What Are You Agreeing To!?

"I have been," I cried. "I've been looking for you all this time."

The giant's voice boomed from above. "You have sought me, yet you know nothing of me. How very amusing."

"Yes," I said, slightly annoyed at my holy quest being reduced to a source of amusement for even a being as great as this. "Many have ridiculed my search for the divine, but my faith could never be broken!" I hoped that my pride and conviction would convince the giant of my worth.

"The divine? Perhaps to you, one such as myself would—" The giant stopped, and its body turned slowly with a groaning sound. One foot rose and fell with a deafening crash.

"What's going on?" said Marigold frantically.

"No..." said the giant. "The axis—something is crossing through!"

"What's that?" I said. "The axis?" I was concerned at the giant's sudden change in tone, but I was also curious as to what was about to happen. What fresh sight awaited my eager eyes?

The giant's glow began to flicker. "I cannot—" it said, and it faltered, falling down onto one knee. Instinctively, I shielded my face against the dirt and rocks kicked up by the impact, but Marigold's barrier protected us. The giant's levitating hand moved closer, and it pointed at me with two fingers. "Integrant."

"Do you refer to me?" I asked, not sure of the exact meaning of the word.

"Yes, integrant. My power fades; soon I must sleep. You must fight."

"Fight? Ha! A glorious battle, so early in my grand adventure!? Then I shall fight!" I raised a fist in a show of vigor.

Marigold elbowed me. "What are you agreeing to!? Have you even ever been in a fight?" she hissed.

I laughed. "What I lack in experience I make up for in training. See?" I pulled at my clothes, displaying a flexed bicep. Marigold groaned. Truthfully, I was not without anxiety at the prospect of battle, but I felt that if the giant believed I could succeed, then I would.

Suddenly, my surroundings changed. I was no longer in the clearing, but instead inside a small rounded room. I was sat in a comfortable seat, and in front of me was some strange mess of metal decorated with all manner of unknown devices.

Bewildered, I questioned aloud where I was, and in reply the giant's voice echoed within the chamber. "I have transported you inside the Divine Instrument Alithet. In other words, this is the machine that stood before you and your associate."

"A machine? The giant? You mean... you aren't the giant?"

"In a certain sense, I am Alithet, and yet I am not," the voice said. "It would be more accurate to say I control it, just as you now will."

"Then, where are you?" I said. If the voice controlled the giant as I was about to, then why wasn't the voice's owner present beside me? Or maybe they were there, but something kept me from seeing them... "Hold on." The voice's words finally sank in. "You said I'm going to control the giant!?" Was that possible? Could I really do something so amazing?

"Indeed," said the voice, which seemed to be growing weaker. "You must pilot Alithet. You must fight. Now..." Suddenly, the mass of metal in front of me lurched and bent toward my body. I flinched but stayed put. I couldn't run away when truth and glory lay right within reach. The apparatus gently clasped around my arms and legs, then around my torso, and finally the last part hinged forward over my eyes with a whir and a click. It was dark for just a moment. Then, I felt a tingling sensation all throughout my head and in my heart, and my vision returned. It was as if the device over my eyes had become completely transparent, revealing that my surroundings had changed once more. I was outside again, but I was up high above the trees. My vision seemed clearer than normal, and the darkness of night posed no obstacle to my sight anymore. I looked down at myself, but in place of my body was the giant's—Alithet's body. I moved my arms, and its arms followed—no, it was as if they were my arms.

I quickly spotted Marigold down on the ground where she was looking around, confusedly calling my name. She looked so small, like a little rodent, and I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. "Phenomenal!" I shouted. It was incredible! Unbelievable! And yet, I believed it happily, without any trouble.

Marigold looked up. "Godwin? Was that your voice?"

"Marigold! Worry not! I don't understand it, but I've... become the giant, somehow!"

"What!?" she shouted. Just then, I sensed a tremor in the ground and saw twinkling lights flashing on in the distance. It was the same thing that had heralded the apparition of Alithet; the lights came on one by one, forming into lines all around me, and as they got closer my breath quickened in anticipation. I thought back to the damage Marigold and I had witnessed on our way up the mountain, and I grew concerned for the witch's safety.

"Um, giant. Whoever you are," I said. "What about Marigold?" There was no response. "Marigold—can you transport her inside?" I said. "God? Alithet? Whoever you are!" Nothing. It seemed the thing had left me to fend for myself.

"What? What is it?" Marigold cried out. The rumbling intensified. The lights flashed closer.

"Marigold, run!" I yelled, but it was too late. The ground was cleaved open from beneath, and a blinding light shot forth. Something rose up from the rift—a head. Slowly, a figure emerged. It was large, nearly as large as Alithet, and was similar in appearance in many ways, being made of the same metallic stuff and featuring engraved text of its own. Still, it was unique. It had four double-elbowed arms that were, unlike Alithet's, directly attached to its body. It had a more rounded appearance in many places, and rather than a purple gemstone on its chest it had something like an opal the size of a shed. The rumbling faded, and there stood a new colossus, staring me down.

The four-armed giant spoke with a cold and condescending hostility. "Ariel. You wretched thing. After so long, you still believe your plan can come to fruition? You naïve fool, don't you understand that you lost the moment you created this world?" Ariel? Was that the name of Alithet's voice? Could it be true that they were the one to create this world? There were so many questions...

"I don't know about any of that," I said. "but if you are to be my enemy..."

The invader tilted its head. "Oh? A part of Ariel's emanation... so, he is dormant. I see," it sighed. "Doing battle with you would be an utter waste of time. But, to make you understand with words would be far more wasteful."

Before I could say anything in response, the four-armed giant leapt at me with extreme speed, raised up its arms, and swung them down like a hammer. I was just able to block with my own arm—that is, Alithet's arm—but the impact was so great that I fell backward, uprooting several small trees as I skidded through the dirt.

I got to my feet, stumbling a few times as I struggled to acclimate to the unfamiliar body I had been given control of. As I finally got my balance, my adversary lunged forward with a right hook. I blocked the attack, but its other right arm slipped under my guard and struck me in the chin with a powerful elbow. I staggered back but managed to avoid falling down again. "Come on!" I muttered to myself. "I've got to do something!" The enemy came at me again. I dodged, and the punch just grazed the side of my torso, throwing up sparks as it glanced off Alithet's huge body. There was a small window of opportunity, and I threw out a punch of my own, but my fist fell short, with the enemy making no attempt to defend itself.

"As expected," it said. "You have no idea how to pilot that Divine Instrument, have you?" Of course I didn't, but that didn't matter! A lack of knowledge had never stopped me before!

I stepped forward and threw another punch, but, as it was about to connect, the four-armed giant vanished unceremoniously and without a trace. I stood still a moment, stunned, before spinning around to see all four fists coming at me. There was no way to defend against that many attacks simultaneously, nor could I move quickly enough to evade. All I could do was to shut my eyes tight and brace myself.