Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

Interlude- Month 4, February

Afternoon in February.

"Here you go." Cirrus puts a large buck on the table.

Thud!!

"Wonderful! Excellent shot! Right through the head! Now let me just process it." Artemis said this with a smile on her face and a knife in her hand.

Cut!! Cut!! Cut!!

Shave!! Shave!! Shave!!

Spurt!! Spurt!! Spurt!!

Cut!! Cut!! Cut!!

Artemis butchered the buck with the same speed as before. The way she uses the knife was like art, as she skins the buck and takes out all of its usable parts all within 2 minutes.

"It never stops to amaze me how easily you carve up an animal."

"After doing it for so long, it’s like second nature!"

Artemis turned to him with blood lightly sprinkled on her, a bloody knife, and a happy face.

‘… I can see her as a yandere. A very scary one.’

"Well, just make sure to put it in the freezer."

"Of course, I will after I dry it out first. Ooh! We have some peppers and dry rub! In the pantry!" She walks off.

"Mmm… Yeah, I’m going to find Ai."

Cirrus goes to the living room to find Ai sleeping on the couch.

"Zzzz… Zzzz…"

Cirrus gently lifts her head and puts her on his lap. Much like how she always comforts him, he does the same to her. He gently strokes her hair and ears as he rests his arm on the couch's armrest.

Crackle!

Crackle!

The wood in the fireplace cracked, giving off warmth.

"Fuu~," Cirrus let out a deep breath. "Hmm. I’m a bit tired. Maybe I should rest my eyes for a bit."

He closes his eyes and falls asleep.

"Dad! Dad, get up!!"

"Hm huh—what!?" Cirrus’s eyes shot wide open. "Wats going on!?" He looked around and saw three children.

The biggest was a beautiful girl with hair as pure as snow and fox ears with eyes like emeralds. She gave off a very upbeat and tomboyish vibe.

The second biggest was a boy with black hair, emerald eyes, tan skin, and pointy ears. He held an androgynous beauty that reminded Cirrus of his early childhood.

Then the smallest and youngest was a girl with gold hair, emerald eyes, and pointy ears.

"Are you okay, dad?" said the half-elf boy.

"Um… Hmm." Cirrus puts his hands on his head. "I’m… Trying to think. Sorry, I’m still a bit drowsy."

"Then will a hug help dad!" said the white-haired, fox-eared child, hugging him tightly.

"Oof!"

"See, while **** is in Yamato, your favorite daughter is here!!"

"Oh, um, thank you—"

"Are you tired, dad?" said the half-elf girl. "Am I not your favorite?" she said, with some tears beginning to come up. "It's not fair! ***** always try to hug you!"

"I… I well um... I have no favorites, okay? So… um okay… Um…"

He couldn't think of her name.

"!" The white-haired girl looked up at him. "Dad! Did you forget our names!? It’s—"

"Cirrus."

"Hmph!"

Cirrus opens his eyes to see Artemis's standings before him.

"Oh… Art. Hm… I was just having this dream... It was… Hm? It’s foggy?" He rubs his eyes.

"Dinner is ready. Hecton and Fafnir helped cook the meat. Those worrywarts. I swear Fafnir would have burned it whole just to make sure it’s safe for me to eat."

"We just didn’t want you to get sick!!" shouted Fafnir from the kitchen.

"I know how to cook venison!! I’ve been cooking it long before you were even born!!" She looked to Ai. "Ai I know you're awake; your tail is wagging."

"… No I’m not." She said this while still being petted by Cirrus.

"It is something that you pet Ai out of reflex?"

"Guess I’ve been doing it for so long it’s instinct," Cirrus said, stretching.

"Well, get up. We have fresh venison!"

After dinner, Cirrus sleeps with Ai and Artemis in his arms. He has another odd dream.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Fucking die!!!!!"

He dreams of himself in an epic battle.

"Hecton!!!! Fafnir!!!!"

He dreamt he was fighting an immolation dragon in purple-black flames with a body so massive its wing could block out the sun from Orario.

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Sir!!!!!!"

