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"Young man, there is truly no need to go to such lengths. We Aogami units understood our duties when we met the forces of chaos in battle."
"I know. But my heart still hurts whenever I see them. What good is having the power to reshape the world if I can't do this much?"
"Hey. Wake up for me?"
Aogami opened his eyes. The last thing recorded in his memory logs… was the shutdown of his internal processes mid-battle. He had taken down a pair of Daemons before being struck from behind, his lower half ripped away entirely. Now, instead of laying facedown atop asphalt, he was standing on intact legs, his visual field consumed by beautiful, unearthly blue.
"Ah, good. It worked. I wasn't sure it would."
If a Proto-fiend could do something so human as gasp in awe, Aogami had no doubts that his reaction would be far more dramatic. The one standing in front of him radiated the perfection of a pure deity, unblemished and unmatched. A cape of long hair flowed around their figure, encased in an armored shell, its streaming Magatsuhi designs similar to his own. The world bent around them subtly, as if their descent upon the land was an honor in itself. Humidity and the scent of ozone hung heavy in the air around them.
They felt like rain, wind, and lightning made manifest. They felt familiar, in the way one recognizes part of their soul.
A Nahobino.
An irresistible tugging in his chest drew him to the god, yet they were already complete, while he abruptly became aware of how he was very much not. How strange. Was this what humans meant by the phrase "feeling empty inside"?
Aogami knelt before them, reversing their height difference to look up at the deity's face like a supplicant. "Have you repaired me to serve you?" he asked, hoping for an affirmative answer. Bethel Japan may have been his developers, and his service ought to be to humanity, but the urge—need—to wholly devote himself to this god surpassed everything he was created for.
"Only if you want to. This was just a whim," the god admitted, with an incongruously human shrug. "I didn't like seeing you hurt."
Hurt. Not "damaged," "broken," or even "torn apart." Hurt.
He was nothing but a common combat-model Proto-fiend, and one of the most produced units to boot. To care so deeply for a disposable tool… He could imagine no better soul to be the Knowledge of "Aogami." If they asked anything of him, he would obey unquestionably.
"Please give me a purpose," he entreated. "It would bring me fulfillment."
His god extended a hand to him. "Then, Aogami, would you like to come with me to the new world?"
"I would follow you anywhere." Aogami took that outstretched hand within his own, and together they vanished from the desert like a mirage.
"You must have been defending the people in the Diet Building. You've worked hard…" the Nahobino murmured, cerulean light wrapping around the Aogami husk like an embrace. Gently, the husk floated down from the lamp where it had been suspended for so many years, until its remaining foot touched the ground. The light shaped itself into the shape of a left leg and a right hand, filling in the missing pieces of the Proto-fiend's structure.
Aogami Type-1 and Aogami Type-A watched on as their Knowledge, already beloved to them, oozed compassion from every movement. They steadied the inactive unit with their physical hands when such an action was not needed, and waited for it to awaken in its own time rather than commanding it to activate.
The unit's communication system rebooted before its external sensors, seeking connection to other Proto-fiends in its vicinity. Type-A and Type-1 linked their wireless networks to it accordingly, beginning a reciprocal exchange of information.
This Aogami was a Type-2 model, serial number 20008. Its duty was to heal and support Bethel's offensive forces, which had painted a target on its back for the armies of chaos. As a result, it had been destroyed early on during Armageddon, unknowing of the Shekinah Glory and the God of Law's proclaimed death. Type-1 and Type-A synced its system clock to theirs, updating it to the passage of 18 years. Aogami Type-2 opened its eyes wide with surprise.
"Hello?" The Nahobino waved, their glowing hand held up close to the unit's face in an endearingly childish gesture.
The Type-2's burgeoning wonder spread along its connection to the other two Proto-fiends, a mirror of their own as they had beheld their god for the first time. How should one describe the feeling of "arriving home" without truly having a "home" before? Surely it would feel somewhat like this—the relief of releasing one's burdens, understanding without words, all-encompassing comfort.
The Type-2 dropped down onto its newly repaired knee in a bow, like the units that had come before it. "Hello," it replied. "What are your current orders?"
Having previously gone through this song and dance twice, the Nahobino's answer came quickly. "Accompany me through the recreation of the world, and you can do whatever you wish to afterwards."
"And if my wish is to serve you?"
"I have no objections."
(I want you to be able to choose the trajectory of your life. Since you've never been allowed to before.)
Aogami cast as soon as Magatsuhi returned to his circuits, the once-interrupted Ruinous Thunder sparking anew.
[Type-4! Stand down!]
A transmission from a fellow Aogami unit? He'd thought he was the only one remaining in this area. Regardless, the message had come a split second too late for him to retract the action.
