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Death was not something Metphies had ever been daunted by. To the Exif, the concept was viewed as the ultimate inevitability. The prophesied time would come and they would all eventually meet their divine end. But this...this death was not something Metphies had ever anticipated.
His body was broken and he knew he was in the final throes of corporeal existence. His mind, however, was active...more active in fact than it had been since his very earliest days, before he had learned to hone his thoughts...thoughts that now strayed wildly. The Exif priest chided his own carelessness.
In their enlightened era, the Exif had grown beyond personal feelings of love or hatred. They had transcended the confines of such primitive impulses and in doing so made themselves the perfect messengers for their golden deity. They had completely embraced their roles as conduits for Ghidorah’s divine glory. Since all the Exif who had survived the destruction of their homeworld were priests, they did not experience personal relationships aside from necessary interactions in their role to guide lost souls to their cause. All except Metphies...
Metphies was always somewhat unique among the Exif. He was the youngest of those who had arrived on Earth, only 15 years old when Endurph chose to reveal their existence to the Earthlings. He was born during the Exif’s time wandering throughout space but had been informed of Earth and its people when he was very young. In fact, part of the rite of young Exif priests was to consult with Garbetrium and learn of their past involvements with numerous civilisations.
Yet even by Exif standards, Metphies was particularly studious and dedicated to the growth of his own understanding of the sacred mission he and his kin were undertaking. The knowledge he gained of past visits the Exif had made to Earth as they quietly guided the hand of fate sparked his fascination with the Earthlings. Of all the many histories and civilisations Metphies had learned about, humanity stood out as the most interesting case.
Upon the Exif’s arrival on Earth and their attempted integration into the fight against Godzilla, it became clear that the young priest was very well suited to role of interacting with the natives. So much so that Endurph often delegated specific responsibilities to his younger ally. There were early concerns regarding the Exif’s somewhat distant and obsessive manner of delivery and how it would potentially alienate some. In general, the Exif never displayed frustration, anxieties or any such vulnerable traits that would allow the humans to relate to them during the tenuous early years of this crucial alliance.
Metphies with his youthful appearance and unique manner of delivery was a most welcome tool. In many ways, Metphies appeared to be the perfect representation of the Exif and their devoted faith, yet in other ways he seemed wholly individual. He was inquisitive, he asked personal questions, sought to gauge how people felt and tried to make conversations an openly two-way affair. He let profound statements hang in the air and resonate with people long after their interactions had ended. From the beginning, Metphies took a very hands-on approach to the search for the hero who would bring forth Ghidorah.
Such a line of open questioning was unusual for the Exif, a telepathic race who were well capable of reading the thoughts of their new human allies. Nevertheless, this unorthodox and uncharacteristically personable approach from the young priest proved to be of great use during those initial years.
Understanding the minds of Earthlings had always come so naturally to Metphies, it was through these interactions he realised how openly they voiced their desires and fears. He benefitted from the fact that he spent so many of his formative years surrounded by these creatures, as well as the utterly intransigent Bilusaludo. But unlike the Bilusaludo, there was a ripeness about mankind and their civilisation, they were ready to receive the Exif’s divine guidance. At times, Metphies wished he could decipher his own thoughts as easily as he could those of the humans.
For a lot of reasons, Metphies would say he had lived a very fortunate and blessed life. He had interacted with many races, learned of his people’s history through Garbetrium and word of mouth from his kin, had spent over a decade on Earth and met many humans and of course he had been granted the honour of interacting with Ghidorah himself. All of this building towards his eventual role as Ghidorah’s guide into this dimension. At times, however, it seemed as though no single living being occupied his mind as much as the human that he would come to meet aboard the Aratrum. The individual who even now penetrated Metphies’ ruminations over his past...
“Ah, Haruo...”
There he was again, the Earthling whose name Metphies always made sure to speak with reverence and care. Metphies couldn’t see Haruo approach him, but he could feel him. His one remaining eye was of very little use now, but even the limited vision he was capable of was completely overwhelmed by the searing light of Haruo’s raw emotions.
