Alma
/ Alma 133 Back In The Saddle
A small contingency plan they'd devised back during Reed's trainee days. Had the impossible happened; an unforeseen calamity take them out, he'd still have the necessary knowledge to continue walking down his path unhindered by their deaths.
Some might've called their back up too hasty and superstitious, given how immature Reed had been at the time, but both of them knew better than to rely on the whims of fate.
While Reed had slept, they'd slowly gave his slumbering, injured soul the general gist of everything that it'd need to know in for the future. Had both of them died, Reed's soul would have carefully revealed bit and pieces in the form of prophetic dreams and visions to guide Reed along his destined path.
"I know how it fucked up it sounds, but the truth. I would have guided you forward until you reached this place, even if they weren't around to motivate you," said the enormous face with an awkward expression. "But you're here now, so it's all good. ...No harm, no foul, eh?"
"...No, that's still pretty fucked and you know it! That's a step below straight-up brainwashing me! Implanting knowledge and then hiding it from me?! And as if to add insult to injury, you were in on it too, you giant piece of shit! What in the FUCK is wrong with you?!"
"I keep telling that I'm you, rat-brain!! You played yourself, dumbass. And why does it even matter? You trust both of them, right? They've proven themselves time and time again that they're working your sake.
Unlike you, they've kept their word as promised. Can you say the same, fuckwit?
When have they ever hurt you or acted against your best interests, huh?! Give me a single example and I'll apologize."
Reed trembled in anger but in the end, kept his mouth shut. He had nothing to say.
"...Uh-huh, that's what I thought, you ungrateful turd. I do understand where you're coming from, though. No one wants to have secrets kept from them, especially by their loved ones.
But you have to understand, you were far too young and immature at the time to handle the kind of shit they knew about you, him, the Infestation, and well, everything.
Look at your previous, irresponsible actions and try telling me you were ready to handle the truth back then. Shit, even now, you're still only half-ready, at best. You've grown some, I'll admit that, but you're still lacking compared to Lu'um, Lacrima, and Him."
"What's that supposed to mean, asshole? You're me! I'm not even sure whether you're telling the truth about being my source of will. You're supposed to be on my side!" said Reed. He was getting tired of listening to the sound of his own grating voice.
"I'm your SOUL, you rat-brain! Why can't you get that through your head?!! I'm the raw, unfiltered pure stuff that makes you unique! That also means that I can't FUCKING lie to you, either!
Ever seen gravity lie to itself? Have you ever thrown an apple up in the air and it just never came back up? No, right? It's the same goddamn principle between us, too!
I spit facts you've accepted as truths, which means you've already accepted your inadequacies at some point in time. Do you know what you are right now?
An angry dog chasing its own tail in a circle, thinking its a separate entity from itself. You're getting mad at yourself, screaming at your own reflection like an idiot.
...Man, you're really pathetic sometimes, you know that? I don't even know what both of them see you."
Reed crumpled onto the floor and let a long sigh out of resignation. He felt exhausted. He couldn't deal... with himself. A part of him couldn't accept that this was his soul, who he was at his core.
"Unlike you, I'm honest because it's in my nature to be true to myself. I can say the stuff you've buried in your heart, but can't say because you're still too immature and cowardly."
"...Look, just tell me why the bastard stopped lending me his powers all of a sudden. Why my answer was good enough for him. I'm sure you can explain that to me, right? Or is that too much to ask?"
The enormous face rolled his eyes and said, "Because he's a pompous little prick, that's why. The failure thinks that your reason for fighting is too frail and mundane, even though his reason's no better, despite what he's deluded himself into thinking.
You're right, Reed. That's pretty much all you really need to know. Don't believe his lies.
It's a million times better to take a stand for the ones you love than to move forward because of revenge, like that no-good manchild. He talks big about the greater good, salvation and all that nice, golden stuff, but he's just deluding himself.
You tell him to go fuck himself when you see him and tell him to shove his holier-than-thou bullshit up his lying ass. If he really was the person he claims he is, then none of this would have happened... He wouldn't have made her suffer the way he did."
For the first time, Reed felt genuine hostility from the enormous face and he recoiled in surprise. It had a disgusted, furious expression that made Reed sweat bullets in fear. He didn't even know that he could make a face like that.
"...Anyway, we've got shit to do. The fight up there's getting rougher by the minute. I don't think that she'll be able to hold him back for much longer... It's time we get this show started, partner."
"Wait, wait. What are you talking about? A fight? Where? Wanna repeat that again for me? ...I'm pretty sure I misheard that."
"Lacrima's fighting that bastard up there. You know, reality? That place where you live? She's holding the fort for us, keeping Him out of your body so I can enter the Mark of Responsibility. Who do think was protecting you, huh?"
His mind went blank for what seemed like forever. Reed stared at the enormous face with a stupid expression and said, "...Huh? W-What did you just say?"
"Don't get all excited, rat-brain. She's just a wisp — a short-lived copy of the real thing — so it ain't the real deal. That little copy was sealed within the stone heart and is the one who helped you come down here."
"H-How?! I thought she was dead?! What's left of her was and should still be back at Citlai?!! It doesn't make sense!" said Reed, his mind running at a hundred miles an hour.
"Don't think too hard about it, rat-brain. You aren't ready to learn the 'hows' and 'whys,' yet. But I promise you that in time, you'll understand. Hell, one day you'll even have a part in the Grand Ruse... they set up."
Oh, for the love of...! Even I've started doing that cryptic talk, too? Have they really rubbed off on me that much with me knowing it? Goddamnit.
Reed groaned weakly and said, "...Alright, fuck this. I'll sort this out later. Let's just get this over with already. Tell me what I have to do so when we can end this... mess."
"I thought you'd never ask," said the enormous face. It suddenly shrunk down and turned into a perfect, illusory copy of Reed and floated down until it landed in front of him.
"Listen, this is gonna feel really weird, okay? Don't resist it, no matter what or else... well, I might fuck this up for both of us."
Uh, what? Hello? Did I hear that correctly? What—
The instant the copy touched Reed's chest, the enthronement began. Swirling tendrils of light latched on the illusory copy of Reed and started to drag it into the distorted Mark of Responsibility, as if it had been waiting all along.
"Uh-Ohhh! W-Whoa, holy shiiii—"
The clone let out a terrifying scream before he disappeared. A flood of light continued to pour out of Reed's chest until it engulfed everything around him. They were gone.
Far up above, the two phantoms continued to bitterly fight until something caught their attention. A massive, lurching wave of Anima suddenly passed them and knocked them out of the air for a brief moment.
They both knew what was happening and what that mysterious, abrupt wave of Anima meant.
"NO, GODDAMNIT!"
He rushed toward Reed's unconscious body at fast as he could in a desperate, hail mary attempt at stopping the process that'd begun.
...But it'd already been too late. At last, he'd gotten what he deserved.
The moment he reached out for Reed's chest, his vision went suddenly black. Not because of some mysterious happening or grand force. No, something much simpler had gotten him.
A clenched fist. It barrelled at his face and struck him clean, knocking him aside like a rag doll.
"Ahh, that felt good."
He was a free man now, no longer shackled to his former master or his past guilt.
Reed was back.
Chapter end
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