With a blinding flash, lightning crashed down over seven silhouettes (seven? He belatedly realized he'd been fighting a single demon). He could sense the electricity being discharged into the crimson earth, fizzling out harmlessly rather than charring its targets. A breathtaking being at the center of the group blinked and brushed sparks from their body, as familiar attendants clustered around them in concern. Their identical frowns were not necessary for him to realize his wrongdoing. Although disoriented, he instinctively recognized the human mirror to the demonic essence inside his artificial form.
He'd attacked his Knowledge, could have hurt them if they'd been vulnerable, could have killed—
Aogami prostrated himself at the Nahobino's feet. What he had done went far beyond dishonor. "My sincerest apologies. It was not my intent to attack you, and you may have my life in recompense."
"Wait, wait. None of that." His god grasped him by the shoulders. Their hands barely spanned the spaulders of his armor. Snapping those delicate fingers would likely take more strength than crushing a Proto-fiend's exoskeleton, but protectiveness surged up within him anyway. "It was an accident. Besides, I just revived you, why would I want to kill you again?"
"I—"
"Don't answer that. It was rhetorical."
Aogami obediently shut his mouth. Whatever this precious, precious soul wanted, he would do his best to grant. Even if it was his silence.
"Is there anything you would like for us to do at this time?" asked an Aogami Type-C upon reawakening.
The Nahobino paused for a few seconds, then nodded. "I'd like you all to come up with your own names, if that's okay. My Aogami has been giving me your classification numbers as I meet you, but those are so impersonal. And calling everyone here Aogami isn't going to work." They gestured to the crowd of Proto-fiends around them.
Their god's order made sense, especially since there were multiple units of the same type amongst their group. Referring to each other by serial number was not practical for organisms reliant on verbal and written communication instead of wireless data transfer. Their Knowledge preferred the former methods, despite being capable of the latter in the Nahobino's form. (Their preference was the most important point.) Still, for Proto-fiends, this was a more difficult task than slaying a beast or defending a location.
An Aogami Type-9's brow furrowed. "Names? As in…"
"Choose a name that makes you happy," decreed the young god. "Whether it's a proper name or the name of some obscure plant that you have in your database, as long as it distinguishes you and you like it, it should be good."
"We were not designed to be individualistic." One Aogami Type-3 crossed their arms in thought. "May we have time to reflect on the matter?"
"Take as much time as you want."
Aogami remembered powering down as he sheltered atop a destroyed office building, Magatsuhi leaking steadily from numerous cracks in his carapace. The building's upper floors had been blown away in a prior attack by a powerful demon, but he'd judged that high ground and the rubble would conceal him from the demons of chaos well enough. Perhaps someone would discover his husk in the future and be able to reuse its scraps.
Contrary to his expectations, his shutdown had not been permanent after all. A rejuvenating warmth unlike that of any physical or magical heat source coursed through his body, life essence poured into his broken shell until the fissures sealed themselves. Kintsugi in azure and cobalt, it left him more than he once was. His markings shone brightly with a blue-red gradient of light, which slowly returned to the hue of normal Magatsuhi as it circulated within him.
Golden eyes scanned his frame. Finding no further issues, the god hummed to themself, pleased with their work.
He did not fear death, but only upon encountering his Knowledge could he fully acknowledge what a shame it was to meet one's end without knowing one's fated half. He was grateful to them as his savior, and grateful for their very existence.
"Thank you," Aogami spoke, his vocal production unimpeded by disuse and weathering on account of the deity's blessing. "How may I repay you for your assistance?" If the other Aogami units milling around on the rooftop's limited space were any indication, the god should be willing to take him on as a follower as well. They deserved a plethora of servants to wait on them, hand and foot.
"There's no need to repay me," said the Nahobino. "My partner could have ended up in a similar situation, and I didn't like that thought much. I simply decided to set my mind at ease. But if you'd like to come along with me, feel free."
Aogami bowed at the waist. "It would be an honor."
Proto-fiends were not programmed with personalities. They were to be obedient, seen and only heard when necessary. That being said, as a Type-8, Aogami's combat style revolved around inflicting ailments. As a result, he had a comparatively greater amount of skepticism when it came to behaviors out of the ordinary.
Seeing so many Aogami units flocking around this deity, a fervent look in their eyes that he never thought Proto-fiends could display, he wondered whether they could be Charmed or otherwise manipulated. If so, he was soon to follow, was he not? The one presenting themself as the Proto-fiends' Knowledge—for who else could compel them such—appeared stoic, but their eyes were soft and inviting when they met his gaze. He could feel their essence seeping into his pale imitation of a spirit with every passing moment.
"How can I be sure that you have humanity's best interests at heart?" he challenged. Ungrateful as he came off, he wanted to ask while he retained some degree of rationality, clinging to his objectives. Something inside him protested indignantly, insisting that he already had his answer. Besides, what good would resisting a Nahobino do?