Hecton grabbed its tail with all of his arms in his full form. He slammed it to the ground, shattering miles upon miles of land.

"Master!!!!"

Fafnir dove like an orbital bombardment.

He watched as Fafnir rained down massive spears of earth, shooting at the dragon.

The attacks struck the dragon’s wings as it used them to block.

"You fucker!!!!!!! Stab!!!!"

Cirrus had stabbed it in between its scales.

"!!!" He could feel his body burn and get far, far slower as if his veins were being clogged by something thick.

The next thing Cirrus knew, he found himself on the ground.

Pitter-patter!!

Pitter-patter!!

Pitter-patter!!

"Ahh…" He said it weakly. He looks up as a familiar blinding white light comes down. "Oh… N… ox—"

"Gasp!" Cirrus’s eyes shot open.

Thump-thump!! Thump-thump!! Thump-thump!! Thump-thump!!

His heart was racing. He looks to see Ai and Artemis still asleep.

‘The pregnancy made them heavy sleepers.’ Cirrus slowly gets out of bed and leaves his bedroom. 'Fuck. These dreams...'

He goes and sits by the window in the living room. The peaceful space was just what he was looking for to calm his nerves.

"Haa." He leans his head back. "Hecton, Fafnir, Vesta."

All three of them appear before him.

"Yes, sir/master/Cirrus." They all said it at the same time.

"… Tell me, do you guys think that... Dreams can be prophecies?"

"We do not know sir/master." Hecton and Fafnir said.

"Hmm… Given that, that Cassandra girl has that ability, it wouldn’t be off if you had it, but you have no such skills?" said Vesta.

"Well… Today I had two odd dreams. I can’t quite recall them. They're always hidden by a fog that is at the tip of the brain. It’s so tantalizingly close it frustrates me; I can’t remember."

"Hmm… Maybe it is due to becoming 1/3rd god? I mean, you absorbed Elpis—er, half of it."

"Hmm…" Cirrus gives it more thought. "Tell me. Have I changed in any way?" He looked to the three who are always with him.

"Hecton?" Vesta and Fafnir turned to him.

"You have known Master the longest, Hec," Fafnir said.

"Sir, I have noticed you are more... ‘Godly’, in a sense." Hecton answered.

"How so?"

"You are far laxer in your attitude. It reminds me of the gods we walk past in the Red Light District."

"Isn't that what you wanted from me?" He looked to his three loyal companions. "To relax, given how much I work?" He glanced at Vesta. "Well?"

"Yes, but it seems that the pesky nature of a god in you, as little as it may be, it is showing effects on you under the surface." Vesta responded to his glance.

"... Why can't anything just be fine?" He rubs his temples. "Everything's got to have an ulterior motive or effect." He rests his arms on the armrests and leans back on the chair letting out a deep sigh.

"It has been four months since you learned you are going to be a father. One of your children will be the world's first Demigod. So I suggest, now armed with this knowledge, preparing a magic item to hide the child from the world, contrary to my previous words."

"You are right. I need to assure—eliminate any possibility of their discovery."

"It is very nice that you are finally relaxing, but it seems you need a good balance of relaxation and work."

"Tch. AmAzInG." Cirrus said sarcastically. "... So if I lean more towards my humanity, which is working, I could possibly stop having these odd dreams?"

"Most likely. That is my best guess." Vesta said, shrugging her shoulders. "To be a god is to be whimsical in your choices, regardless of the choices, but to be human is to struggle or die."

"… That blows."

"Say, Vesta, speaking of gods and Demigods," said Fafnir. "I wanted to ask you how gods are born. Or even if they are considered born?"

"Yeah, that is something I have been very curious about. I asked Artemis once, and she immediately left the room with a red face." Cirrus said with an eyebrow raised.

"... We do not talk about this because... Well," Vesta's face also slowly turned red. "We don't know. As in, we once knew, but then erased it from memory. Whenever we try to remember it, a deep feeling of embarrassment washes over us."

"Then all the gods erased their memories of their creation, or possibly their consciousness?" Hecton said.

