Book Three – Chapter Twelve – Part One – The Fleeting Touch of a Friend

Momo's tearful voice reverberated as she spoke into the chest of her best friend. She felt the sun warm her unwashed and abused hair. The air she huffed through her nose had been tainted by the awful smell covering her body. Her dried tongue scratched against the arid texture of her mouth. Spit and saliva did little moisten it.

Suddenly, Momo moved her hands to the rocky road and pressed against it. She slowly pushed, leaning up as she shakily got to her legs. Her pale face was sickly, with a nose partially stained with nauseating, green snot. There was a definitive trail of wetness trailing from her eyes that went down her cheeks. Servi happened to look down and noticed her green shirt was darker in a few places. Looking back up, she saw her best friend wobble like she wore stilts.

Servi rushed to stand, wrapping her arms around Momo for the second time to keep her upright. The Singi held on tight to remain standing until she felt strength in her legs. She wasn’t wounded, and she wasn’t physically tortured while locked up.

The reason she had trouble keeping her equilibrium in check was that pure relief poured over every part of her body. It affected the sections of her body essential in maintaining her balance. Her mind had an intense emotional high that made Momo feel better than she actually was. When it came down, and it would in only a few seconds, an immense sadness would wash over her. The words she said during that fateful moment a week prior still had to be apologized for. And since it was those few sentences that caused a week’s worth of horror and destruction, it was going to be the hardest thing she had ever done.

What if Servy only saved me just to abandon me for the hatred I spewed at her? I wanted to be rescued, but now I’m scared she’ll leave me for good… I don’t want that… I don’t wanna leave my best friend, but do I have the right to call her that? I practically betrayed her. Dang it, Momo, don’t think like that!!!

The Singi started it off with a weak breath and a quiet voice that grew weaker as time passed. “I… I’m sorry I said so many terrible things to you. I’d even understand it if you hate me… I knew you had nothing to do with those slavers hurting grampy, and it wasn’t your fault he got injured trying to save me. All of that was my fault. I…led them to our house because they saved me from an animal attack. I didn’t know they were slavers... But grampy knew…”

Momo shook her head, erasing the thoughts in her head that didn’t matter. What happened in the past stayed in the past. There wasn’t anything she could do to remedy the mistakes that happened months ago. But there was something she could do to fix a problem that had the chance to be rectified.

“Servy, I did a terrible, terrible thing back then. I… I’ll never hate you!!!” Momo looked up with a scrunched face, formed to hold back the water clearly leaking from her eyes. She still looked dazzling even while doing that. Her tail had been motionless ever since Itarr put her to sleep before the final battle started. It’d probably be a while until it was back in wagging shape. “Even if a million or billion years comes and goes, I’ll never hate you! I didn’t mean it when I said those things!!! I—ahh!!” Momo became surprised when she felt a hand to the back of her neck. Servi pushed the frightened girl into her chest and rested her head on a bed of pink fluff that had seen better days.

Momo was instantly reminded of the day she saw Servi cry. It was after the press conference the Governor of Canary held to announce the Warden Tournament. It was almost the same. But the Singi wasn't comforting the Human; it was the Human calming the heightened emotions of a battered girl.

“Grampy would be so disappointed in me right now… He told me to find a friend to rely on... A buddy for life to help me when times got rough. He said I should help that friend… You’re my friend, Servy. You’re my very best friend in the world, and I betrayed you. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” she murmured loud enough for it to be above a whisper, but that was all.

“No, you didn’t betray me. I was one who kept secrets,” Servi said. “Everything that happened was because of me. If I had just told the truth from the beginning, none of this would happen… Tell me... Did they hurt you? Did they do anything to you?"