“All that anger and hatred are burning bright...it’s blinding...”
Yes...the virtuous and vibrant emotions that had made Haruo the perfect candidate to bring heavenly glory to the Earth. The very things that marked Haruo as special when Metphies first came across him aboard the Aratrum. By that time, the Exif believed he had seen so many faces of humanity that he could no longer be surprised by them, but Haruo broke new ground. When the time came that they finally began to interact with each other on a regular basis, Metphies knew that Haruo was the one Metphies had been waiting his whole life for. And now those very emotions were so intensely focused that they enveloped Metphies’ whole being. The sting of betrayal felt by Haruo was still so strong.
It was Metphies’ view that the half-truths and flat out lies that he told the Earthlings were merely a part of his duty as an Exif priest. Anything that would expedite the process of salvation for these creatures was fair game. He had to make sure with Haruo that his goal never strayed from the Exif code of offering guidance, salvation and blessing to those who are lost. All in service of ensuring the ritual was seen through in a proper manner. Every move he made, every word he spoke needed to be measured, precise, deliberate. Yet at times, it felt different...
He wondered if the intensity of Haruo’s emotions had somehow contaminated him or if these things had always existed within him and interactions with the Earthling simply brought them to the fore.
Metphies was used to communicating through his own mind, but in doing so, there was a tendency to bury certain desires and thoughts slightly deeper. The precision of the Exif mind meant that open thoughts could easily be read, therefore it was natural for them to utilise a form of defence should they ever encounter any other telepathic beings, such as the case with the Houtua. Metphies learned this trick at a very young age and it may have explained the extent of his individuality among the mostly uniform Exif as he made sure to keep parts of his mind away from all prying eyes, including those of his own race. But now that death approached, his mind was unusually imprecise and his thoughts were wandering, buried thoughts and desires were beginning to surface.
The walls were seemingly breaking down and Metphies felt the strange sensation like he was falling, left with his own unfiltered thoughts and memories, surrounded at all times by the blinding light of Haruo’s emotions. He was grateful to God that Endurph was not here to witness such an unsightly display.
The cursory remarks Endurph made during their interaction prior to the ritual was the closest Metphies had ever come to being admonished by his cardinal. Endurph clearly sought to broach the topic with Metphies, that the latter’s fascination with Haruo was more than necessary. Of course, if Endurph had truly known the full extent of how close he had gotten to Haruo, the secrets they had shared, the tenderness...
“You are...”
Haruo’s voice...Metphies felt an unusual need to know what Haruo was going to say before he stopped. I am...what?
The human’s tone was one that gave the impression that he was tearing up, like there was something more, something beyond hatred and anger that Metphies couldn’t see. He cursed the irony that now of all times when he desperately needed to read Haruo’s thoughts, he couldn’t. Was Haruo weeping for him? Haruo was clearly enraged upon realising that Metphies had “betrayed” him, so why would Haruo weep for him now?
“Sadness and painfulness...are curses inflicted on all living things.”
Yes...all living things. As much as Metphies wished he had totally outgrown such impulses, he knew they remained. Often dark and deep within the recesses of his mind. But this moment was different. He keenly felt a scorching pain, not due to his physical wounds, but from within. He wondered if Haruo knew that his friend was even capable of such pain.
To think that Metphies was overwhelmed by experiencing a sensation that Haruo had spent his entire life enveloped by...Exif minds were supposed to be stronger than those of Earthlings...Haruo truly was incredible.
Things were slowly becoming clearer for Metphies. In the past, he had often rationalised his constant state of contemplation over Haruo as being something that was required for the summoning ritual, that he owed it to himself and Ghidorah to ensure the offering be as perfect as possible. But in actuality, he knew he was getting closer than was necessary. It had become personal.
Haruo the hero, Haruo the offering and Haruo the friend, they all became clouded into one image. Metphies believed Haruo was extraordinary, that he was worth the delay, but he had lost himself slightly in the process of the ritual. Garbetrium’s oracle had foresaw that a hero would rise through the human ranks and become the vessel that would allow Ghidorah to take root in this world, Garbetrium did not give insight into how exactly this hero would affect Metphies to his very core.
