the structure surrounding them. He was the last being on board with the idea of the trip to Singapore, and he only felt compelled to join because the obnoxious vampire had somehow convinced Wamuu and Esidisi to come. They somehow even got him, the Ultimate Being, to shimmy into a seat on a plane of all things, next to a hand fetishist and a purple-haired teenager who played Animal Crossing all the way. If all of them weren't already dead, Kars would have eaten everyone on board alive, starting with the vampire fiend.
"Wipe off that sour look on your face," the blond smirked as everyone left the plane, the Pillarmen and himself all crouching in order to fit through the doors, "it wasn't that bad."
"I am completely capable of flight," Kars scowled, "and three of those chairs could barely fit half of Wamuu."
"You're also capable of shapeshifting, I assume," the vampire smirked, his fangs poking at his bottom lip, "and besides, the airports are a part of the journey."
Kars thought of it as a joke. He hadn't been on Earth for long since his unfortunate ‘exile,’ but he remembered reading of the minuscule island from the 18th century, a somewhat strategic port colonized by another civilization who thought themselves greater than they actually were, barely a footnote in history. He's seen the pictures, of course, Esidisi especially having believed that it would pique his scientific interest, but it didn't. Kars had no patience for men and their idle innovations. After staring for so long in the depths of the cosmos, he had no patience for anything on Earth, really.
He wasn't sure if he was still on Earth.
They had walked out of the main junctions and passed through several shops in a complex, but even as the purple-haired boy had pointed the vampire's strange disciple towards a nearby wine shop, the vampire (who Kars knew had no self-control in terms of expenditure) led the group forward, through an entrance just a short walk out of the junction.
It was a garden, of sorts, though it more closely resembled a sizeable forest clearing with a water vortex spiraling down from the heavens at the center. Even for the rest of his Pillarmen, it was noticeably large, large enough to make Esidisi chuckle and Wamuu focus his gaze on the surroundings. Neither had achieved their Ultimate forms before they passed, but Kars had, and Kars saw it all to a point. He saw the terrace of plant life climbing upward from the walls, the staircases tucked inside leading to marble corridors and glass elevators. He saw each plant species, the fact that they could not be native to the region, acclimated to suit the weather conditions. He saw the humans passing by him, some posing for their inane pictures, some looking out from a glass bridge at least three stories above, a train rolling down a hovering overhead track. He saw the geometric metal framework holding up a curved, toroid sky. And then there was the rain, collected from the middle of the toroid sky, spiraling downward towards the pit at the center.
"Enjoying the view?"
The words felt playful enough that it may have come from Esidisi, but polite enough that it may have been Wamuu. It was neither—the vampire's disciple had appeared by his side, and they were both standing on a staircase landing under the terraces, staring past the trees towards the vortex. Nobody else in the party were there.
"They have gone inside," Kars concluded, "Esidisi and Wamuu have been roped into your friend's machinations, no doubt."
"If you consider shopping for decent clothes for a half-naked set of 7 feet tall Aztec gods 'machinations,' yes," the disciple said. "Not that anyone minds their current attire, of course. You're already wearing a coat and you weren't responsive, so Dio didn't bring you along."
Kars stared at the dark-skinned man. "Why have you not joined them?"
The man's eyes, normally dark and impenetrable, went blank for a moment, and Kars noted the (very literal) stars hidden inside. Then, he blinked, looking up at Kars with a soft chuckle. "I have a propensity towards spending, I'm afraid. It's one of my few temptations, and I prefer not to indulge in it," he claimed.
The only other thing Kars knew about the man was that he was a priest, though he no longer looked the part. Enrico Pucci had traded in the dark purple robes he normally wore around their "house" (an eldritch property that had summoned all of their corporeal souls to this reality), replacing it with a blue sweater with gold patterns strewn at the front and a pair of plain trousers. His peculiar hair, white and cropped but creeping over parts of his face, had always been longer from the back, but instead of the ponytails stuck through the collar of his robe, it was now tied into a braid. A very bad braid, if Kars cared enough to say. "I see," Kars said, before resuming his thoughts. Whatever thought he was having before.
Layers of condensation formed dew on the leaves, and he could feel it like a soft breath on his face. What was on his mind?
"You've been gone since the early 1900s, haven't you?" the disciple piped up, "Have you had the chance to see any other recent human wonders?"