“They made me believe you were dead... That was it... But that's not important!!!! It’s my fault!!! I was the one who ran away! I was the weak girl who got kidnapped!!! All of this is my fault!!! It wasn’t ever your fault to begin with!!! I—”

“Mosie, let me explain,” Servi spoke sharply, like that of a carving knife as sliced metaphysically severed Momo’s vocal cords. Her breath became caught in her throat, preventing the words she wanted to say from coming out of her mouth. “I’ll tell you everything, and I won’t leave anything out. Not even the nitty-gritty things that would make Sakdu look like a saint. Mosie, I want to tell you a story of a girl and a Goddess whose souls became interconnected.”

And so, Servi began to recount the tale of her life. From the moment she awoke in a strange land without memories to the murderous rampage of an army nearly 15,000 strong, there was nothing left out. The lives Servi snuffed out of existence from anger had their story told. The slaves she saved with assistance from a pair of Earth Elves found companionship in the form of words. The horrors they endured were enough to make Momo gag. She wanted to vomit, but nothing came up. Even still, Momo couldn’t believe such atrocities were being committed all over town. And against innocent children, no less.

The one-sided conflict against a troubled man caused by a misunderstanding might’ve been comical to the right person, but Momo strained her ears against every syllable Servi spoke. She hung on to the words like a stubborn strawberry that refused to be picked.

And finally, Servi spoke of the week of hell. She recalled every false betrayal she caused during her stint in the Mafia. Her voice contained no resentment for anything, but she did find it hard to speak about when she whored herself to Carrie. That part was conveniently summarized as ‘an option that didn’t have a payoff in the end.’ It wasn’t a lie, either. That route was just a plan B that didn't pan out.

When it came time to utter the horrors she inflicted on the guards and involuntary workers in the RASP buildings, Momo found herself unable to breathe. It was too horrific, but a part of her wanted to believe that there was no way babies were being held in the basement nurseries.

If that was the case, then that would mean…but that also meant… Then the chaos in Canary… And Nimea? Servi killed him in a battle? Nimea… Momo was so lost in her thoughts that her body had temporarily lost the ability to breathe. If she believed everything her friend confessed as the absolute truth, then it nearly answered every question she had about her.

“And finally, after I rescued you, I had Itarr put you to sleep with Kaasuvuoto. Once you were out of the way, I proceeded to exterminate everything and everyone. Mosie, I was up against an army of 15,000, and I came out on top. Their swords kept piercing my body. Their skills burned my flesh and electrocuted my blood. A wind of prison encaged me in a vicious whirlwind, but even that couldn’t stop me. The one who made it said it could hold dragons, and I walked right out of it. It tore my body up, shredding and spewing my organs and blood, but I didn’t die. I used my immortal body to break through, then used my ring to absorb it. After that, I—”

“Servy… You don’t have to say anymore…” Momo whispered. She looked up from Servi’s chest and gazed into her unblinking red eyes. They contained no sadness or regret or anything of that nature. If anything, Servi looked like she was just talking about the weather.

Was she that broken? Nearly every aspect of her life relied on destroying lives and ending dreams. What kind of person wouldn’t be shattered after living through her life?

“Yes, I do. You deserve to know the truth, and I’m not going to leave anything out. I'm going to lay it all out...” Servi then continued, speaking of the horrors she put Sakdu through and how she found it comical he gave up a dedicated life of revenge by begging a Human to hit him. Roger’s tale didn’t have any theoretics. What use was there in glorifying the end of a pitiful Elf? Next came Carrie, and Servi only said she was the one who managed to getaway. But she did add that there wasn’t any chance of retaliation by either any Mafia remnants or Carrie. “I displayed my power before them. Only foolish morons would ever think about going up against me,” Servi added on. She stopped speaking for ten or fifteen seconds to allow Momo the time to register the series of otherworldly events.

“And that’s the story of a girl and a Goddess whose souls became interconnected. I absorb the souls of those I kill... I use their power to strengthen myself. Mosie, look up, and you’ll truly see what I mean. Words just can't describe it...” Momo slightly jumped when she heard her nickname, but she did listen to her best friend. Her heart sunk to her stomach when she glanced up. She expected to see the blue sky, but that wasn't the case.

