Chron and Phia's 2023 Holiday Party (Dusk's Perspective)

I open my eyes, quickly becoming confused. The ceiling isn't the thatched roof of my home, but a white stone. The bed I'm lying on is...so much more comfortable than Camilla's old, wool-filled mattress. Assuming this is some kind of dream, I go ahead and close my eyes again.

"Are you going to just lie there? Time may be paused, but we do have a schedule to keep."

I shoot up to a sitting position, scanning the room for the unfamiliar voice. Sitting down in a plush, armless chair is an older gentleman dressed in a suit, with a cane held between his legs. "Uh..."

"It is good to finally meet you face-to-face, Dusk." He smiles, his grey mustache flattening. "I suppose this shouldn't count, however."

"Uh..." My brain finally processes that I'm...wherever 'here' is. "Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry, perhaps this would help." He clears his throat.

Do you want the chance to save her again?

My brow furrows. That sounds...familiar... "...what?"

"I am a man invested in your success, Dusk." He points at me, before using his cane to stand up. "But that is not what is important, today. You have been invited to a...special party, hosted by the regions' gods of time. Your soul has been transported here for the event, so your previous...misstep with the paladin is temporarily alleviated."

He pauses, letting me process his words. Looking down at my legs -ignoring the fact they look human- I slowly lift one up, then the other. "But...it's just for this party, isn't it?"

The man hums. "You seem to misunderstand, Dusk. This is not Earth; broken limbs do not make you permanently crippled. From my understanding, even on Earth they've developed ways to mitigate such...disabilities. Those wheelable chairs could easily be replicated with that machine dungeon you found."

My gaze drifts down. He's...not wrong... It's not the end of the world, right? I slowly swing my legs off the bed. "Yeah... You, uh, said there was a party?"

"Good. Come along, now. I have a feeling you'll want to meet some of the other guests."

He begins leading me through the door, down a long hallway. Everything around us is made of white marble, seemingly fitting for a divine realm. Soon enough, we breach another door, and I have to squint for a moment before my eyes properly adjust.

"Ansu, and his chosen: Dusk Blackwing, of Ruyanei." A firm voice announces from the balcony that we approach.

Looking out over the grand ballroom, it's clear there are hundreds, maybe thousands of people here - not even any standing room. I have to blink several times before the image seems to...settle. It's still a crowded room, but now it seems...reasonable. Instead of a sea of individuals, now I can make a clear path from one end of the room to the other.

"I will never get used to a mortal mind reasoning fourth-dimensional space." My guide clears his throat. "You can thank our hosts for preventing your mind from imploding."

I blink again, from shock this time. "Uh..."

"Come. I can already see someone who would like to meet you." He walks down the stairs, and -still lost as I am- I follow.

When I reach the floor, I realize something...ominous, as a path clears itself in front of us. Well over half the people we pass by are staring at me, and whispering to each other, and I could swear some of them outright disappear, only to be replaced by others who arrive in the same manner.

Ansu, assuming I heard right, slows down, so we're now walking side-by-side. "It's a trick of the mind. You do not want to see the people staring, so they 'go away'. It just so happens that there are only a handful of those who are not staring. Ah, here she is, now."

I look forward, once again in shock. "Saku-san?"

The blonde's form shifts slightly, and I can briefly see her as I remember on that fateful day: a short, petite, Japanese woman who looked fresh out of high school. Her image shifts again, and she's back to the blonde elf that's soft and curvy in the right places, with a red and white dress quite similar to what Mel and Carn had shown, albeit with a much more practical amount of fabric hanging from her backside. "Dus-kun?"

Before I know it, I've closed the distance and wrapped her in a hug. "...I found you..."

"...is this a dream?" Her arms slowly wrap around me.

I breathe a sigh of relief. "...I sure hope not..."

. . .

"So you're from Earth, too? I'm a bit surprised." Another woman I had overlooked initially, Dani, stands next to us in an almost gothic dress. "What are the odds three people at a universal party are from Earth?"

I can't help but shrug. "I don't know, I only got isekai'd a few weeks ago."

She makes a pained expression. "Oh, sorry. How are you feeling about...all of it?"

My hand instinctively goes to the back of my head. "I've...been trying not to think too much about it."

The dour mood sets in for a moment, before Sakurai speaks up again. "How are my parents?"

