Abandon

Rudolph has to explain himself.
"I thought I was supposed to have died on that day. It was only after being told what happened in the alpha that I realized you could have saved me, even if I didn't deserve it. You remember the shit I did to deserve that death sentence, right?"

"Rudolph, why do you keep calling it a punishment when we both know your death was judged as heroic?" Schrodinger butts in.

"One act of heroism doesn't erase countless acts of injustice. You should know that as well as I do, Schrodinger."

And then, soon after, she begins walking away.

The quantum clone nudges the blue hole guardian with his elbow.
"Are you gonna let her go that easy?"

No... he can't.

Rudolph reaches out to her.

"...wait. don't leave." He keeps his arm extended. "I, never wanted you to, actually die. I wanted you, and everyone else to live. Why else do you think I volunteered to seal the blue hole?"

"Didn't you just say-" Schrodinger tries to mention before getting cut off by Rudolph.

"I know what I just said. But, despite the fact that I deserved death, you didn't, Noelle. I wanted to make up for all the blood I had spilt. I knew that saving everyone from a disaster would at least get some people to not hate me."
A pause.
"...if you don't want anything to do with me... I'll understand. But..."
Rudolph begins crying slightly.

Schrodinger sighs and tries to comfort his friend. "I probably shouldn't speak for him, but you should give Rudy a chance. He's been alone for a long time, with only the dormant spirit of his father to keep him company. At least before I met him. He doesn't do well on his own at all."

---

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you decided to stay. Being alive is a pretty big fucking deal, and I think you deserve to enjoy your second chance. Miracles like that don't happen every year, you know." Alpha Seth looks up again at the red eye in the sky.
"Let's hope they still have a miracle to count on...."

---

There is a palpable sense of tension in the air as Rid and Chronos continue to argue.
"...YΘU KNΘW WH▲T, I'M GΘING B▲CK TΘ THE MIDDLE OF NΘWHERE. YΘU'RE JUST GΘNN▲ PRΘVΘKE ME INTΘ H▲RMING ΘNE ΘF HER 'FRIENDS' ▲ND WIND UP SUMMΘNING SIR TΘPPEM H▲T TΘ TΘRTURE ME ▲G▲IN." He makes sure to gesture out the quote marks just in case his tone isn't conveyed properly.
He knows that "and all of her friends" clause will probably be used to its full extent so he's not taking any chances.

Rid puts his hands on his hips, standing firm.
"...Fine! And I hope you stay there!"

And with that, the two part ways, the rebellious link seth marching back into the crowd with a huff, and the slenderman just, taking his time turning around and slowly walking away.
He doesn't want to leave Medi behind, but he also doesn't want to get attacked by everyone there. He is the Common Enemy after all.

He stumbles slightly from the pain.
Why does it have to hurt so much to do "the right thing"?

"Maybe you aren't quite like them, but you're still just as deserving of companionship as any of the others. And honestly, how the fuck would somebody know that they were supposed to show up and do something like that anyways?" Schrodinger tries to get his friend to actually say something.

"...I don't, want you to think of it as your fault. So what if... we didn't live up to how the alpha timeline 'should have' went. Fuck the alpha."

"Fuck you too!" alpha seth yells from across the way. This leads to Alpha Seth getting slapped by Thoren, who immediately goes back to listening for Raine.

"need I say more? Anyways... maybe you didn't follow the script, but... you shouldn't be blaming yourself for my death. I knew what I was getting myself into the moment I saw that vision in the clouds. You didn't."
Rudolph waits for a reply, wiping his own tears.

---

Hypnos watches in shocked confusion as Medi and Lycoris begin scuffling over personal issues.
"Medi, no! We don't want you to leave! Please!"

Rid manages to make it back over at this point, still pissed, but mostly concerned.
"What the fuck is this?"

Hypnos sighs. "she's lost hope. I don't know what to do."

"you take the halo, I'll hold her."
Rid attempts to restrain Medi from behind with a simple arm lock. Meanwhile, Hypnos picks up the halo amd puts it away in his pocket. This shit shouldn't get into the wrong hands.
"Medi! Don't you realize she's trying to protect you?! We fucking care about you!"

---

Seth rubs the spot where he got slapped. It's only a slight sting. He could tell Thoren's intentions quite well (talk shit, get hit basically), so he doesn't take any offense to it.

However, it seems like his chance to talk to his father is running out. He turns to face Kat for a moment.
"this is a now or never chance here. I know it's probably a bad idea, but I know I'm gonna regret it if I don't even try. I'm going to talk to him."

And with that, Alpha seth begins briskly walking towards Chronos, who is still somberly limping into the darkness, arms swaying without purpose. Despite the heavy gravity, he can't let this opportunity pass him by.

