Thanatos flashed into open space above Dendrus IV, just inside of its gravitational pull. Its all-black hull contrasted distinctly against the numerous mirror satellites that still covered the planet. Mirrors which immediately shifted their position and turned Godeater’s reflection towards the vast drogar devastator.As the mirrors adjusted themselves, Raijin split her nanite swarm and diffused into the ship’s circuits and modules and systems. That shard of her consciousness dove into the ship itself and connected to every node possible.Just as Freya filled the ship through a telepathic connection, so too did Raijin, albeit through a purely digital connection. She inhabited Thanatos’ intelligences and engines easily, and in doing so connected to Freya as well.Both of their thoughts and ideas coal

A sense of deepening horror spread across Freya and Raijin’s mind. It occurred to them that their earlier assumptions about Godeater was both incredibly close and incredibly far away. Whatever it was encompassed more than a mere antivirus or antibiotic.They realized that it was actually some kind of complex defense mechanism that was anchored multidimensionally through every universe. It existed solely, or at least primarily, to ensure some kind of balance within every universe.It was literally protecting something that neither of them could fully comprehend or understand - something far larger than themselves. As it said, it was correcting something that was infinite and encompassing.Both felt as though they were infinitely small against a vast presence, as though they were ants standing next to a human.

Freya smiled and waved at the crowd that had gathered around them happily. A few of them crowed on about how they had seen the whole fight (from afar) and were utterly wowed by their capabilities. The others simply thanked her for what they had done in removing the minotaur from their lives.A handful even wept out of some mixture of joy and relief.While she regaled the thankful townsfolk, Lucifer chatted with the town’s magistrate, who was an older, gray-haired man. Though all the townsfolk wore tunics of various earthy colors, the magistrate also wore a loose and flowing off white toga over top of his.He slowly counted out a number of gold coins into a simple leather pouch. Then, when he was done, he pulled on the purse strings, tightened it up, and plopped the whole thing onto Lucifer’s open hand.

After their little fracas with a would-be thief and a shopkeep, both Freya and Lucifer continued to sightsee the grand city laid out all around them. And of course, they snacked on candied plums and stuffed dates as they continued. “Hey, um, before we go and visit the Ravens, how about we enjoy a bit of ‘us time’?” asked Lucifer.“What, you mean like every other day in our lives?” Freya joked. “No no, not like that. I mean, without the jobs and the coin. Just you and me and this city and a whole lotta fun. It’s just that I don’t think we really get to do that often, do we?”“Oh, you mean kinda like a date night?”“Yeah, exactly!” L

Azrael was in deep thought as she pondered what was going on with Freya, even as the three of them walked towards the Forum Romanum at the center of the Eternal City. She just couldn’t place what was happening to her friend.Although she was far from a psychological or psychiatric expert, what Freya and Lucifer told her reminded her a bit about extreme trauma. Many people, on experiencing something so deeply violent or emotionally terrifying often subconsciously pushed away their own memories in an attempt to avoid reliving those moments.Usually to the point of self destruction.Basically, it reminded her of post traumatic stress. Except in Freya’s case, she wasn’t physically or mentally hampered by that stress. As in, she showed zero signs of extreme anxiety or negative emotional reactions.