“WHAT?!” Momo’s blue eyes took in the sight of an army's worth of Greater Fireballs. Each the size of 30 meters, they looked like meteors sent from the Heavens to destroy the sin-filled planet. Each one carried so much destruction that only a few would be needed to cause irreparable damage to a capital city.

And there were over 15,000 of them. The entire sky was blotted out, and those Greater Fireballs stretched all across the horizon, almost as if they had no end. Then as quickly as they came, the impending balls of fiery fury vanished when the skills were canceled. The vivid sunlight soon found its rays of light unobstructed, meaning they again had the chance to bless the world with warmth.

“Now, do you see what I mean? I'm nothing but a killer who takes souls… It’s like I only have tools and resources available to me that make it easier to kill. What you just saw above us could wipe out Canary thousands of times over... And that’s not even half of my power... I can make 15,000 more... And there isn’t a limit to my power. As long as I kill and devour, my strength will forever grow.” Servi took a breath and asked her Goddess for a favor. “Itarr, I want you to talk to Mosie.” A chair appeared from nowhere behind the Singi. Momo’s tail slowly came to life, moving for the first time in what felt like forever, and touched the chair. She yelped and clung tightly to Servi as words were softly whispered into her furry ears. “That’s just a chair I pulled from my ring. I’m sure you’re tired. It’s a lot to take in, so sit down.” As she said that, a crimson stone tablet popped into existence.

This is all your fault, Momo. Servy wouldn’t have had to experience all of those horrible things if you hadn’t run away. You really are a no good, dirty, rotten, terrible, pathetic cat who only causes problems… The Singi in question thought to herself when she had a spare moment to curse herself.

Momo walked backwards, crushing little rocks under the dirtied boots until her tail touched the out-of-place furniture. She slowly sat down. Her fluffy appendage wanted to warm its master’s waist, but days of neglect made it stiff and greasy and unable to bend without hurting. “Servy, I… I—"

“Before you speak, I want you to talk to Itarr. She’s the Goddess inside of me. Itarr, I want you to show Momo everything. Show her the skills I know, can learn, and the Potential I have to spend. Show her the Forbidden Skills, too. Don’t leave anything out.” Momo reached out to take the red ID when Servi sat down as well. She saw her friend crouch down and bury her face in her hands.

Forbidden Skills? Servy… The Singi looked down at the ID. Its scarlet surface had the same hue as its wielder’s eyes. Suddenly, words began to appear.

Hello, Momo.

“Um… Hello, Itarr. Are…are you really a Goddess?”

I am.

“…Did Servy really die the day before she met me? Is everything she said...the truth?”

Yes, she did, and yes, it is. When it happened, her soul found its way to me. We talked for a little bit, and I explained my situation to her. You see, I may be a Goddess, but I have no memories, either. I was sealed away for a long time, and I wanted to escape. Servi agreed to help me without even a second thought. With her assistance, I was able to leave that foul prison for the first time in 730,000 years. To do so, she had to devour my divine essence—my soul—and take it for herself. When she did that, my soul and her soul became interconnected. We are currently one being.

Momo, I know it is hard to believe, but the ring on Servi’s finger is all the proof you need. I don’t know why, but it is the source of my power.

“…”

Maybe it is better if you see it with your own eyes.

Using her administrator powers, Itarr switched the tablet’s display until it showed the list of skills Servi could learn. Momo’s eyes didn’t know where to look first, but they definitely froze when she saw how much Potential Servi had to spend.

“Wait, why does it say you have 18,572 Potential??? Is that how many souls...” she muttered. Her fingers explored the skill list while sweat poured down her face. If a part of her doubted Servi’s otherworldly tales and Itarr’s recount of how they met, then it was immediately put to rest. Manipulating an ID and purposely altering its content was impossible. They were objects of the Gods and Goddess, and logic dictated only those with power equal to the heavenly beings could change or alter the information they displayed.

