What's that thing they say about a rose by any other name?

Chapter 20: The Florist's Precious Flowers and The Price To Pay For It

Third P.O.V:

Euryale was shocked by Yumie's choice of not going with them and looked back at Lumine, who looked worried. Stheno was angry and was about to attack Kunikuzushi when Medusa held her shoulders and shook her head before they heard an extremely high-pitched noise, making them cover their ears except for Nahida, who turned around to see Omega, who was walking up to Nahida, seeing the Gorgon Sisters and Lumine fall on the floor asleep. Nahida looked behind her and spoke in a worried tone, "Lumine! Paimon! Gorgon sisters!"

"I have been waiting here far too long. But finally, I have the chance to be alone with you. All the precious time I wasted has paid off."

"The doctor... what have you done?!"

"Just a type of sound wave that can put people who are defenseless into a dream. And it seems to work even on Gorgons. I expected it to only work on the traveler and her flying pet. But to see it affect the famous Gorgons is an even better reaction than I thought. This is the only interest I found in the sages' research. I thought I would take it for a test drive. And Don't worry. They're alive. I know you would never forgive me if I actually killed them. I'm here to negotiate with you. Of course, I won't do anything dangerous that will damage our relationship. Since Yumie isn't here, I will assume that she is somewhere else under your protection." Omega spoke, annoyed that Yumie was on Nahida's side and Prime would be furious about this news. Nahida just glared at him and was confused. Yumie must be with the fatui; otherwise, the Doctor would have gotten rid of her already.

"Negotiate with me? I heard you had already left Sumeru. Why are you here again now? And Yumie ran away when the Gorgon sisters tried to convince her to join them. She refused."

"'I' left Sumeru, but 'I' also stayed in Sumeru. Even the God of Wisdom is restricted by the habits of cognition. How disappointing. And Yumie ran away? I see..."

"... There are many different versions of you in this world. And why are you wondering about Yumie? She must mean something to you." Nahida said while on guard. If Yumie is important to the doctor, she has to do everything she can to bring Yumie back here to safety. Omega just chuckled at her and smiled.

"An astute guess. Even the same Individual will have different cognitions at different ages. A long time ago, I made a major decision hoping to preserve all my... Perspective of how I observed the world. Observation is the first step of any experiment. But to observe the current world doesn't satisfy me. It lacks an important dimension- Time. So, I saved "Segments" of all my ages and made them into independent Individuals. And as for Yumie, She is my daughter and is close to giving birth to twins. It's crucial to find her. But if she isn't here, then she must be trying to find a place to give birth. How... annoying. But That's all there is to it. Now, Indulge me; how does the God of Wisdom find my method of seeking knowledge, and where do you think Yumie will go after giving birth?"

"It's an insult to the very concept of life! Yumie will most likely go into hiding until she believes it is safe, but she will never return to you or the fatui as long as I breathe!"

Omega let out a chuckle and smile as he praised Nahida. He knew that Yumie would think quickly on her feet, even in great pain as childbirth. But the question is, how long can Yumie last giving birth to twins? He looked at Nahida and smiled before speaking calmly, "Indeed. It's difficult for humans to make peace with themselves, not to mention oneself from a different period."

"Then why didn't you stop us when we fought your fake god since your time here?"

"Simple, let me ask you this: Would any staff member ever help the subject in the middle of an experiment? It was my experiment, so why should I interfere with the results?"