"...they took it hard, at least from what I saw at the funeral. I was on my way to visit them when...I saw you again."

Her eyes widen. "...did you die...on the bridge?"

I nod, pursing my lips. "Same one."

"...it was no dream..." Her gaze falls, her hands reassuring her grip on the champagne-style glass.

...so it was her...and that dream...was that voice Ansu?

Dani claps her hands together. "Look. You're not going to get anywhere if you both keep sulking like this. Follow me." She doesn't give us much choice, grabbing our wrists and pulling us with her through the crowd. We come upon a wall, filled with framed pictures, yet having that same feel as the rest of the party: before my eyes, some of them disappear, only to be replaced by others.

Dani releases us, scanning the photographs intently. Suddenly, she raises her arm, pointing at a pair of pictures right next to each other. "There!"

My eyes follow, and I see...myself. The one to the left is a family portait, the most recent one, in fact. My parents each have their hands on the shoulders of their three kids, my brother on their left and my sister on their right.

I swallow, painfully. ...what are they going through, right now...

"Now look to the next one." Dani's finger drifts to the right, and I look to a...more recent picture.

I'm sitting down against the bed, Eve hugging me in my lap. On my left, Camilla's leaning against me, and Kara against her. On my right, Violet's sandwiched between me and Diana, and Daisy's on her other side.

"How did they-"

"They're gods. The fewer questions you ask, the better." Dani playfully elbows me. "Maybe take an actual picture next time, though; everyone's eyes are closed." She giggles.

I chuckle, too, my gaze drifting, and finding where Sakurai's eyes have locked on. It shows her own family from Earth; I can recognize her parents from the funeral. I already knew she was an only child, but seeing it here, it reinforces the loneliness she always expressed in our gaming sessions.

The next picture seems better initially, a painting showing all five of the Saintesses in a victorious pose, but none of them are smiling. I can't tell if there's a distance between them all, or if the artist painted it that way on purpose...

"So you really are a big shot, Saku-san." I smile to her.

The elf snaps out of her stupor. "I-it's not that big...just defeated the Demon King..." She rubs her hands bashfully. "The gods did most of the work; the girls and I just needed to go and...do the deed..."

"Sure, and your years of gaming definitely didn't contribute to that. The gods chose you for a-...for a reason, right?" The gods chose her specifically...and Mel and Carn specifically chose me...to get to her... I need to talk to Sakurai in private about this...

"Yes, I guess they did..." She smiles back to me, making my gut sink deeper with guilt.

Dani glances over from her own portait. "There we go. Now that you're not melancholic, come on! It's a party!"

. . .

We laugh at Dani's joke. It's been a few hours now, and we're sitting on a pair of couches we found. Well, Sakurai, myself, and a gothic-dressed woman named Viura are sitting on couches. Dani's sitting on the floor in front of the goth while she runs her fingers through her hair.

"And then we ended up having way too much food, so we gave a bunch away to the local homeless shelter." She smiles amusedly. "That was a good weekend."

I shake my head. "Geolocus sounds a lot more interesting than Ruyanei. Most non-humans I've met have been obsessed with **** or power."

Saku-san steps in. "It's not like that with the elves or dwarves, and Ruya-san is actually quite friendly."

Ruya...Runa Ruya... My gaze lowers. I should tell her...I really should, but... "...maybe you can introduce me, some day."

Dani and Sakurai share a look. "You know we're not going to remember any of this, right?"

I look at the brunette, confused. "What do you mean?"

"It's an enchantment over the party. Mortals don't remember anything when we leave, at least not consciously. You might get a...feeling, here and there, but it'd never be enough to help you find out that something's going on."

I scrunch my face in confusion. "Then what's the point? If we won't remember anything, what's the point of dragging us all here in the first place?" I end up on my feet, now angry that the gods would bring us here for seemingly no reason.

*Clink clink clink*

"Oh, it's starting."

My gaze is drawn over to the balcony I initially saw the party from, a grey-skinned man and woman, each with white hair. I can't tell much more about them from this distance. The woman holds a glass and spoon in her hands, lowering them to the railing before speaking in a mature voice. "Greetings, new and old faces; friends long forgotten, and friends made anew. My husband and I are merry to have you with us today, at our 4,351,721st celebration of Semeis. For you mortals unaware, I am Phia, and this is Chron, and in our respective regions of the universe, we are the gods of time."

