A Not So Evil God In Fategrand Order - Volume 4: Sealed Ends Of The Four Seas: Okeanos Chapter 138 A Declaration Of War

The whole room was silent. Seth was just staring at the bed where Altera’s body used to be without saying anything or giving any signs of moving.

Truth be told, he didn’t know what to think. From the moment she had asked him to let her go, to the moment he did so, only a few seconds passed. However, in those few seconds, Seth thought of infinite possibilities and ways to respond.

He wasn’t a two hundred thousand-year-old geezer for nothing. Seth was aware of what Altera planned and her motives, but somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to deny the request that took all of her to make.

Maybe it was indeed true that he has gotten soft. Still, be that as it may, he would have eventually come to the same decision by himself… or so he thought.

The state of her body… It wasn’t a pretty sight. Seth knew from the start she wasn’t conscious of how really badly she was injured. They could have fixed the exterior with some time, but it would be just for aesthetics. The inside, her Spirit Core, was damaged beyond repair. It would have taken something akin to time powers to be able to salvage it.

Shaking his head at that, he decided to do the proper rites for her passing. Seth might not be one for tradition, and Altera might not be truly “passing away”, but he did so anyway. His job was to help the dead move to the afterlife, one that he actually enjoyed, so it wasn’t that much trouble for him. Instead, it helped calm his mind.

‘It is hard… to have decided that. But then again, every major decision in my life has been the same way.’ Although he had agreed to Altera’s wish to let her die in peace, that didn’t mean the words he said to her were empty.

If he had given it his all…

Seth supposed this was to be expected. It is a cruel twist of fate in some odd way.

He refused to mind control and use illusions on people unless necessary or in a state of agitation. After all, Nephthys got Isis’ help to make him mistake Anjed for an assassin attempting to take his wives’ lives. Something that ended with the death of his trusted friend and caretaker, ultimately unbalancing his being. Leading to the awakening of his more chaotic side.

He refused to shapeshift in his most powerful forms, mainly because he used them in his madness to terrorize and devour the people he swore to protect. Scorpions, crocodiles, snakes, panthers, boars; he transformed in all the creatures humans at that time feared, and made them fear more. He became the terror of men.

And lastly, he refused to use the powers belonging to his ‘bad’ side since it could possibly lead him to another case of madness, even if that were, in theory, impossible.

Disorder, Violence, Confusion, and Chaos. Every one of those Authorities filled his body with all the negative emotions of people. Any normal human would have collapsed due to the sudden influx of so much disgustingness. In the end, ‘he’ awakened. Consciously or not, Seth’s Chaos aspect was the one who did all the things he was now feared for. However, as much as he hated that part of himself, he couldn’t blame it for anything. Sooner or later, that would end up happening.

But… is that refusal the one that caused things to go this way? If losing the people he has come to see as equals is the price for that, then why do it in the first place? Today it was Altera, but who will it be tomorrow?

If this was a wake-up call, it sure left his cheek red from the slap. And the pain didn’t seem to be a fleeting one. A reminder that he had been a heavy sleeper. That the dream was finally over, and it was now time to face the real world.

Still, if he was going to get rid of his self-imposed restrictions, it was best to start with the original one.

Looking at the ocean through the small window in the room, Seth did the thing he never thought he would do. “Let it be known, you who holds the name of Herakles. As of this moment, your body, soul, and spirit are cursed by the Lord of the Desert Seth. If you dare to set foot in any type of sand field, your life will be forfeit.”

Thunder rumbled at his declaration, his reserves dropping considerably as a result of his action. Although it was his first time casting a curse, it was something innate that all Gods knew how to do instinctively.

In the far distance, a hulking figure on top of a ship gazed in Seth’s direction. Multiple hieroglyphics appeared in his body for a few seconds before disappearing as if they were never there.

A low growl escaped his mouth. Even in his maddened state, he could feel it. A confrontation like no other drew near. One that would make the earth shake and the sky to tremble.

The Ultimate Monster versus The Immortal Great Hero.

It was time to complete one more labour, the thirteenth one.

Seth spent the whole night in Drake’s original room. There was too much to think about, too many decisions to make, too many fears to bury, and too many old habits to get rid of.

It after a long while that he managed to clear his head. Now his priority should be to deal with this Singularity. At this moment, there was an additional motivation for accomplishing it.

Sitting up, he started making his way out of the ship. For now, it was time to meet with the other Chaldeans. His priority had been Altera, but he didn’t know how the rest’s situation was.

