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Divinity’s a Lie
When she watched Mino kill airo, she knew the north would be next.
Tingz wanted control.
The north refused him what he wanted.
Mino looked so weird.
Like he wasn’t him.
Like during a blackout.
But he was still there.
He was still conscious.
“Mino, we can go back to the north. You don’t need to listen to him.”
She tried persuading Mino, Tingz would never let him go.
Her worry was clearly audible but she didn’t care right now.
She cared less about Mino and more about the fact that Tingz would get what he wanted.
“Sophii, you don’t understand. I’m strong now, different. I killed Airo, Sophii, I killed him.”
Mino stepped through the portal that had appeared behind him.
Tingz chuckled.
“Motherfucker.”
She didn’t curse much but how could Mino be such an idiot?
Tingz looked so fulfilled, like his master plan had just set in function.
She didn’t want to know what it was.
“Everyone, we’re going back to the north. We’re going full lockdown.”
The north was likely Tingz next target, before he went to the overworld.
She was wondering why wasn’t attacking them now but there was no time to think about it.
The troupes started retreating quickly, the site being empty in less than ten minutes.
Sophii was last to leave, making sure everyone was save.
When she turned to leave she asked the question lingering in her mind but she didn’t expect an answer.
“Why are you just letting us go? You want the north to fall.”
The second part wasn’t a question.
She left but not without hearing Tingz answer.
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Not an answer she liked.
Not something she wanted to see.
Not her choice, she then thought.
She just hoped whatever plan Tingz had wouldn’t work.
Deep down she knew the truth.
Back at the north she set up the beacon, making sure no one would get in or out.
If she had known back then…
But she didn’t.
She finished her duties, talking to a couple of her fellow northerns before finally going to bed.
Her sleep ended when one of her soldiers screamed at her to wake up, saying the north was being attacked.
She didn’t ask how or why, she just put on her armor and weapons.
In moments like these she missed maces from the overworld.
Having one was joy.
Freedom.
She grabbed a couple of potions from the brewer and rush outside, people were running through corridors, entering defense state.
Everything was going like she planned in emergencies.
So why did she feel like she wasn’t the one in control?
Calling it dread was too nice.
She felt like she knew with absolute certainty that the north would fall.
Everything she had worked for.
Gone.
She drank a potion of invisibility and took off her armor.
She was used to scout work, preferring it over heavy fights.
Less injuries, less trauma.
She stepped outside the palace and already saw them.
They looked exhausted.
But not to the point where they wouldn’t fight.
More exhaustion from training.
Like they were prepared.
That was bad.
Worse was that she couldn’t spot Tingz.
If he wasn’t here where was he?
If only she’d known then.
She returned and gave her report to the strategy team, they didn’t look very happy about it.
She returned to her room, waiting on standby.
But when someone knocked on her door it wasn’t a messenger from the strategy team.
It was an invis soldier, behind them multiple others.
Among them Tingz.
And to her despair Onii as well.
A friend she had made when she founded the north.
Someone she cared about dearly.
She immediately jumped for her weapon but it was far out of reach.
The promise of safety the beacons gave was a nice reassurance but once it was gone it became a deadly threat.
She felt her shoulder being pulled back, away from the sword.
She grunted, slapped the guard away and backed up.
Just out of reach.
Just enough to be unable to help Onii.
She thought back to when the voidling explained the name she had chosen.
In some language it meant something like sister.
Here it was just a name.
Her shoulder stung, she hadn’t even noticed how hard the grip had been.
Adrenaline truly was a strong drug.
Tingz was just watching her.
What an uncomfortable feeling.
Then he said something.
Sophii didn’t understand it.
“What?”
“Don’t worry. You will see soon enough.”
Bad.
Very bad.
Last time that man had said that phrase he had invaded her empire.
What was next.
“Well, Sophii, I have a proposition.”
“Why would I agree to a deal with you of all people?”
“Perhaps because the one person you care about is in control of the citadel?”
Sophii didn’t answer.
She didn’t need to.
Her position right now was pretty obvious.
“Good. Now, are you willing to listen to what you’re going to do?”
“Fine.”
She didn’t like that.
What she was going to do?
Was he going to have her betray her own nation?
Exactly.
Tingz started telling her what to do.
He told her opponents she had to eliminate.
She was still in disbelief.
This man was telling her to kill some of her friends, even if she didn’t like everyone in her empire or whatever it was, killing these people made everyone else defenseless.
How she knew Tingz, he would either get them on his side or kill them all.
Maybe he would let some go.
Just for the fun of it.
She still followed what he said.
Onii looked disappointed.
But she didn’t care as long as she was safe.
Even if she hated Sophii at least she would be safe.
That was the only thing that mattered.
Turned out Tingz knew that.
