Softly landing on the quiet, moving airship, Janus inhaled slowly and deeply, gazing around at the vast destruction outside he had caused and feeling his heart sink when there was still no sign of water or marine life present in the now-dead ocean.
Grief crept inside while tightening his grasp on Genitalis, expressing how much he regretted losing himself again. Is his own selfishness worth more than the lives and safety of others? He could only sigh, letting out a small grunt before he walked onboard the unharmed ship.
Rounding around a corner, where the present railings of the vessel lay, Janus rested his weapon on the solid fence and observed the far-distance horizon with his arms resting upon them, silently pondering for a moment before his train of thoughts broke.
A deep chuckle escaped from him after encountering Cthulhu again. "I begin to think that it's his doing for making me feel this way," he said, looking down the rocky surface where many scattered aquatic animals lay freshly dead and decayed. "Yet I can't help in blaming myself for this...all of this." His voice faded while a subtle but genuine melancholic expression appeared on his face.
"It wasn't your fault," Vesta suddenly chimed in, sensing the anguish flowing within him. "You did what you have to do as always," she gently comforted him by giving a motherly reassurance. "The past is in the past, so look to the future for better opportunities." Although she sounded very positive about it, he couldn't look away from his actions.
Shaking his head, "I can't do that, Vesta," he remorsefully said, "this is my responsibility and mine alone; I cannot expect everyone to clean up after my own mess." Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Janus heaved a heavy sigh, "It's true that what I did was wrong and that I can undo what happened, but that doesn't mean I should do it."
The narrator confusedly asked, "Why not?" Not seeing their host's point of fixing it, "you are living god, Janus. Of course you can do what is impossible." This, however, didn't persuade the deity even further, as the young man simply denied it.
"What would the point be if I did that?" Janus answered with a question instead: "It's simply escaping the mistakes or wrongdoings I made rather than confronting them." Standing up straight, he grabbed his weapon and continued with his words, "I will not run from them but accept what I did is wrong." He was a firm believer in facing one's own actions, good or bad.
For him, fixing it because of his godlike abilities without learning anything from what he has done is not the correct way of rectifying the damage he has caused. It is wiser to live with the consequences and learn from them, than to escape them or sweep them under the rug.
Allowing fate to lead him into where his friends are, Janus walked carefully with his treasured spear at his side, saying, "I will grow, learn, and adapt to what this world offers and will stop at nothing until I make things right," swearing to himself in fulfilling the vow.
Looking ahead, he spotted several enclosed buildings with streets and houses alongside them. There were no signs of anyone on foot as the bright lights of the gas lamps illuminated the paved walkways in this now calmed night.
Where the once stormy and harsh weather became mellow and mild as the moon and stars hovered above the atmosphere, Where the city had an unusual feel to it as he looked around the empty houses, there was no single person walking except him.
Which would make sense after the sudden, unexpected storm violently ended when Cthulhu came to visit him. And he was relieved to know there were no dead bodies on the ship. Seeing more of it would add more guilt for him to feel.
Even though the wind seemed to die down, which he found to be comforting, Janus still hadn't forgotten about his reason other than checking if everyone was all right. He must check on Saomi to see if she wasn't harmed or, worse, killed by the hands of that madman.
"Color me blind, but I think this is the first time I am seeing you being genuinely concerned for someone," Culsans teased in a smug voice. "Oh, is this the time that our dear leader has finally realized how much he actually cares for us?" As his remarks became apparent to others,.
"Quiet already," a headache appeared behind his eyes. Janus grumpily rolled his eyes. "We've been together many, many times. How else should I treat you if we weren't friends or allies of convenience?" He retorted while focusing back on the front.
"Hey, hey, what is that supposed to mean by 'allies of convenience?'" Culsans continued, "What is the meaning of that? Huh, tell me! What? Were you pretending to be our friend all this time? Is that it? Tell me, was this all an act all along, huh?" Sarcasm and passive aggressiveness mixed in his tone as he spoke.
Laughing in a low, menacing chuckle, "do not forget that you are part of me," he reminded, "everything you do and say is also mine own action." Turning the corner of the street, he replied, "I would recommend that you stay silent, unless you wish for things to get complicated again," warning him once more about the consequences of playing dumb.
Before he responded with his own opinion, another voice rose within Janus's mind: "Saomi seems like a nice girl." The sudden compliment from a paranoid voice of Saturn was sight to see as their host immediately stopped in his tracks, surprised to even hear that.
"You... trust her?" Janus was a little lost for words. "I never heard you compliment at anyone before," astonished in Saturn's ability to compliment someone out of the blue, "was this truly what you thought or are you saying this for my benefit?" He couldn't tell how much of this was real and not a lie.
As silence took hold for a few moments, he gave an answer: "I think..." Awkwardness was felt in his voice as he hesitated for a moment. "I think if it makes you happy..." His reply caught him off guard; "then...this is fine" was the best he could say.
