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“Why don't you skewer yourself on it…impale yourself with it…and rest for an eternity on this nail, then?! Feel what it's like to have someone curse you to hell…” You wail out, completely losing your sense of self. As your nails sink deep into Rodion’s chest, your mind clears partially, allowing you to dwell on what just occurred.
v
EGO corrosion is a terrifying thing. One moment you’re standing on your last legs, in shambles, living on a prayer, the next moment you are ordered to use your new EGO by Dante. All you hear is ticking…relentless, horrid ticking throbbing against your skull…the manager you hold so dear, why is their voice so awful? So horrid? Vile sounds ceaselessly carry on with no pause or respite. You feel your skin ripping as your mind shatters, your sense of self being buried beneath a surge of emotions and pain. Nails protrude from your chest, bursting through your torso and limbs as pain and hate cloud your mind. EGO Corrosion. Not exactly what Dante intended to occur…Vergilius will be mad about this one later, but the priority right now is stopping you. Dante orders for Rodion and Sinclair to intervene, given their affinity for working together on the battlefield.
“H…Hey! Calm down…” Rodion lunges forward to grab you, as Sinclair restrains your arms. You manage to overpower the duo and in a moment of complete lunacy, hug Rodion tightly. A shrill gasp emits from her mouth as she looks deep into your eyes with sorrow and sadness, both from seeing you in so much pain, as well as herself being absolutely physically torn to shreds. Your nails drive deep into her, going through her body entirely, leaving gaping holes in her that spill crimson blood like a river. Dante has to step in, now. They thought this could be solved via Sinner interference, but it clearly cannot.
You awaken hours later to see Rodion hovering over you. The thoughts come rushing back to your head, you must have corroded, and Dante must have winded the clock back. As the memories of killing your coworker flood in, you immediately begin to tear up and sob. You would never hurt her…but you did. The undeniable reality, even if the damage was undone. You still had it in your heart to hurt, to KILL her without a second thought, to feel her blood saturate your woolen hands as you savagely crush her in your arms.
“Calm down…it’s okay! EGO Corrosion isn’t…you. It’s the abnormality…manifesting inside of you. Tell me how you feel, ‘kay?” Rodion speaks in an upbeat tone, trying to comfort you. When this fails, she resorts to another option. “You always were a fan of teddy bears, weren’t you? Is that why being a big one was so scary? How do I know? Shh…a gal’s gotta keep her secrets!” You nod sheepishly, too timid to further inquire how she knows so much about you.
She steps back and takes a deep breath, before utilizing her own Hex Nail EGO. You jump backwards at the sight of it, but quickly come to your senses. She’s beautiful, tall, and stanced elegantly in front of you, her hair cascading over her shoulders as her soft plush dress abides by her subtle movements. “You gotta take it easy with those bad thoughts . Everyone needs a mental break from time to time. Why don’t you come here and give mama Rodya some cuddles? Snuggle time for the soul!” You can’t deny, the prospect does sound…and look…and God,smell enticing. Seriously, the smell…how is Rodion emitting an aura of lavender and sleepy vibes? All you smelt when you used EGO was blood and iron. Regardless, you throw yourself into her larger, stronger arms, taking a deep breath and relaxing your muscles.
“My favorite things… eating yummy foods…swinging my axe…and hugging cute adorable things like you!~” You open your mouth slightly to tell her you don't deserve this, for her to leave you to die as you did for her. “You dummy, didn’t I already tell you to forget that? You clearly need a tighter hug…and lots and lots of love! Fuhu!~” The giant lady was completely enveloping you, with lots of warm cuddling and kisses. Each word is punctuated with a smooch to your forehead and cheeks. “I…mwah…love you! It’ll be okay…no matter how bad you feel…mwah…I promise I’ll be here for you! So just relax and breathe, feel yourself melting into my soft dress…it’s even your favorite colors too! Just delightful isn’t it? You always struck me as someone easy to please, just soft things and sweet words…perfect!”
Her words, so comforting and pleasurable to hear, ease your nerves. It wasn’t your fault, the EGO doesn’t control you, you do. Your typically active, racing mind calms itself, your thoughts silenced by a warm buzzing feeling in your heart. You doze off to sleep, completely at ease and comforted by Rodion. It was only you two, which is why you are slightly shocked when you awaken to see Faust and Sincair, both of them also utilizing their Hex Nail ego. Sinclair makes sense, he always did strike you as the soft cuddly sleeping type, but Miss Faust? She lies, stretched across all of you, gently snoring as she holds sinclair particularly tight. A pile of soft and warm bodies…almost sounds like it could be an aberration for something you read about in a Lobotomy Corporation handout that you received a long time ago.
“Yawn~ up already?" Rodion utters quietly "You’ll notice that two other adorable snuggle bugs decided to join us…I’m gonna doze back off, you should too!~”. And just like that, your entire morning is going to be spent sandwiched between your friends and loved ones. A calming end to a very, very emotionally distressing day.