With all the strength his broken body could muster, Metphies lifted his hand in search of Haruo, overcome by an almost instinctive need to be close to his friend. He felt Haruo take his hand just as it was about to fall away limply. The Earthling held him tightly. As if releasing a lifetime’s worth of pressure, the fog in Metphies’ sight began to dissipate and he saw Haruo’s face staring down at him, eyes watery and lip quivering.
They had been in a similar position earlier...when Haruo held his face and destroyed the ceremonial bead. He recalled looking down at Haruo in that moment, his friend bathed in a radiant light of defiance. The Exif’s breath had caught in his throat, what was precise and certain within Metphies became exposed and raw. Haruo embodied the mantra of devotion, the virtue that the Exif held so dear to their beliefs. But his devotion was to defy Ghidorah’s will...to defy Metphies and everything his life had been building towards.
He had offered Haruo freedom from a lifetime of fear and despair. A chance for them both to take the next step into divinity side by side, to complete the ritual and celebrate their blessings together as they recited the name of Ghidorah. Haruo’s life that had been defined purely by suffering ought to have been saved by embracing death and glory. But Haruo refused. Haruo chose to go on. He chose to embrace those who came before him and perished. He would honour them by continuing to live and fight for their shared dream. He rejected salvation the same way he had rejected Galu-gu and refused to become a new Godzilla.
Was this Haruo accepting his own entrapment and choosing to close off his mind and remain permanently tethered to his humiliation and fear for the rest of his life? Or was it Haruo embracing another kind of freedom?
In this moment of rejection, Metphies had let his hands fall to his side. Much like him reaching for Haruo’s hand now, he couldn’t explain why he did it. Haruo simply made such imprecisions more common within Metphies’ resolve. In truth, he could have attempted to overpower his much smaller compatriot, but he didn’t. He just stared at him, utterly entranced. Allowing the human to shatter the ceremonial bead and ensure Ghidorah’s defeat at the hands of Godzilla.
These two moments were supernatural in their similarity, in both instances Metphies gazed at Haruo and felt so open, so vulnerable. He felt a departure from his absolute goal of bringing about divine glory for the Golden Death. He could only feel Haruo...such a troublesome conflict of interest.
It was as though Metphies’ mind was being overtaken by memories of Haruo and him, all of them building to this...a divine moment. Yet he knew that his God could never truly be deterred...the ultimate inevitability would face Haruo once more. Perhaps because of this moment or perhaps in spite of this moment. He could no longer say for sure.
“Therefore...Haruo...As long as you can hold on to that life...”
Haruo’s continued existence would ensure that Ghidorah’s return was a matter of time, that the rightful end would befall Earth. But Metphies did not rejoice at this, nor did he despair. He was aware of the cruel irony that Haruo would never be able to escape fate.
The Exif felt his senses begin to fade once more, he was grateful to the very God he was about to join that he was granted this last moment before his repose. He wished to offer his friend this final counsel, a final warning and promise.
“Ghidorah will...be watching you...”
The Earthling cut through the Exif’s warning with one word.
“Metphies...”
Ah...It was fitting that Metphies had once told Haruo of the true strength possessed by words and names. Now Haruo had spoken Metphies’ name in the exact manner the Exif had wanted the Earthling to speak Ghidorah’s. But Haruo was never concerned about the golden name of the Exif’s God.
Metphies wished he could return the favour, to utter Haruo’s name, to recite it like a sacred mantra one last time. But all the strength of his body had slipped away. Now he was to join with his forebears in the light of Garbetrium under Ghidorah’s eternal vigil.
He recalled one of the final oracles he and Endurph had received from Garbetrium. One that he had held closely...in that deep and guarded corner of his mind. The oracles had never been wrong. Metphies hoped more than he had ever hoped before that this oracle would come to pass.
“Disrupting the wicked cloud, from the bowels of Heaven and Earth, thou shall once again exchange voices.”