It was the first time she saw console, it was on her way to the first target.
She refused to call them opponents.
Because they weren’t.
When the console message opened she got jump scared, it was the best way to describe her reaction.
It had made a bing and the red Interface of the console had become visible.
Then she continued to inspect it and found a line of code.
“Moretingz whispers to you: I could help you keep her save. It’s your choice.”
It didn’t feel like her choice.
In less than 30 minutes she had lost close to everything she cared about.
And now she was about to destroy the last thing she cared about herself.
What an irony.
She had founded the north.
Now she was part of the reason it would get destroyed.
She didn’t remember anything pas that point.
When she woke up, it was outside the palace.
The cool glow of the beacon was missing.
She looked down, standing in front of the beacon.
It’s glass shattered.
Had she done this?
When?
How?
More importantly, why?
She recognized the sword lying next to the beacon.
Hers.
That realization hurt more than any bruise she felt right now.
Than any cut she had gotten during the time she couldn’t remember.
She had finally destroyed everything she cared about.
Congratulations Sophii.
She couldn’t take it.
But it wasn’t the worst thing.
By far not.
The north was tinted in red glow.
She hadn’t registered it as the beacon had demanded her full attention.
Now she turned around.
Everything was ablaze.
The entire palace was burning.
She stumbled backwards covering her eyes but the images kept flashing in her mind.
She couldn’t unsee this.
She couldn’t ignore this.
This was her fault.
All her fault.
All this for one person.
All this and so much more.
So, so much more.
She heard footsteps come closer.
She kept her eyes pressed shut, keeping her hands over them.
Maybe this all was still a dream.
She knew deep down it wasn’t.
“Sophii. Quite the fallout you had with the north, no?”
“Shut up.”
“You don’t want that though, so you. You want confirmation you can protect her. That you didn’t do this for nothing.”
He read her like a book.
It was horrible.
She had grown so dependent on a person that she destroyed her own nation for them.
How pathetic.
Bing.
That interface appeared again.
“Moretingz whispers to you: How far are you willing to go.”
Unlike last time she felt a sting in her heart count.
Not bad enough to be concerning, she had other problems right now.
Like a destroyed nation.
She made a decision.
Tingz was standing behind her but she was confident he was grinning when she gave her answer.
“How far do I have to go?”
It was the beginning of a downward spiral.
Unlike most prisoners she was allowed to roam free.
She wasn’t going to leave anyways.
She didn’t know where Onii was, she just had occasional opportunities to talk to her.
After what had happened to the north Onii looked like she wanted to slap Sophii.
Probably deserved.
Today was another time she could talk to Onii.
Onii had become more distant but still seemed like she couldn’t forget the Sophii she used to know.
She still accepted physical comfort from Sophii and she still listened to her when she talked.
Because just like how Sophii needed Onii, Onii needed her.
Sophii liked knowing that.
She felt disgusted by herself but she didn’t care enough.
Onii was safe.
When she entered the room where she would see Onii she felt slightly nauseous.
She had been drinking invisibility potions to hide her identity, maybe out of shame.
Onii wasn’t there yet so she decided to sit down.
She didn’t feel like pushing her luck.
Or like doing anything at all.
Her day had been exhausting to say the least.
Tingz was planning the relocation to Vis Dei.
She’d call the name arrogant if she didn’t know what it was built for.
She wondered whether the overworld had changed much since she had fallen into the dimension.
It probably had.
Footsteps came closer.
Onii entered.
She looked like she had cried.
Sophii got up, she didn’t want Onii to worry.
Like she would.
She probably hated her for what she had done.
But she still talked to her.
She was safe.
That was what mattered.
Onii hugged Sophii.
She felt bad.
But Onii was safe.
That was all that mattered.
Although she may have brought comfort to Onii she deserved better.
And Sophii knew that.
“Youre okay, Onii. You’re okay. I’m here.”
Did that really mean Onii was okay?
Deep down Sophii knew she was lying to both of them.
“Sophii, I just want to leave.”
Sophii froze.
Onii had never directly said she wanted to leave.
Sophii could tell herself Onii was fine with this before.
Not anymore.
“Onii…”
She felt nauseous.
Not only because of the invis pots anymore.
“Sophii, why are you working for them?”
Onii sounded like she was crying.
Sophii felt the warmth on her shoulder.
She wasn’t wearing any armor but had it available to fast equip.
She held Onii, quietly listening to her sobs.
She despised herself for taking away Onii’s freedom.
That was the truth.
Bing.
It always happened at the worst times.
Like Tingz knew what she was thinking.
Well he probably was.
She still didn’t know what he had done to her hearts but she had just accepted it.
Nothing she could change.
She looked at console.
“Moretingz whispers to you: Do you really think you can just leave?”
