[ Creators ]

Chapter 16

Koto braces for impact.

Fast-paced footsteps echo throughout the hallway. Just as Gaia was about to launch her finishing blow against Koto, she turns around to see Straus leading the band of Incarnates. Straus summons gauntlets with sharp, metal claws attached to them and jumps in the air as he calls out,

"CATCH THESE HANDS, GAIA!!!"

Upon seeing that Straus was all better, Koto's Cosmic Supernova form turns off completely. "S-Straus...!", as Koto watches him take over the fight, Uriel and Nova run over to check on her. Uriel reaches out her hand and smiles, "Sup, dude?" "Hi, Creator!", says Nova, catching up. Koto dizzily looks up at her Incarnates, "Guys-? How did you-?" "We'll tell ya later, can you stand?" "Er- yeah..", Koto takes Uriel's hand and stands up.

While Gaia, Straus, and his team are locked in combat, Koto meets up with the rest of her squad to quickly come up with a strategy. "What's the plan?", asks Luna. Koto quickly comes up with one, "Help Straus! DreamWorld Incarnates, use projectiles to try and make Gaia lose her footing. Uri, you attack from the air!"

"Roger!"

Koto's group joins the fray. At this rate, Gaia is facing a 12-man army, an army that she can't take on all at once by herself.

"What is all of this?! How many souls have you corrupted, Straus!?"

"Those souls are my friends, Gaia. Clearly, something you'll never have with this attitude of yours. If only you could see that..."

"I do not need to see anything through that clouded view of yours!"

"It's only 'cloudy' because even at my age I still have a lot to learn. I'm not gonna learn anything in that room you trapped me in. Somehow, I feel as though my mom wouldn't have wanted that for me..."

"Whoever said I was your mother-?!"

Everyone pauses their attacks. Gaia just made a terrible mistake by not reading the room. Koto and Straus look at each other, then back at Gaia with a great intent to get this fight done and over with. With Gaia confused by her social blunder, Koto takes the opportunity to warp behind Gaia and land a solid kick on her back, causing her to stumble. Straus catches Gaia's arm and throws her over his head, "Don't act like I ever thought of you as a mother figure, cause YOU AIN'T HER!" The siblings land next to each other and high-five, meanwhile the Incarnates go in for their attacks. DarkClaw jumps up to Gaia's level and fires a blast from his claw arm; the shockwave of the blast knocks Gaia upwards, allowing Uriel to call down a swarm of lightning strikes that send her back down. With Gaia on her hands and knees, Nathaniel spawns magic bullets around her hands. He smirks, "Hah! This outta hold you still now. Those bullets only materialize if you move, so don't, unless you want hand pains." Straus stands before the nearly defeated and terrified Gaia, her confidence replaced with a shaky tone, "What do you want from me, you monsters!?" Koto stands by Straus' side, "Let us go home...all of us."

Straus sighs, "I just want you to stop this. That's all I ask..."

Gaia clenches her teeth, "And for what? To allow this Impurity to go on any longer?"

"Don't you ever get bored of talking like that? About all this 'upholding purity' stuff?"

"To uphold Purity is the way of the Multiverse...!"

"If that's the case, why are you alone? I figured you would have asked for help fighting for this cause...Unless you don't have anyone who would help you?"

Gaia is taken aback. Straus continues.

"If you do, where are they? 'Cause I feel as if you did have people who would side with you, then they would do the same as what my friends did for me."

"Be quiet-"

"Be honest with me first."

"...I am an all-powerful Goddess...company does not matter to me..."

"You don't sound certain about that."

Koto interjects, "...Did you enjoy having Straus around?" Gaia's façade falters once more. "Well?", Koto asks again.

Gaia ponders for a moment before continuing to converse with Straus, "...For a short time, perhaps."

"I feel as though most of the problems we've had could've been fixed by just talking. But you never wanted to do that. You gave me this life, yet you shut me out."

"..."

"It doesn't have to be like this, Gaia. I haven't bothered anyone, nor do I intend to."

"...Just go home, Straus. Leave me alone."

"Just-...don't do this again, ok? I meant it when I said I don't want to hurt you, or worse. It's bad enough I feel bad for even fighting you."

"...Fine."

Straus waves his hand, "Release her." Nathaniel dissipates the magic keeping Gaia down; she stands up, "Thank you...you're all free to go.", and opens a portal for everyone to go back home. "Come on guys...", Straus says, directing everyone in, they all leave through the portal except for DarkClaw, who had a few choice words to say to Gaia:

"That was a good thing he did, y'know? Try to calm you down, choose not to cause pain for the fun of it? A real impure man would have straight up killed you. He has respect for you...Maybe someday, you'll look back on today and come around...Don't quote me on it though, it's your choice after all."

DarkClaw hops through the portal as it closes behind him. As the last of these so-called "Impurities" leave her abode, Gaia is left in silence once more.