18,572 is the amount of Potential available. As for the number of souls absorbed... It is higher than 22,000... The Forbidden Skills are at the bottom, below the Rank 0 skills. Itarr wrote. When the Mafia arrived to set up camp, most of the animals had been kicked to the curb and ran away to find a new place to live. Those who didn't move that far away hurried to get out of danger when the 4,000 Explosions went off. Their instincts told them that the scary noise was an omen for something even more harrowing, which was why they scampered and scattered, choosing to flee rather than fight. Even the dirt-dwelling creepy crawlies wiggled to get as far away as they could.

22,000 souls... That's 22,000 people... No, she said 'higher' than 22,000... Servy's killed... But... Necromancy, Chronomancy, Elemental Control, and even Reality Control? I’ve never heard of these. And Primordial Being? What’s this about a trial? Most of them do say they are sealed...  And she has all of these skills, too.  All of them are at high levels, too. This is...True Immortality...? Absorption... Servy, everything you said was true...

Momo, I’m sure this is a severe shock... Momo laid the red stone tablet down on her lap and looked at Servi. With her head deep into her hands, she looked so fragile as if a stiff breeze was enough to shatter her. She managed to glance up long enough to see an odd expression on her friend's face.

“I didn’t know you had so much buried deep inside you. Servy, why didn’t you tell me? I thought we were friends…best friends… We are, aren’t we? You’ve always been there for me, so let me be there for you.”

“Momo, it’s not that easy to talk about. How was I supposed to bring up the fact that I only have memories dating back to when I woke up? How could I explain that I don’t know my name? I’m just assuming it’s Servi, but what if it isn’t? How could I casually bring up my immortality? Or my soul taking? Or my Skill Stacking? Or my lack of knowledge about Koena, Dwarves, Singi, Elves, and Kobolds? Or the guards I slaughtered after I died? Or the people I killed in Canary? Or the countless others I’ve murdered over the past months? You try to find the best place to bring any of that up. I wanted to talk. I really did, but you gotta understand it was hard for me! I kept thinking about your reaction and what it would be, and I didn’t want to risk it…”

Momo remained quiet, but her body shook when a nadrium dagger appeared out of thin air. Servi continued to speak, unaware that her best friend felt mighty uncomfortable when the weapon danced around her hands.

“I guess I’m nothing more than a monster…… I know I’m a hypocrite, but I can’t do anything. It’s getting harder for me to feel sad or upset when I kill. I even murdered the kids protecting Casa!!! I had all this power available to me back then, and I fucking used it to kill them! I’m just a fucking monster that only knows how to slaughter!!!! I can’t cry… I try, and I try, but nothing ever comes from my eyes!! Even when I ripped them out and waited for new ones to regenerate, I just can’t seem to cry!!! I knew Fisher had a family that depended on him, but I still wanted to kill him…and maybe that's how I still feel!!!! I never should've left him alive! He's the cause of all this! To not be a hypocrite, I have to kill him... I just have to...

“I was even prepared to destroy all of Arcton to find you! I was ready to sacrifice all those lives for you!!! A big part of me wanted to see that damn city suffer through a sea of flames for falling to the Mafia! And that's what I did! I ruined that traitorous city, giving it the punishment it deserved because it didn't fight back!!!

"A normal person doesn't think the way I do. They just don’t!!! The part inside of me that desires anger, violence, and death is growing bigger by the day! It's gnawing at my innards, wanting to come out and feast... Because of that... I'm a child killer... I'm a baby killer... I killed the sick and the poor...and the innocents... Pregnant women probably died by my hands!!! Someone like me doesn't deserve to be here... I DON’T DESERVE TO BE HAPPY! I’m just a rabid dog who needs to be put down!!!! Dying is the only way for a heartless beast like me to atone!!!! BUT I CAN'T DIE!!! I CAN'T EVER DIE!!!! I CAN TRY, AND TRY, AND TRY, AND TRY, AND TRY, BUT DEATH WON'T EVER COME FOR ME!!!"