“What?”
Sophii didn’t get an answer.
Onii pulled back to look at her.
Her eyes were swollen.
But she saw Sophii.
And she probably saw the way she stared into nothing.
Reading the message over and over again.
What had she expected?
Tingz wanted control.
She had given him a perfect opportunity.
She had been stupid.
A fool.
Onii never had been there for her safety.
She had always been leverage.
And that realization hurt.
Like when she broke the beacon.
This was her fault.
Only hers.
She said goodbye to Onii.
She couldn’t handle the guilt when she looked at her.
Then the relocation to Vis Dei happened.
It was just over the span of a few days but it felt like hell.
Maybe because she was more prisoner than everyone else now.
Even if she could leave she never would.
If she had an opportunity to kill Tingz she would take it.
But only if it was definitive he wouldn't survive.
She needed to get Onii out.
Somehow.
Even if it meant dying.
Even if she had to help create a god.
Not the one Tingz wanted.
A malfunctioning one.
One that could fight back.
One that could kill him.
Only a few weeks later a great opportunity presented itself.
It was the day Tingz raided Mino’s base.
He was using a defense beacon but Tingz did the same thing he had done back in the north.
She found Mino hiding behind a tree.
Without him noticing she stepped behind him and grabbed him, putting one hand over his face.
She was purposefully blocking his breathing circulation, trying to get him to pass out.
She would’ve just hit him in the neck but the armor was preventing that.
She hated it.
So much.
She had really liked him before he had killed his friend.
And then stuff happened.
But she didn’t believe he had been in control.
Her flow of thoughts was disturbed by an elbow being rammed into her ribs.
She grunted but didn’t let go.
Mino was scratching her arm trying to get out.
She was using strength.
He wasn’t.
He had no chance from the beginning.
Mino was losing.
He knew that.
She knew that.
He dropped something just before he lost consciousness.
She caught him and picked up what he had dropped.
She froze.
A flower.
Like the one his friend had worn.
Did he regret it?
She didn’t know.
She heard someone shout at her, they didn’t seem to know who she was.
Good.
Not good actually.
She recognized the man pointing his sword at her.
Someone she had known from before.
Someone known for killing a lot of people.
More than her, Mino and Tingz combined.
And considering mino’s and her kill count that was already a lot.
But Tingz’?
There were levels of madness and Dade had reached almost all of them.
Except for the levels of absolute insanity the admins had.
That didn’t mean much.
He glared at her.
“Don’t come closer or I’ll kill him.”
She was just gambling.
“Sophii?”
Great.
He recognized her.
That meant he knew she would do it.
If she still was who she used to be at least.
He wouldn’t take that chance right?
He didn’t.
Dade lowered his sword, blood still dripping from the tip.
She saw scattered bodies from a smaller squad but focused right back at Dade.
If she handled this correctly she could bring in both of them.
That’d be bad for them for now but in the long-term it could give Mino the ability to decline orders.
At least she hoped so.
“Dade, I need you to come with me. We don’t want Mino to get hurt, do we?”
“How do you know-”
She cut him off by launching forward and throwing a potion of weakness.
She held her breath and quickly left the impact area but Dade was affected immensely.
She saw his movements slur and he was struggling to stay standing.
She potted another potion of strength and dragged both of them to Tingz’ location.
She dropped them off and not long after a guard carried them to a bunch of horses.
She had missed those creatures a lot more than she had thought.
Not as much as dogs though.
She had one back at Vis Dei, it was the guard’s favorite.
She put on her elytra, one she had gotten from Tingz, and started vertically.
She flew towards Vis Dei, subconsciously hoping for a message from console.
It was the only thing that kept her from completely blaming herself.
She almost like the sound by now.
Bing.
Her hopes were fulfilled.
And at the same time they were shattered.
It just confirmed it was her fault.
“Moretingz whispers to you: Good job, Sophii.”
“…thanks.”
She just assumed Tingz could hear her, he somehow always did when it was somewhat important.
But there were also plenty things he didn’t know.
The one good thing.
But maybe he did know and just didn’t care.
As long as he left her alone.
She landed and waited in the throne room.
When Tingz arrived he dragged an unconscious Dade behind him.
Strength particles were radiating off of him, he looked annoyed.
She quickly saw why.
He had a major cut spanning over his neck and chest.
She thought about killing him but he interrupted the thought before she could finish it.
“Don’t even bother. You wouldn’t be fast enough, Sophii.”
Instead of trying her luck she took out a healing potion and gave it to Tingz.
Shortly after he sent her to get Mino.
Not great.
Not great at all.
She thought back to Dade and got Mino.
He looked so desperate.
Just like her.
His best friend in his enemies control.
Just like her.
He’d be under Tingz’ control eventually.
Just like her.