Rid continues holding her in place with his almost unexpectedly strong arms.
"Medi! I'm doing this for your own good! There's always better options to deal with pain! Tell me, why does it hurt? I want to help you!"

He notices that she's wearing a different cloak from usual, made of pressed flower petals from that fraymotif earlier.
It seems almost ironic that she seems to be hurting the most while wearing something typically of healing ability.

---

Rudolph accepts her embrace, holding Noelle tightly in his arms.
"you're the best gift I've ever gotten."

Schrodinger just stands back and smiles. His work here is done, for now. Maybe he is a bit of a third wheel, but at least he's there in case a spare is needed.
With all the issues his counterparts tend to break down at, it seems his role will be needed around these parts for a while.

---

Seth walks up to his father, and pauses.
This is the moment of truth. he can feel his own heart pounding in his chest. Thoren takes note and decides to makes his way over there as well, following behind Kat and Eniar. He should be there for his brother in such a moment, but with his painful history with the old man, he can't bring himself to go too much closer.

Alpha Seth takes a deep breath before finally gathering the courage to speak.

"...dad. I... want to talk with you."

The slumped yet still towering figure rears its ugly head and looks at the boy before him.
No, he's not a boy anymore. This one is older, more mature.
Not only that, but he's alive.
And, he seems to be in a nonthreatening disposition.

"...WH▲T IS IT."

Seth is hit with extremely powerful feelings, of the bittersweet conflicted variety.
His actual father is in front of him right now. Not just some lizard that tried to adopt him, but the actual man that he is actually related to by blood. It takes him a minute or two to process this. Thoren can also feel the sheer importance of this encounter, though his distance and past trauma keeps him from getting sentimental.

After staring at eachother for a while, Seth finally speaks up.

"...I want to know something. I've, heard that you've found love somewhere. Is this true?"

Chronos blinks twice. How the fuck did he hear about this? Oh well, he might as well tell him. Who knows, he might actually believe him.

"IT IS. UNFORTUN▲TELY, I C▲N'T H▲VE HER. I ▲LRE▲DY FUCKED UP ▲ND I DΘN'T W▲NT TΘ HURT HER ▲NYMΘRE."

Seth is surprised. Did he just, say that he didn't want somebody else to feel pain? Isn't his whole thing about being a self-centered asshole?
Maybe old dogs can learn new tricks?
"...oh."

"MΘCK ME ▲S YΘU WISH, BUT MY HE▲RT WΘN'T STΘP YE▲RNING FΘR HER, EVEN ▲FTER BEING EV▲PΘR▲TED TΘ DE▲TH. IT DΘESN'T M▲KE SENSE TΘ ME, BUT TH▲T'S WH▲T I'M STUCK WITH, IT SEEMS."

Seth looks at Chronos as if he had just now grown a nose. That is to say, confused. What weird alternate reality had he stumbled into? Chronos had a heart? Thoren seems even more dumbfounded than Alpha Seth at this.

"...I guess your timeline was a lot different than mine. The last time I saw you, it wasn't even the same you. The one I saw was being thrown into jail... for trying to steal my body. He spent the last days of his afterlife there until the whole facility got nuked somehow."

Upon hearing the fate of his counterpart, Chronos stands there in shock.
He is privy to the fact that there's one less version of himself out there.
That could have been him.
Considering what he had done to obtain the curse placed upon him, it really could have been his end.
He could have had to face oblivion.

His greatest fear.

"...are you okay there?" Seth waves his hand in front of the shellshocked shadow of a man before him. There is a slight jitter as he quivers in place, blank eyes unblinking.
Soon after however, he snaps out of his fear-driven trance.
"...JUST, PE▲CHY."
an obvious lie.

For both? wait... she still has feelings for-
THAT NO GOOD HEART STEALING MOTHERFUCKER!
What can he even do about this?
After all the shit that's happened?
How the fuck is he supposed to help her if she's still caught in that man's grasp?
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!"
In his frustration, Rid winds up pulling the two of them backwards enough to fall to the ground, Rid taking the brunt of the hit while still holding tight.
Rid has no words, only tears.

Hypnos looks over at Lycoris, still somewhat confused. The chainsaw's memories can only tell him so much.

"Wait, so that's what your deal is? huh."

---

Seth and Chronos continue their talk as their audience slowly grows larger.

"it's... its kinda stupid but... I... I really miss you. After hearing the news about that other you... I don't know. I just..."
Seth is at the verge of tears. Thoren tries to ignore it. His abusive mentor doesn't deserve love of any variety. Even if he did have a heart.

Chronos watches the young man before him trying to hold back his grieving sorrow. His "son". The boy he taught everything he knew. The boy he took in as his own. The boy that he wanted to follow in his footsteps as the most badass motherfucker in all of paradox space.

And he tried to use his body to extend his own life.
And yet, even after that, he still regards him fondly?

It's as clear as day, there is a place in his heart dedicated to him. He should have known.