[I will share some of my memories with you,] echoed the voice of an Aogami unit from the god's direction. Several of the surrounding units reacted with interest, turning their heads. Was he the first to receive this offer? To question rather than wholeheartedly accept?
He nodded and offered the deity his hand to establish the memory link. As the data transfer initiated with a slight stutter, the presence of the fused being seemed to split near-imperceptibly at its edges before reconsolidating.
A reel of memories were uploaded for him to peruse, each tinged with a soul-deep devotion. In them, a young man and a Proto-fiend fought for their own lives and those of strangers, attempting to save innocents from the clutches of those who sought to use them—sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing, always pushing onward. Together they undertook life-threatening tasks for the happiness of humans and demons, and met moral dilemmas with proper deliberation. Ultimately, they ascended to the Throne of Creation to make the world of their ideals.
Novel sensations accompanied the memories and flickered to life within him. Shock, affection, the fear of loss, true and vivid conviction… The exposure to his Knowledge, even second-hand, had changed him at his core.
He hung his head low. "I was remiss in my doubts. I apologize." His uncertainties had been wiped clean, and having experienced a portion of the Nahobino-Aogami's memories, he was left even more enthralled than his brethren.
"No, no. It was a perfectly ordinary question," his wonderful Knowledge reassured him, tilting his chin upward with a finger to establish eye contact. Having seen the young man's human face in memories, with its charming imperfections, he decided that it tied with the Nahobino's doll-like appearance as contenders for the most beautiful thing he'd seen since his creation.
Aogami units were designed to fuse with a compatible human, forever half of a whole. To have that perfect other half within reach but unattainable, already belonging to another demon, would have driven a natural demon to insanity. It was a good thing that Proto-fiends possessed no such emotion as jealousy. If he had a heart, he imagined that he might experience yearning to an excessive degree.
Aogami Type-10 took a certain degree of pride in his healing abilities. However, as a man-made demon, not even Revival Chant could have restored him to optimal condition after losing half of his body. Stretching his limbs and rotating his shoulders, he could detect no abnormalities. Such tremendous power was befitting of a creator god, and notable for such detailed care, unlike the crude Magatsuhi patch jobs many demons called healing. The Nahobino's execution of repairs in itself may have been directed by their Aogami-half's mechanical methodology, but the tender intent fueling it was human through and through.
In the past, he had met a Bethel researcher who pondered about the influence of "love" on restorative magic. They'd been deemed a "sappy, fantastical" sort by their peers—the kind to converse with androids—and soon transferred elsewhere to contribute to more practical projects. If they were to ever meet again in the remade world's future, Aogami would tell them that the love of a true god certainly enacted miracles.
Aogami observed his fellow Proto-fiends standing silently at attention, watching the addition of a new-old member to their reestablished ranks. The majority of them were attackers, as few support-types had been produced in the first place. If their liege was to lead them into a new world to defend humanity, his abilities ought to be of use. The thought brought him satisfaction.
"You're Type-0, aren't you?"
Aogami had been without allies on the mountain ridge where he'd taken his last stand, so it was surprising to wake up to a platoon's worth of Proto-fiends, not to mention the superior being at their head. For all that researchers declared him "the Aogami model closest to Susano'o," his power was a mere torch to this god's blazing bonfire. Their aura was the raging of waves and storms wrapped in human benevolence and synthetic calm, amplified by the energy of the universe's favor.
"Bethel has given me the classification of Aogami Type-0, yes," he responded. He never cared much for the unique designation; all Aogami units shared the same purpose of protecting humanity. They were simply assigned different, necessary roles in doing so.
"You are the last Aogami unit I've been able to find," the Nahobino stated. "I'm going to remake the world after this. Would you like to join me as well?"
Aogami nodded immediately. As the strongest Proto-fiend created, he was accustomed to leading Bethel Japan's combat forces from the front lines. However, Aogami-types were never designed to lead, with a standardized strategical module across them all, and a tendency toward subservience. His Knowledge naturally superseded the highest authority in his programming; therefore, he was content to spend the remainder of his existence obeying their orders. Irrational as it was, he innately trusted their decisions to be the right ones.
These Aogami units, formerly scattered across Tokyo during Armageddon to defend its populace and destroyed in droves, had been reclaimed nearly two decades later to witness the birth of a new world. The failed Conception would be reversed in the hands of one who—in his biased opinion—surpassed the previous Creator. Surely a human kind and sentimental enough to locate and personally restore them all would improve upon the God of Law's universe.
The Nahobino spread their arms to the sky, and a haze of blue starlight descended upon the Netherworld.
"Young man. May I ask a question?"
"Of course."
"With so many stronger Aogami units at your beck and call… what do you think of me at this time?"
"A unique individual. A person in your own right. My irreplaceable partner, and the one I'll never leave."
"It brings me comfort to hear you say that. I feel fortunate beyond words that I was the one who survived to meet you."
"And I you."