Chron clears his throat, speaking in a voice I could only attribute to an old man. "Despite being lightyears apart, we were drawn together, and every year or so -for us, anyways- we host this celebration to demonstrate that, regardless of distance, regardless of time, our family and friends are always within arms' reach."

"Now, enough from us old geezers; I believe it is time for the dancing to commence." Phia raises her hand toward the orchestra, who begin playing some ballroom dance music.

"Viura, may I have this dance?" I look to back to Dani, and she's bowing, offering a hand to the goth woman.

She smiles, takes her partner's hand and stands. "Dusk, Sakurai, you should find Ansu and Rai."

I blink at the pair as they walk off onto the dancefloor, several other pairings being made as a coordinated dance begins. "Wha..."

Sakurai tugs on my sleeve, and I turn to her. "The gods...they have our first dance, but after-"

"Sakurai Tomoko." I twist again, seeing a tall, muscular, well-dressed man, but it almost hurts to look at him, like looking at fresh snow on a bright, sunny day. "I see you have made a new friend. Good for you. Dusk, am I correct? I am Rai, it is an honor to meet Ansu's chosen." He extends a hand.

I reach out to take it, only for another hand to take mine instead. "He's happy to meet you too, Ansu." Ansu pulls me slightly away from his counterpart. "But if you'll excuse us we have a dance." He then pulls me more forcefully, and before I know it, we're on the dancefloor ourselves.

"Uh, Ansu? What was that about?" I'm on the back foot as the god begins leading me through the dance.

"Don't trust a word Rai tells you, boy. If he has his way, you'll be killed by day's end." He clears his throat, his white beard and mustache ruffling, and making me aware that I'm dancing with a man. "My eyes are up here, Dusk. Although perhaps you'd prefer to look..." He pushes me away and spins me around, only to be replaced by a...well-endowed older woman. Despite silver hair, she doesn't look a day over 40, with a smoothness to her skin that rivals those in their 20s. "...lower." She smirks, pulling me closer to her and continuing our dance, although with her impressive rack pressing into my chest.

I blink several times. "Um, sorry, what-"

"I'm the god of balance, my champion. Male, female, hot, cold, angel, devil...even god and mortal." She smiles. "And I'm proud my champion has also tasted the pleasure of the other sex."

My face flushes. "H-how do you-"

"I've been watching, Dusk. How could I not watch my chosen spite my brother just by living?"

I shake my head, processing what I can. "I'm sorry, there seems to be a lot of context I'm missing here."

The music stops, and Ansu's grin subsides. "And you will have to ask someone else about that." She lets go, stepping away. "I'll leave him to you, Carnachias."

Freezing, my eyes widen as I hear her voice behind me. "Thanks, Ansu." My hand is taken and I'm spun around once more, this time seeing a face I'd only known once before. "Nice to see you again, Anon."

I swallow, trying to suppress my fear. "Carn...nice to see you..."

"Cut the crap, Anon." The music starts up again, and she begins leading. "I'll start off with the easy stuff: no, you're not getting replaced..." A weight is immediately lifted off my shoul- "...as long as we get results. Awful hard to do that from a wheelchair, though." I stiffen up again, the veiled threat hitting harder than- "Good thing you've got that little possession power of yours. That little fox has a good pair of legs."

Despite my fear, I feel...a burning in my chest. "You touch her, you're dead."

"Ooo, you do have some fire in you. But you don't need to worry too much about that, right?" She smirks. "With your great plan to take down the Saintesses, I doubt I'll need to bother myself with threatening your new friends."

There's a pause, only the music and some other quiet conversations surrounding us. "...fine..."

"Sorry, what was that?" Her grin is disturbing, to say the least.

"I'll take down the Saintesses...I mean it, this time."

"Good." She cocks her head. "Although, since you won't remember this, I'll need to send a bit of a...reminder." Raising a hand, she pats my cheek. "You'll always be in my reach, Anon."

I gulp, my throat dry. "E-everything you do to them, I'll return tenfold."

She chuckles, lowering her hand back down. "You sound so confident, but you can't so much as touch me unless I let you. Don't worry, though. The carrot to the stick is still there: immortality, planeshifting, and...a certain goddess." A smile, and the music begins to slow. "Already? Fucking assholes."