His own heart is nearly identical after all.

Upon this realization, Chronos can't help but put his arms around Seth and hold him close.

Seth accepts it, tears unable to be held back any longer.

Thoren watches the two of them, just, completely conflicted. Where was this monster's sentimental side when he was training him?
Why couldn't he have ever shown him any love?
It hurts...

He can't be focusing so much on them. He doesn't want to have to endure more painful memories of growing up.
Thoren turns away and resumes focusing on Raine.
At least she loves him.

"I... don't want you to go..."
Rid keeps hold, despite her scratches and his complete confusion on what to do for her.
If she were to be released, she'd remove herself from this realm entirely, leaving him alone.
He can't let that happen, no matter what.

---

Seth and Chronos let go of eachother after a while. Their moods have improved, though the long standing rift between them is far from healed.
It was at least nice for the moment.

"...this, doesn't change anything, just so you know. I'm not planning on doing any of the crazy violent shit you wanted me to do back then."

"DIDN'T EXPECT IT. YΘU'RE F▲R TΘΘ SΘFT FΘR IT ▲NYW▲YS. MY LEG▲CY H▲S ΘTHER ▲VENUES ▲FTER ▲LL."

"...Korous, right? The place I could never belong to thanks to your brainwashing."

Chronos notices the temporic girl furiously taking notes in the crowd, and smiles.
"...YES. YΘU C▲N CΘNTINUE BEING UNIMPRESSIVE ▲S LΘNG ▲S YΘU LIKE, IT M▲KES NΘ DIFFERENCE ▲NYMΘRE."

Seth? Unimpressive???
"Hey, I'm not gonna be a nobody! I got dreams too! Just not shitty destructive ones!"

"TELL ME ΘNE THING YΘU PL▲N ΘN ▲CCΘMPLISHING IN YΘUR LIFE."

"I tell you what I'm going to do. I'm gonna initialize time again! It's been stuck the same date in this realm for far too long, and with my ability to turn The Wheel, I will put time back into order!"

"...YΘU KNΘW WH▲T, TH▲T'S ▲ PRETTY FUCKING B▲D▲SS IDE▲, JUNIΘR."

Junior.

Of course he would call him that for planning a feat like that.
Seth should have seen it, but his eagerness to prove his ambition to his father got the best of him.

"...I don't like being called that. I don't want to be known by others as just your son."

There he goes, still attached to that label.

It seems it's time to tell him the truth.
"...I MUST TELL YΘU SΘMETHING. YΘU ▲RE NΘT MY SΘN, ▲T LE▲ST NΘT DIRECTLY."

Complete disbelief.

"...What? You're kidding me, right?"

"WHILE YΘU ▲RE M▲DE ΘF THE S▲ME THINGS ▲S MYSELF, ▲ND WHILE I DID CRE▲TE YΘU, IT W▲S NΘT FRΘM ME TH▲T YΘU WERE DEVRIVED FRΘM." Chronos produces two photos, identical to the ones her handed to Lycoris earlier.

"THESE ▲RE THE TWΘ CΘMPΘNENTS I USED TΘ CRE▲TE YΘU. USING THE PHΘTΘ-B▲SED ECTΘBIΘLΘGY ST▲TIΘN YΘU USED TΘ CRE▲TE THE FIRST GU▲RDI▲N, IT W▲S ▲ TRIVI▲L M▲TTER TΘ BRING YΘU ▲ND YΘUR SIBLING INTΘ THIS WΘRLD."

Seth wordlessly stares at the two photos before him. His "parents".

Is that... from animal crossing? It looks just like his own appearance in 19 Story.
And what is that tree doing there... With Lycoris?! It's not Elsey, since this one is much darker and inkier. Elsey is a much cleaner girl than the one depicted here.

Somehow though, it all makes sense.
Maybe not the tree, but the rest of it definitely.

Thoren senses the profound meaning and takes a momentary break from ignoring Chronos to also look out at the photographs. He is a Seth offshoot after all. They are his "parents" as well.

"THEY M▲Y BE MERELY PICTURES, BUT ΘNE ΘF THEM H▲S ▲ PRESENCE IN THIS WΘRLD."

Seth immediately knows.
"...Lycoris."

Thoren doesn't know, but Seth knows her well enough that he can get a well enough reading off him to recognize her if he saw her.

"...YE▲H."
whew, close call. Almost got caught on not knowing her name.

"I've met her before. She's... surprisingly nice. She's imaginary though. Unable to exist independently of the one who imagined her."

Their mother is imaginary? It's a bit of a letdown, but at least figmentary beings can last nigh-indefinitely within the dreambubbles, right?