EMIYA was injured, nothing life-threatening, but he still was. If he, as an Archer, suffered like that, then those who fought at close range would be in a worse state. Of course, knowing the white-haired man, he would have probably engaged with his twin married swords instead of sticking to firing from a distance.

Still, there was no point in thinking about it now. He would see what’s it like once he meets with the others.

What he didn’t expect, however, was to meet someone as soon as he reached the deck of the ship, waiting patiently for him on the heating sands.

“You are safe.” It was a simple statement, but one that conveyed Stheno’s feelings all the same. Truth be told, she had been worried about him when he didn’t come back after all this time. It was only thanks to their Master-Servant contract that she could know he was alive and had not perished in his battle.

Seth jumped off the ship and landed in front of her. He stared at her purple eyes for a few seconds before a hint of a smile appeared on his face, one that didn’t reach his eyes, but was honest all the same.

“It’s good to see that you are safe too.” He patted her head affectionately as he spoke, something that caused a bit of awkwardness in Stheno. She wasn’t used to this kind of treatment at all, especially if she mentioned one of their firsts interactions.

“Aren’t you angry at us?” It was the same question EMIYA had asked, but this time was different. Now it came from worry, whereas before it came from a wish to know his intentions.

“No. She did her best to protect all of you. If I were to be angry, then I would be stepping on her sacrifice. I know I have not the best image in the world, but that is something I would never do.” With a different meaning to the question, came a different answer.

“Yeah… She did.” Just this once, she would admit defeat in the face of another woman. Although the “love” they felt for him was different, it had been a competition nonetheless.

The Egyptian God simply nodded. “That’s right, so don’t feel bad about it. You are not at fault for what happened. Everyone in the world has a role; you just can’t blame someone if they perform not up to par outside of it.”

He knew that she felt some guilt because she couldn’t do anything, but he didn’t blame her for it. Stheno wasn’t suited for fighting head-on, and her skills as someone belonging to the Assassin Class weren’t that great, so there was no point in asking her to fight someone on Herakles’ level and come out victorious, that was unrealistic.

She might not have shown it on her face, but Stheno was inwardly relieved. She was someone who never wanted to fight, and instead let the others do it. While it was true that she did so because she couldn’t be bothered by it, a part of the reason was that she was really conscious of her low fighting capabilities.

“What are we going toEhk?!” The sudden grip around Stheno startled her enough to release a sound many would consider cute.

Seth just picked her up and positioned her on top of his shoulders. Once he felt she was comfortable enough, he started walking toward the place where he sensed the Chaldeans.

“…I thought you hated it when I did things like this arbitrarily,” Stheno commented while looking down at him.

The black-haired man’s lips arched a little upward as he thought over her words for a moment. “I have been kind of a jerk, haven’t I? The subject of my sons and daughters had been a touchy one for a long time, so I didn’t appreciate you calling myself your dad and acting like being my daughter was such an easy thing to say.”

“…But then again, I suppose some things have changed since the last time we saw each other. I guess you could say I had a change of hearts.” ‘…And that I realized I had not set an example, acting like the man that was supposed to be my father.’ He said to himself.

“Oh? Then you will let me call you “dad”?” Stheno jokingly asked with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Seth laughed lightly, appreciating her motives. “Nice try, but you would have to work harder for that to happen. Though you are welcome to try as much as you want.”

“It is strange for you to encourage me on this subject. It feels surreal, somehow. Are you sure you aren’t having a mid-life crisis?” Although she felt a bit glad inside, it didn’t make it less unbecoming of him.

“I am aware I am acting like a different person, and to be honest, it indeed feels strange. However, there is a point in your life where you have to say ‘screw it’ and stop being stuck in the past. I think I have reached that point not long ago. That said, it is plausible I am having a mid-life crisis. Who knows? Only time will tell.” His life had done many twists and turns, creating a ball of yarn that is hard to untangle. Little by little, though, he was managing to accomplish such a difficult task.

Stheno’s grip on his head tightened slightly. “I still think it’s better this way, you know? Being all alone is hard. I, more than anyone, realized that once I lost my sisters. And now that I was able to meet one of them again, that realization did nothing but grow stronger.”

“…Perhaps you are right. Still, let’s stop talking about me for a moment. Tell me how things were with you and the others? From the moment where I left until now.” He would use the nights to think about all that depressing stuff. Meanwhile, during the day he would try to be more… cheerful. Huh, that word and he sure didn’t match, did it?

“Sure. However, it will be a long story. Make sure your shoulders stay comfortable, okay?” Stheno decided to humour him, seeing no problems with it.

“Yes, yes. Just don’t leave any details out.”

The day ahead would surely be a long one.