Servi shouted the words, raising her voice higher and higher until Momo’s furry ears began to hurt. The Singi didn’t cover them because she knew the girl in front of her was hurting far more. When Servi gripped the dagger with both hands and pointed the tip towards her forehead, Momo sprang into action—her body moved by itself with no input from her brain.

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!” screamed Momo, who cried out in pain. The moment before Servi attempted to take her own life, her best friend forced her hand forward, becoming a flesh wall standing between the weapon and its intended target. Crimson splashed down, covering Servi’s shirt and coating her hand in the blood of a Singi. Panic fueled her eyes and actions as she tossed the bloody weapon to the ground.  She gripped Momo’s injured hand, sending 5,000 stacks of Remedium Lux into it.  The skin regrew with startling haste while the muscle and bone reconnected, becoming whole a second later.  Before long, her hand was as soft as it ever was.

“Momo, why did you do that?!?! I didn’t mean to hurt you!!! That knife was meant for my head!!!! JUST LET ME TRY TO DIE!!! I’M A MONSTER WHO DOESN’T DESERVE TO LIVE!!!! Even if I were to devote 1,000,000,000,000 years to make up for my sins, it wouldn't be enough!!!! A MAD DOG LIKE ME DESERVES TO BE PUT DOWN!!!!!"

“SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Momo erupted into pure anger, raising her healed hand to the sky. She brought it down with fury, slapping Servi as hard as she could. The impact was loud and abrupt, like a glass vase falling in a monastery during prayer time. Her slender fingers broke while her hand suffered a fracture, but the throbbing pain was nothing compared to the coarse discomfort Servi felt for hurting the one girl she didn’t want to. The tortured soul raised a hand and softly placed it on her already-healed cheek.

Out of all of the wounds Servi had suffered in her immortal life thus far, that one had hurt the most.

“I WON’T LET ANYONE CALL MY BEST FRIEND A MONSTER!" Momo screamed as tears fell. Her blood ran so hot, not even the sun compared to her boiling anger. “YOU’RE NOT A MONSTER OR A MAD DOG OR WHATEVER ELSE YOU WANNA CALL YOURSELF!!!!! Don’t ever say that again! You saved me multiple times! Would a heartless beast do that?!! NO, THEY WOULDN’T!!!!!!

“You are my best friend! Even though you did those things and you killed people, think of how many little girls and boys you saved from a lifetime of cruelty! There are little Singi with a life ahead of them thanks to you! They get to experience falling in love when they didn’t have that chance before!!!! What about the small Elven boys who can’t even pull back a bow?!?!? If you didn’t rescue them, then they wouldn’t ever experience rushing through the forest and playing tag with friends!!!! It’s because of you that they have a chance to live.  BE PROUD OF THAT!!!"

Momo took a deep breath before continuing. Itarr took that chance to heal the Singi’s hand.

“You did good. You saved those children, you saved me, and you saved Canary-- mothers, fathers, children, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces-- from its impending destruction!!!! Just today alone, you saved tens of thousands of people from the Mafia!! You stood alone against an entire army, and it was to save me, but you also prevent the worst-case scenario from happening!! You deserve to have a chance at happiness!!!  Don’t ever forget that, okay?! DON’T EVER FORGET THAAAAAATTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!” Momo turned her neck upward and screamed as loud as she could. It felt like she wanted the whole world to hear her words.

For the first time since she could remember, Servi felt warm, salty water leak from the corner of her eyes.  She stared up at her best friend. Something inside her essence cracked, allowing her to feel sadness—pure sadness—once more. The strength in her legs gave away, forcing her to fall to the dirty road. She tilted her head up, sending a flurry of hair upwards and allowing the sun to warm her forehead.

An odd sound escaped Servi's lips.

She was weeping. The much-needed noise grew and grew until she wailed like a child. The desired tears just wouldn’t stop flowing from her eyes. Momo walked forward, kneeling down and embracing her very best friend. She held Servi’s head to her own chest, moved her hands to the back of her party member’s head, and gently whispered. “A monster wouldn’t cry like this, Servy. This is proof enough that you’re Human. You have a good heart. You had good intentions. I’m sure if we ever run into the children you rescued, the first thing they’d do would be to thank you for giving them a chance to have a proper childhood.”