"TH▲T IS TRUE, BUT SHE'S PERFECT ▲LL THE S▲ME. I ▲M PLE▲SED YΘU GΘT ▲ CH▲NCE TΘ MEET HER. THE ST▲BILITY ΘF HER ΘWN MΘTHER... IS NΘT THE STRΘNGEST, I'M ▲FR▲ID. SHE M▲Y NΘT H▲VE MUCH TIME LEFT."

"..."
...or not, it seems.

Chronos looks out towards the direction he saw Lycoris walk to earlier. It seems that she's watching Rid and Medi struggle for some reason.

"YΘU, M▲Y W▲NT TΘ DΘ SΘMETHING FΘR THEM. THΘUGH YΘUR SΘFTNESS M▲Y PREVENT YΘU FRΘM BEING ▲ RUTHLESS KILLER, IT M▲Y HΘLD ▲N ▲DV▲NT▲GE IN THE C▲SE ΘF SΘCI▲L T▲CT."

Seth joins the direction of his gaze. What is even going on over there?
Thoren also examines the scene.

He may not know what exactly is happening, but he does know one thing.
He does have a family.
And imaginary or not, he has an obligation towards that kind person that qualifies as his mother.
He's not gonna lose somebody close to him.
Not again.

"...Alright. I'll do what I can."
Seth turns towards Chronos and pauses.
"...thank you. Maybe you are a piece of shit, but, I guess you at least care a little bit. I'm, glad we got to talk."

"LIKEWISE."
Chronos figures he's always going to be assumed to be a complete asshole. He's used to it by now. Even if it is his own grandson making that assertation.

"I may live my own life, but I will remember you."
"Goodbye."

And with that, Seth begins to walk away.
Chronos waves as that young man goes off to do what he chooses.

A glance not too far away reveals that the peanut gallery is still watching. Most of them anyways.

Thoren joins Seth upon getting close enough.
"So wait. Lycoris is our mom?"

"Apparently. We need to do something to help her though."

The two of them walk towards the struggle not too far away.

"We can't let you do that, mother."
Seth, Thoren, and Kat have arrived to the scene.

The other two seths present are confused.

"...mother? What the fuck are you going on about, alpha?"

Alpha Seth pulls out the picture.
"Us seths were created in her image. In the absence of a natural mother, we only have one of a platonic nature." He turns his gaze to Lycoris. "And you were crafted of that very ideal."

Meanwhile, Thoren crouches to be more at level with Rid and Medi.
"A man once said that art could change the world. You've changed so much through your contribution. You've allowed us to be brought into the world, and for that, we thank you."
There is a deep sense of respect from Thoren.
Rid isn't sure how to feel about this, but he knows one thing. He can't let such an important pair be lost so easily.

Thoren offers his hand where Medi can reach it, even while being held in place. There is a clear sense that he wants to connect.

"Take my hand. I want to ease your pain. I want you to understand your own greatness. I want you to be able to love yourself."

---

Meanwhile, Chronos has found a mirror person standing before him.
And by some miracle, still alive.
He thought he killed them all.

Maybe it's somebody else not from that same meteor?
No... if it were, they wouldn't be standing here with such purpose.
It has to be a person from the mirror meteor.

"...YΘU MUST BE VERY LUCKY TΘ BE ▲LIVE RIGHT NΘW."

and now to wait and see how this person reacts.

Thoren and Medi join hands and a peculiar feeling rushes towards Medi.
At first it seems quite quiet, but, there is a warmth. From afar, the distant emotions of others can be sensed.

Seth's longing resolve.

Thoren's inner strength, coupled with a great desire for affection.

Patrick's renewed hope, actively fighting against a prominent unease.

And Raine's new-found confidence, despite the perilous odds.

With Rid letting go of her, Thoren uses the combined strength of his network to pull Medi to her feet.
"It may take a while, but together, we can help you in beginning to heal the scars that had torn you apart. I promise that we'll be there for you in times of need."

Rid smiles from his spot on the ground. Maybe this is just the thing she needs.

Hypnos tries to make sense of the situation.
The last he saw Thoren, he was trying to steal alpha's heart from his chest in a violent manner. And now... he's offering friendship to seemingly random people, including the apparent creator of his (and presumably every Seth's) supposed mother? Does that make her a grandma? That sounds too weird. She's not old enough for that anyways. Or at least not mature enough.

"Fuck, this is giving me a headache. How the fuck do any of you keep track of this social shit?"

Alpha Seth answers.
"Believe me, it's not easy. But we try our best."

Hypnos huffs at the empty answer.
"So, now that this shit is all 'fixed', what do we do now? Wait?"

Thoren answers this time.
"There's not much we can do, but try to make sure those in the fight are able to perform their best." He looks up to the sky, feeling out for Raine, making sure she's okay.

"You two suck at giving good answers."

"We don't exactly know that much of what's going on here."
Rid tries to get back up. It takes more work than usual, due to the increased gravity, but after some effort, he's able to stand once again.