Another long silence ensued as he was lost in a deep thought. His reaction was not what he expected; to have Saturn start showing trust for someone else other than himself is extremely unheard off. "Saturn," calling him out with his own voice, sounded calm and collected. "Thanks," genuinely satisfied that the old man is beginning to change for the better.
"Don't make a big deal out of this," sounding shyly embarrassed, the paranoid voice within him tried to play it cool. "I was just being honest. That's all there is to it," but still coming off as arrogant, "I'm still wary of her! So don't let your guard down!" His stern and slightly aggressive response showed concern for Janus's well-being.
This brought a faint smile to his nonexistent lips, knowing that they could see eye-to-eye, "I'm beginning to imagine again of having not regretted in being kidnapped and thrown into this surreal realm was worth it in being the present of these mortals." Finding himself lucky, despite how annoying and troublesome it is to have other entities coexist inside of his insane mind, their presence proved to be worthwhile and beneficial for his emotional well-being.
Still, he had a job to do, and Janus wouldn't waste another minute for the sake of Saomi and his friends; he had to hurry in case she was dangerous. He doesn't want to imagine that it was his own incompetence that would get her killed.
Resuming his walk, he didn't contemplate or hinder himself anymore, as there were important things to be done. Eventually stopping in front of a wooden door that leads into a tall building, its arched doorway looked gloomy as the entrance was cast in shadow, and its windows were small but visible lights, and sounds coming from the interiors were all the more obvious.
There are people in there.
Forcing his hand to touch the door knob, Janus prepared himself for the sight. If he saw some corpses laying on the floor, then that would give him another level of shame. But if it's one of his friends, then he's not sure how to react.
However, if Saomi were there, deceased and laying on the dirty floor with her blood slowly draining out of her body, he would be filled with several emotions, either positive or negative. And just this alone makes him both confused and concerned.
Bracing himself for what to come, he took a deep breath before releasing it as Janus opened the door. His eyes widened with horror and shock upon seeing the scene in front of him; time itself seemingly slowed down as his pupils shrank and his irises dilated.
Blinking one again, he realized that it was simply a hallucination as loads of worried crew members and workers stared at him confusedly; some even pointed out with his finger after noticing the weather behind him, "The storm is gone!" An excited voice rang through the crowd, causing them to hurriedly leave the room.
Entering the building and moving to the side, he watched them exit out of the door in joyful celebration. Once all of them had left, Janus shut the door and looked around the interior, as he could no longer see any trace of Saomi or his friends.
The room was large and spacious, with walls made of a dull tan and a wooden ceiling. There were several small windows that allowed the dim moonlight to creep in and illuminate the room, casting long shadows onto the floor.
The room was cluttered with various pieces of furniture, including bookshelves, chairs, and tables, all of which looked worn and dated. Although the air was warm and stuffy, a slight chill could be felt as well, a testament to the fact that this building was still alive and kicking despite its age.
At the far end of the room, there were long staircases that led up to a second floor. To his surprise, the staircases looked clean and well maintained compared to the rest of the room. It seems they cared more for their stairs than anything else.
Just as he was ready to exit after having given up on finding them, he immediately heard the footsteps of a group heading down the staircase, where he just saw himself, looking at his descending companions who were talking with one another about the current of events until Saomi took her attention somewhere else.
"Janus?!" A bright smile plastered on her face after they gracefully landed on the floor: "You're alive!" Running up to him like an overly happy puppy, she proceeded to hug him with a tight squeeze, "Its great seeing you safe and sound. I thought I had lost you."
Feeling a little overwhelmed by the sudden gesture, he awkwardly returned it on his own but wasn't sure how to "I'm good to see you." He answered sheepishly, trying to escape her grasp, "You can let me go now, Saomi."
Blush lightly painted on her cheeks, she released him with a little worry on her face. "Sorry, I was just so glad that I didn't realize what I was doing. Still, it's good to know that you're okay." Relief was apparent in her voice and in her expression.
Chuckling happily, Janus instinctively brought his hand to her tired face and said, "I'm fine, thanks to you," gently holding her flustered cheeks as she widened her eyes in response to the sudden act. Saomi didn't expect this response, and she wasn't sure what to do.
"Mind explaining why you seem to vanish out of thin air?" The captain, being occupied by Bull and Schrodinger, walked together with him, who are currently sharing the same expression as Henry, "where the hell were you when there was a storm going on?" He asked with a demanding tone, crossing his arms together in display, "And why aren't you soaked?"
Retreating his hand away from her flustered face, she embarrassingly walked away while mumbling incorrectly at what was just happening, leaving everyone else behind in their own devices to talk about Janus absence when the entire airship was being assaulted by a powerful storm.
Feeling their intense glares at him, Janus gave up on trying to find a way out of this mess and instead took it upon himself to tell them everything: "I was attacked by someone." The news of this revelation caused them all to look at each other with shock.
"Who?"
They all said it in unison, demanding to know the identity of their new enemy as Janus nodded his head, complying with their demands regardless of how long it will take to explain everything from start to finish, grabbing their deep attention in the process.
