Factory Reset: Divine Corruption

Chapter Ninety-Eight

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Damsel

The feeling aboard the Divine Intervention was a mixture of hopeful pessimism, and heart-wrenching worry. The easy part was out of the way, getting that beacon that Ruinate needed so they could fight Divento. That was the easy part. Now the hard part is all that remains.

There was an odd sense of restful respite, after all that had transpired. A series of sleep, a series of healing and time. Even as Ruinate toiled away in his lab, aided by the efforts of Renaissance trying his best. All the others were healed by Gear-Work, and slept. It was silent for many, many hours.

Mason was huddled under the covers in his bed, his eyes drowsy and tired. He had already slept for so long after the events that had transpired down at Caligaria, and yet he did not feel any sort of restfulness through that time. He was neither cold nor hot anymore, but he still felt uncomfortable nonetheless.

Ja'Kle laid, resting, by Mason's side. The gentle hums of his breathing in shallow sleep giving Mason some soothing sounds. His heart beat for Ja'Kle, that much was evident in how long and hard Mason stared at the Mosomarian, just taking in his features once more. Love blossomed in his heart for the other.

But those doubts started to creep in. There was an uncertainty for the future, there was a heart wrenching feeling that nothing would be okay. And the more Mason thought about their upcoming battle, the idea of facing the God of Inorganic creation, Divento, the more Mason realized the real possibility of losing so many people.

Of possibly losing the one he loved once again. There was a real threat of that, he wasn't naive. No, he knew of the danger that lurked ahead. They had already lost so many teammates. Planets laid wasted on their adventures. All because of some corrupt Gods.

No, gods. They didn't deserve the uppercase "G".

Mason settled back down against his pillow, fur on end as his eyes glowed softly in the lower light. He felt the cool air from the events above him against his face, and the rabbit sighed warmly. He was so tired.

Mason turned over on the bed with a deeper sigh, gripping onto the left side of Ja'Kles body and bringing him in close to cuddle, the Mosomarian awakening but quickly accepting the warm offer. Mason pressed the side of his head into the warm fluff of his partner, his boyfriend, with an even deeper sigh.

There was little time to have respite, but at the same time, they couldn't exactly speed up the process of decrypting the coordinates from the Beacon. They had to wait, which meant that they had to rest for whatever was coming next.

Mason's room was dark, glum elongated shadows painted across the gray terrain. Mason's eyes closed softly, the purple glow of his eyes still shining through his eyelids softly, illuminating the dust in the air. He felt warmer now.

With Ja'Kle, he felt no worries nor uncomfort. The Mosomarian, despite having been there for not so long at this point, was his rock in this ever turbulent sea of life. To say Mason loved him would be insufficient. There was no word to describe that feeling he felt towards Ja'Kle.

Mason flexed his fingers against Ja'Kles body, rubbing the digits through the fluffy fur that coated the moth, feeling the dust in it that was naturally produced. They hadn't utilized the dust all that much, but Mason, upon glancing at the finer hairs, thought they might be paramount to it all.

Ja'Kle was a reality anchor. He fought against reality to bring it back to normal, while also containing a god's blessing. Mason himself was a Boson conduit, taking in the energy and using it to power himself up, though in only a few select ways. While Mason was tenacious, there was a power imbalance there tipped in Ja'Kles favor.

Heavily.

Mason shuffled against his love. Their bodies were so close together that it was slowly becoming way too warm, and yet Mason could handle it. He felt himself indulge in Ja'Kles presence, his warmth. The details that the Mosomarian had.

The rhythm of his heart, the gentle little coughs he did when a little bit of his own dust was inhaled, cutely sneezing or clearing his throat in his sleep. The adorable way his antenna twitched with Mason's rubbing. The way that wings lay spread out and gently flexed with his dreams.

Mason turned his head to look at the darkness that was his ceiling. An infinite abyss streaming upwards in the low light. Mason swore if he peered hard enough, all his vision would go dark. At least, until the next time he blinked, and that timer was reset.

Mason couldn't help but feel a pain in his heart though. He glanced back at Ja'Kles head for comfort, but instead his eyes decided to focus on the door on the other side of the bed. That bronze door, beside the bathroom. With the scanner, with that last final piece of B-64.

It had been so, so long since Mason last thought of his past love. Too long, the rabbit chided to himself. Mason's rubbing hand gently clenched against Ja'Kles chest fluff, the dust lightly sprinkling into the air. Mason's eyes were dead-set on that door.

Flashes of the purple and the green protogen played in his mind. Of friends long since past. Ion, Catalyst, Hexel, Cypher. Names he hadn't or barely had thought of in so long. And in the middle of them all, was B-64. That gleaming protogen, his first love.

How Mason couldn't protect B-64. How he was helpless in the sidelines, unable to do anything. That power imbalance, that quick love, the sacrificial death. The inability to turn back the clock, the stagnation of using Boson Energy to find eloquent solutions.

They hadn't even tampered with Green Boson Energy to try and save anything. That was meant to be something so big, and then... nothing. Stagnation. Forgetting valuable assets, not going through with trying to fight against this threat. Not trying to find the Gods when it seemed it was so easy.

This was almost their fault. It was their fault in Mason's eyes. And he would do his best to rectify that egregious error. And it all started with deciding on one, simple, thing.

Mason swore to the highest of heavens and the lowliest of hells: He would not be a damsel in distress anymore.

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Howdy!

Apologies for how long it has taken for me to pump this one out, Jesus who art in heaven.

I hoped I portrayed Mason's feelings well here. We're close to entering the final act now, so that's exciting! There's a few things that I am focusing on right now other than FR, but... I think it's going to come along swiftly!

Thank you for reading this far, really, seriously, thank you! I hope you enjoyed!

~ Candle

3/1/2022