"Yes. But I can tell you how the gods are reborn! It's rather beautiful in a artists kind of way!" Vesta said, a bit enthusiastically.

"Alright, shoot," Cirrus said, listening intently.

"Well, first their domain in Heaven gets sucked into itself and then implodes like a dying star before massive amounts of Arcanum begin to grow and form before the implosion just explodes, reforming the domain as a blank slate with the god or goddess standing. A white, featureless thing. Then that said deity begins to paint themselves, slowly gaining more features as their domain also gains features and texture from their god's metaphorical brush. Then, at the same time, the god and their domain are fully reborn. I have seen it a few times, and it has never stopped being an experience to witness the rawest form of that deity shape themselves."

"... Damn, I kinda wanna know too."

"Hm! Hm!" Hecton and Fafnir both nod in agreement.

"Oh. Vesta, can I ask you something?" Cirrus said.

"Depends on the question."

"My soul... is there anything else I have to take into consideration about being a quarter god?"

"Aside from what we talk about, not many—Oh, there is one thing."

"What is it?"

"Well, Freya already told you back when you met her that winter day after you laid with Ai. Gods are susceptible to the strings of fate, even more so than mortals."

Cirrus's expression grew with concern.

"Then is that applied to me?"

"... Yes. I should also tell you that there is something attached to your soul."

"!!" Cirrus' eyes widen. "What is it?" He gripped his chair.

"Strings. Ananke strings."

"Ananke... strings?"

Ananke is the personification of inevitability, compulsion, and necessity. Their power is so great that both men and gods alike pay her respect. She is a being that can influence anything.

"Yes. She is the Supreme Goddess of Heaven. An existence that even Nyx and Ouranos bow their heads to in both fear and reverence. She commands that level of awe alongside her companion, Chronos, not to be confused with Cronus a whole different god. They watch over all of Heaven. Saying it out loud, I suspect maybe it was Ananke who put you in Nyx's path."

"I don't like that." Cirrus's chest felt heavy. "I don't like that at all." His eyes narrow with anger. "I feel... like a tool. A literal puppet dancing along another's whim." Cirrus gets up and walks around.

"Cirrus it—"

"Vesta, do not tell me it's no big deal, or it's not important. God fucking dammit." He combs through his hair with his fingers. His heart was racing. "I need some fucking fresh air."

Cirrus walks out the back and into the woods.

Fafnir remained behind as Vesta and Hecton left with him.

"Cirrus." Vesta said solemnly.

"..." Cirrus didn't speak. He just kept walking into the woods barefooted.

"Cirrus!" Vesta said a bit louder.

Cirrus stops and tosses several Sound Eaters into the trees, nearly going through them.

"... I remember what Nyx said. She said, " His words were laced with a sense of defeatism. "I will have four children."

"You lied to Ouranos?"

"No, I just didn't bring it up. This fact—I always thought seeing into the future was never 100% possible. Actions are taken in the present armed with the knowledge of the future, which changes it. You know the whole captain of your own fate kind of shit. I should have known such things would happen. Knowing Ananke has—is the one who probably led to me being reincarnated, I... I don't know how to feel about that but hollow." A dark and sad expression stained his face. "I'm not the captain I am a passenger."

"How is knowing Ananke any different from Nyx?"

"Because Vesta, Nyx isn't the god of fucking fate!!!" Anger now mixed into his voice. "Okay!! Nyx doesn't have the power to direct someone's fucking fate!! Even the gods aren't immune to her!! When Nyx told me she plucked me for a purpose, I thought, 'Oh, that must be the most likely path I would take!'. Like I had agency in my actions! A sense of-of... I don't know! Control over my life! That my choices were my own and that they hold meaning! Okay! I..." He takes a deep breath and calms himself. "I feel as if I have no real freedom. That all of my choices were not my own is if I'm a robot."

"Cirrus, I can assure you that you're making it out to be far bigger than it seems."