A familiar voice speaks up from behind me. "Remember what we agreed, sister."

"Yeah, yeah." Carnachias spins me around, and I'm faced with a rather pregnant woman, with brown hair and swollen breasts. "Just remember, Anon." I feel Carn lean over my shoulder. "I own you."

As the dark god leaves, the woman in front of me sighs. "I apologize for my sister, Dusk. She's always been a bit...different." The music begins to start up again, and she curtseys, albeit a bit awkwardly with her full figure. "I am Matria. May I have this dance, my champion?"

"U-uh..." I look over my shoulder, no sign of Carnachias anywhere. "Sure?"

Matria comes closer, her baby bump touching my gut as we begin dancing again. "Defending your family, even in the face of one such as her..." She smiles. "I'm proud to support you Dusk."

"I just...felt like I had to." Pursing my lips, I look down to the side. "Not that it was worth much."

"To Carnachias, no, but you're talking to the god of family, now." She giggles, and I feel a bump from her...bump. "Oh, your son says hi." A smile beams from her face.

My eyebrows scrunch up. "My...son?"

"Yours and Camilla's. My womb is connected to all expecting mothers. Unfortunately, that means I'm always pregnant." The brunette giggles again. "Do you want to say hello?" Without waiting for an answer, she guides my hand to her belly.

It's warm...inviting... I feel a kick, and I can't help but feel elated. "Yeah...that's him... I don't know how I can tell, but...it's him... I didn't think Camilla was this far along, though..."

"She's not; you still have nearly another 2 weeks. But I am a god, after all." Matria smiles, but there's a bit of sadness behind it. "I promise, I'll keep your son safe until you're ready."

"Thanks, Matria." I can't help but hug her. "It means a lot to have a bit of help."

"You have more than you think, Dusk." She returns the hug, rubbing my back. "A family full of loving ladies, willing to help you just as much as you've helped them. And that includes your friend Sakurai." The music slows again, signaling the end of the song. "Speaking of, here she is, now."

I turn, seeing the elf -briefly seeing the human girl again- searching through the crowd, and we make eye-contact. I briefly turn back to Matria, only to see the faceless crowd.

"Dus-kun!" Sakurai approaches, and immediately pauses nervously. The music starts up again, and she glances toward the orchestra before turning back to me. "Dus-kun, I want to dance with you..." Her eyes widen, before she shrinks back and her cheeks flush. "...i-if you want..."

I can't help but chuckle. "Sure, Saku-san."

"...tomo-chan..."

I approach, wrapping an arm around her waist and reaching out with the other, trying to mimic what my previous dance partners had done with me. "Sorry, what was that?"

She looks up to me nervously. There's only a few inches difference in our height, but it's enough to make me feel like I could wrap her up in a tight hug. "I...I want you to use Tomo-chan."

I smile. Throughout our entire online friendship, she'd only relented enough on the Japanese formalities enough to let me call her Saku-san, instead of Sakurai. "Alright, Tomo-chan. Bear with me, I'm not really used to this." I chuckle.

Sak- Tomoko sets her hand on my shoulder and we begin our dance. It's a bit awkward at first, but...it's nice. So nice, in fact, that we don't even notice when the musicians pause between songs, or the next time it happens...or the next... The only problem? The pit in my gut keeps gnawing at me. I need to tell her...

I wake up, staring at the thatched ceiling of my home, and feeling like I just had a long, calming dream. I need to tell her...I need to tell all of them... I look around, finding Eve cuddled up beside me, but no one else is here. "Eve?"

It seems as if it was a light sleep, since the goblin stirs almost immediately. "...yeah, Chief?" She groggily pulls herself up.

"Can you go find the others? I want to talk to everyone; Camilla, Kara, Bel, Banta, Diana - see if we can leave the kids with Miki for a bit."

"Everyone, got it." She hops out of bed, meandering out the door and closing it behind her, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

"Alright..." I cover my face with my hands, moving them to rub my temples. "I need to tell them... I can't leave anything out, anymore..."

A/N: Happy Holidays, everyone! Thanks for sticking with me through the inconsistent scheduling. Here's hoping to a better year in 2024! :)