I’ve never seen Servi so vulnerable before. Usually, it’s me crying, not her. The last time she cried was over a month ago when she told me about that bad man… She had to of been referring to Fisher. If I take what Sakdu told me as the truth, and then what Servy told me about Fisher, then... No, I have to focus on Servy... Everything else can come later...I told her she’s not a monster. If she still thinks she is, then I’m one too. It’s because I ran away that those people died. If I stayed with her, we would’ve been back in Canary in just a few days. And if they attacked the city, then I know Servi would've protected it. Running away was the worst thing I could’ve done.

The two stayed together for quite some time. It was long enough for a few fluffy cotton-like clouds to pass by under the sun. Shade covered the embracing pair, giving them the privacy they needed whenever Servi’s anguished cries increased in intensity. She wasn’t crying for just herself. She shed tears for each of the innocent lives that perished on her path of destruction.

“There, there... You’ve had a hard time, but you don’t need to go at it alone anymore. I'm right here for you, okay? Those violent urges... I'll help you work through them...” Momo said. Her hands glided through Servi’s sea of black hair, feeling just how soft it was. “Take all the time you need to cry. It’s okay. I know I always feel better after a hard cry. It’s good to just let the emotions run free.”

It was like watching a mother console her daughter. Even Momo thought that, but she didn’t believe she had anything motherly about her. If anything, she was a little bit happy because she was hugging and embracing Servi the way her grandpa used to comfort her. For a meager second, it was like looking into the past. Only the crying was about a broken plate and not the thousands of lives, some innocent, some not, that Servi had extinguished over the past week.

After five more minutes, Servi’s wet eyes became dry. She moved a little bit, prompting Momo to let go and step back. She sat down on the ground in front of her best friend and gently smiled. Servi looked down and sniffled, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. Her red face was turning back to its original pale color.

“Servy, you don’t have to hide anything from me. I’ll accept all of it. I'll even help you through anything you might face... I'll always be there.”

“Even after the things I’ve done? You’re still my friend, right?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t be friends with...”

Servi’s heart sank. Before she could say something, Momo said something that turned the mentally tortured girl into a sobbing mess.

“I want to be best friends with the real Servi, and that’s the girl I see in front of me. I want to know her thoughts and feelings, and I wanna be there to help her because I know she’ll be there for me if I need her support.” She stopped speaking and nodded. “Yeah, that’s the person I want as my best friend.” Momo held out her hand and smiled. “My name’s Momo. Do you want to join my party? We can be the best of friends!” It was the cheesiest thing to have ever been uttered from her mouth, but there wasn’t a lick of embarrassment between the two girls.

Servi held it together long enough to extend a hand that seemed incredibly weak and powerless compared to the one in front of her. “I’m Servi,” she whispered between whimpers. “And yes, I do want to be best friends… I want that more than anything in the world!”

Momo grabbed the shaking hand and fiercely shook it. “Now it’s official! Haha!” The Singi giggled at the absurdity of the situation.

Momo’s chuckles affected Servi, who started to laugh.

“How do you feel?” asked the Singi. She crossed her legs. The little pebbles below her started to hurt her rump, but she powered through it.

“I’m feeling good. Really good. It’s such a relief to have everything out on the table. But you aren’t afraid of me? Even after knowing who I am and what I did? Do you really accept—"

Before Servi could finish her sentence, Itarr appeared in the form of a stone tablet. A second later, Servi collapsed to the ground, bashing the back of her head against a gaggle of tiny pebbles. She laid without moving as if she was a corpse.

Momo panicked and crawled over to shake her friend by the shoulders. A pair of lifeless orbs stared up at her.  “Servy?! Hey, what’s wrong?! Servy!!!” Momo’s crying face turned to the floating tablet, and she angrily snatched it out of the air.

“What’s wrong with Servy?!” the Singi demanded to know.