"How so? Should I not feel bad for the innocents I killed during my campaign against the Vritra Familia since I was predestined to do it? Should I not feel proud to have built a city and brought peace to a war-riddled nation? What of Ai or Artemis? Did they fall in love with me, or was it fate that made it so? What if that was the other way around, huh? What if I fell in love with them because of fate? There is... so much I am questioning now, Vesta. I... I feel like my life has been set up to do what fate or destiny wants of me."

"... Did Nyx tell you more about your fate then just your kids? Is this why you are reacting this way?"

"I should have asked what she meant by my kids handling the Spirits in the Dungeon and Primordials. I should be the one to do that. Not my kids. Children should not inherit a world of conflict. But the nail in the coffin was Ananke. I was sure enough that my children have the freedom to be who they wish to be. But what of my and Artemis' child? Would they be bound by fate by her godly heritage?"

"There is nothing I can say, Cirrus. What is done is done. I wish I could say you can fight against fate or that fate doesn't define you, but... I have not lied to you, Cirrus. I have not spoken a single lie. But this is the price for being so close to godhood. The price—"

"—For being a hero." He looked down at his feet, and his fingers curled up into fists. "I know I shouldn't cry. I knew the consequences of taking on the title of Hero. Epimetheus shouted it at me several times but I took it as metaphorical. Vesta. Is there really no way to try and break free?"

"You are asking me how to break free from one of Heaven's almighty goddess? A god who is the literal personification of inevitability, compulsion, and necessity. Her?"

"Is there a way? What of Elpis? You said it could bring out the zenith of anything. So if Nox were to return, would Elpis be able to cut the strings of fate?'"

"I do not know Cirrus. Elpis' powers are unknown. But given that it is the most likable reason how you did the impossible, I would wager that is your best and only bet."

"That is good to know. I do not wish to let my children carry on a job I am supposed to do. A job I promised Ryuu. A promise I need to do for the Familia I left."

"Are you afraid of what this fate lays before you if Nox does not reincarnate?"

"..."

Whoosh~

A soft breeze passes by them.

Cirrus loosened his fingers, and the tips of his fingernails had some blood on them.

"Fuuuuu~" Cirrus breathes out a long breath. He then looks forward and walks.

Cirrus walks forward, not saying a thing.

"Sir?" Hecton quietly spoke up. "Are you—!"

"Cirrus are you—!"

"No more talking." His voice was gravely and coarse.

Both Hecton and Vesta could see the resolve they saw in Cirrus back in Olympia. They dared not speak a word.

It was growing with every step he took as he walked deeper and deeper into the woods before he arrived at a river.

"... Be happy. That was Epimetheus' last words." Cirrus slowly walked into the cold river, its currents trying as they will, but couldn't push him. "But a happy life is not one you can find, but one you make."

Hecton and Vesta remain silent, watching what Cirrus is doing.

"The fear of death follows from the fear of life." Cirrus keeps walking into the freezing river, the water now reaching his hips.

The resolve in Cirrus's eyes only grows and grows, solidifying in a satisfying smile.

"A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time." He then fully submerges himself in the river.

Bubble~

Bubble~

Bubble~

Under the water's surface, they see sparks of white. Steam came off the water as the sparks got closer to the surface.

Splash-crackle!! Crackle!! Crackle!! Crackle!! Crackle!!

Cirrus came out of the water wreathed in white electricity, along with resolve from this baptism.

"I am still human. To be human is to struggle, to fight tooth and nail. Whether I can keep my promise to Ryuu, I will sure as fuck give it my all. Even if fate is unbreakable, then I see no better reason than to perish in attempting the great and the impossible. I am a hero. Impossible is something we are supposed to overcome. Even if Nox does not return in time, I will face my fate head-on."

"Then we will be there." Hecton emerged from his shadow and knelt before Cirrus.

"Yes. There is that human spark." Vesta made a light smile, kneeling in the air. "Till the end of this road, Cirrus. I shall be by your side."

Cirrus was determined to struggle to the very end. He was going to enjoy every day from now on. If fate has judged that he will have four children, then he will love them wholeheartedly as much as their mothers. If he was to die, he would die a beautiful death on his terms.