Kars scowled. "If you are looking for a conversational partner, you could not have chosen a worse candidate," he said, "I suggest you leave."
He had anticipated a scornful retort, or a sly remark, perhaps even a baseless threat, the kinds that the hand molester or the vampire would partake in. Instead, the disciple laughed. "Very well. I have no intention of disturbing you for long," the disciple said. "But I admit, there is one temptation I've never been able to abstain from, and I would appreciate it if you would indulge me."
With any of the other humans he was chained to, Kars wouldn't have humored the request. The disciple was no different, perhaps worse, even—the vampire was one thing, but a vampire follower was another. But even as he turned to tell the disciple off, he felt a deep sense of familiarity rush through him, akin to déjà vu but not quite. "What is it?" He said, before he could even understand why he chose to answer in the first place.
The disciple opened his mouth, then closed it again, resolve wavering. "Was it worth it?" he asked, finally, though Kars could tell that wasn't what he meant to ask—or perhaps, it wasn't all he meant to ask. "Becoming the Ultimate Being."
Kars furrowed his brows, glaring down at the human. "I don't think you comprehend your own question," he said.
"The gravity of it may be lost on me," the disciple tilted his head, "though I imagined it would be an easy answer for someone like yourself."
"What do you hope to gain by asking?"
"Understanding."
"I am closer to a god than a man. You could never hope to understand me."
There was a knowing flash in the man's eyes. "I didn't intend to understand you, specifically. Although," he turned to the vortex again, "you'd be surprised."
It registered in his mind as an insult, but Kars couldn't bring himself to feel offended. Not that it would be productive, in any case. There was more worth in being toyed with by a dog than a man. "Everything I did was to reach my species’ fullest potential," he said, "I stand above all organic life. If it weren't for our current states, I would have ruled over the Earth."
The disciple stared at him, his expression foggy. "You remind me of Dio," he said.
Kars couldn't help but laugh. "I eat vampires like him for breakfast."
"Certainly," he agreed, which took the Being aback, if only momentarily, "but that's not what I meant."
"And what did you mean?"
Pucci smiled. "Neither of you are ever keen on giving a straight answer."
Kars took a moment to process the man’s words—not because it was above his understanding, but because it was so boldly mocking that he couldn't believe he was even considering a response. "Interpret my answer as you wish," he said, "if you really are a priest, it would not be your first time."
"Believe me, if I was ever fated to meet God, I would have asked Him the same questions. It's why I'm here, after all," the disciple laughed. "Among other things."
Kars frowned. "A curious rodent tends to end up in the stomach of a snake," he said.
"And the first human to eat a mushroom may well have died," the priest retorted, "all great discoveries come with their own risks. I'm sure you would agree."
He stared at Pucci, trying to find the right words to capture the sheer gall of the man. What came out was a laugh. "You speak with the stature of a man who knows what risk is."
"You behave like a man who risked everything on a single deck and lost."
"I am everything any organic matter on Earth could be, and more."
"Then it was all worth it, wasn't it?" Pucci leaned in, craning his head upward to match Kars's stance, "If it was, just say yes."
There was a pause between them. The sky was dark above the curved ceiling, and laser lights emerged from somewhere in the vortex. A leaf above them shifted, and strands of light crossed over Pucci's dewed face, Kars's reflection hovering in the stars of his eyes.
"Lord Kars?"
Wamuu's figure emerged from far below with a map in his hand, and he was wearing a light poncho over his shoulders. Esidisi was, irritatingly enough, consorting with the purple-haired boy, pointing at the vortex in a clear attempt to frame a picture—he had worn a plain button-up, but with an orange scarf around his neck. The vampire emerged from a corridor on the terrace opposite of them, sipping on a cup while the hand molester dragged a mountain of luggage and purchases behind him.
"We are about to depart," Wamuu said, "the next train will arrive in thirty minutes."
"Very well," Kars snapped away from Pucci, standing up to his full height, "tell the others to hurry. It seems some of them haven't quite grasped the time."
"The terminals aren't far from here," Pucci spoke behind him, "you needn't worry. We'll get there on time."
Kars didn't respond. He walked down towards Wamuu and Esidisi, and made sure to spend the day avoiding the humans of the assembly.