Yatro: The reason I even bother ~ Present

“Finally you arrived, I had been waiting so long to see you again!” Said the Goddess of Wisdom to Ases and Mors. She seemed to be debating if standing up and giving a hug to the both of them, but the look they both had stopped her from doing so.

“But… you… how?” Asked Ases, stunned. He always kept thinking about the last words she gave her before parting with the pantheon to the telchine hideout.

Mors on the other hand was similarly shocked, but a mix of both fear and rage were surging over her surprise and filling her mind with the most colorful vocabulary she knew.

“Before you say anything, I have to say that I’m not actually here. I mainly say it for you Mors, I know you probably have a lot of things to say to me, but I fear that the only thing that can reach me now are words. You are completely free of insulting me if it makes you feel better, get it all out of your chest.”

Mors threw a fist to the Goddess's face, but it only went through her. If Ases had not caught her, she would have face planted into the floor after passing through the illusion of the Goddess.

“Be more careful, now that you have the power of Hypnos in yourself, your vessel is quite fragile. You could get used to it with enough time, but that’s the one thing we don’t have.” Said the Goddess, getting away from them, and sitting back in her chair. “But, even if it’s not that long, we do have time, and I really wanted to see you two again!”

Mors was gritting her teeth, but seeing how useless it was, she let herself be guided back into her seat by Ases. The two of them sit next to each other, seeing the plates of food served in front of them. The most surprising thing of it all was the fact that some of the plates of the banquet contained meat, which in the current circumstances, was an absolutely unpayable luxury.

They had been preparing for their arrival with a lot of anticipation, maybe even before they decided to part there.

“How… Did you know we were going to arrive?” Asked Ases, feeling uncomfortable under the happy glare of the Goddess that seemed to be pushing him into talking.

But apparently, that was not the thing she wanted him to say, as her happiness turned into disappointment for a moment, before turning into a wistful glare.

“Ases, I was the one that told you to come here, was I not? Besides, I knew you lived here, and I also knew from the start that this would be the last place to sink under the waves, so I would have come here regardless. But that’s beyond the point, I WAS waiting for you, and I’m so happy to see you finally arrive.”

“Yes, I can understand that but… the thing is, and I don’t like to say it, but we barely managed to arrive here in the first place. We got into a lot of problems before coming here, problems which you probably already knew we would get into, and you didn’t mention at all.” Said Ases, now feeling deeply uncomfortable with their conversation back on the cliff. A conversation where she also said she knew more than she let on, which now probably included what happened to them in Medio.

The wistful glare remained, but instead of looking at them, the Goddess looked away.

“Letting you know you would get in problems in Medio would have changed nothing, as you would have gone there for your family regardless. Mors on the other hand didn’t have a choice in going there in the first place, so it also would have been the same. I didn’t say anything because the only thing you would have gotten from it was anxiety, and it would have taken your mind off from what truly matters.”

“And what matters so much? More than our safety, if I can ask?” Asked Mors, with barely contained anger.

“For you, Mors, you already know. You knew your answer from the start, and you are about to reach the end of your story. I wish you the best of luck in getting Todo back to your side, I say it with full honesty.” Said the Goddess, looking at Mors in the eyes, trying to calm her with her words, but to no avail. “Ases, on the other hand…”

The tone of her voice got a lot chirpier again.

“Tell me Ases, what is it that truly matters to you? What is more important than fighting with the Gods against the greatest threat the world has seen?” She asked, with a tone that was too joyful for the words she was saying.

Ases thought of it for a moment, but then answered with full conviction.

“My family. I already knew they were what I cared about, but I really want to help them live as long as they can and to be with them all the time I have left. And if I can, I would also like to find a way to help Herm wake up again.”

The Goddess’s grin was now a full on smile.

“I love that answer. Truly, I managed to make almost every person in this city be safe and sound, they have all the time of every day to find an answer, yet so few actually find one. Hearing you say it with such conviction reminds me why I bother doing all of this in the first place. Although I must say, if I were you, I would concentrate on what you can change, rather than what you cannot.”

When she said that last sentence, her tone had almost quieted down to a sad whisper.

Those words were a confirmation of the truth Ases knew in the bottom of his heart, but refused to acknowledge even now.

“I would like to believe something still can be done, even if you say otherwise.” Sentenced Ases, giving an air of finality to the conversation.

“And that’s perfectly fine, I have not said that it’s impossible. What I will say is that now that you have an answer you must remember it, at all times. Keep your will steady, especially in times of doubt.” The Goddess responded, recuperating a bit of her jovial tone. “Mors, you on the other hand, you seem to have had it clear from the start. Soon enough you’ll receive a little help, what comes of that will depend only on yourself.”

Mors said nothing. Still unwilling to talk with the Goddess.

“But that’s enough conversation. There’s no need to take things with such seriousness now, especially when such a banquet is in front of us. Why don’t we indulge in the pleasures that are soon to be lost forever?”

The Goddess tried to grab the cutlery, but her hands went through the table instead.

“Oh, right. How do I always forget about that?”