SSS: AU: Claíomh Solais

SSS: AU: Claíomh Solais

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Commissioned by Chaosbrain

Word Count: 1060

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“So, you’re just letting him go?” Miyakuro doesn’t announce himself, but you notice his presence despite his lack of manners. The Reincarnation of Odin closes the door to your room. You close the book you’d been consulting, which you’d borrowed from Lorelei, and meet your friend’s gaze. He levels his eye upon you and sighs. “Well, shit. You’re really taking it hard, aren’t you?”

Of course, you are. You killed an innocent, tortured person. To say that you feel regret is an understatement. You feel  absolutely wretched.

“No need to go into detail, I’ve seen enough. Keep your pity party to yourself, please.” Miyakuro takes a seat beside you. The sharp-eyed god of wisdom huffs as he uses Gungnir to lower himself to sit as you do. He struggles slightly with his prosthetics in the doing so, but you appreciate his efforts immensely. The room seems less overwhelming with him by your side. “Keep talking like that and I’ll think you’re trying to get into my pants. So, stop it. Just tell me why you feel like shit, and why you think letting Solais go will help you feel less like shit, and I’ll be on my way. Preferably, I won’t see you again until you find your balls again.”

Well, besides your decision to arbitrarily slay an innocent life, you’ve always rendered Solais a great blow. You took from him an individual who understood him intrinsically, who was his other half, and the individual whom he trusted above all others. The two of them supported one another for years, surviving horror after horror, only to be forcibly separated upon their rescue.

You turned their greatest triumph into a moment of shame and failure.

“If I remember correctly, ending someone’s suffering so that they can go on to the afterlife is a good thing. But, then again, I’m a bloodthirsty barbarian god who drinks from cups made of skulls and stolen gold, so what do I know?” Miyakuro’s attempt to cheer you up allows you a smile. Indeed, you’re sure that the boy would have earned a place in Valhalla, if he were a worshipper of the Norse faith. However, from what you gleaned of the boy’s past, he came into Ouroboros’s hands from a long-defunct terrorist cell called Iscariot. Heaven doesn’t afford those who suffer such struggles entry into paradise. At the very least, Hell doesn’t see fit to take such souls, either. “Man, Heaven sure is great. It lets in loads of winners and martyrs, but if you lose or don’t die for loads of other people, you’re shit on, ain’t that right?”

Anyway, seeing as your actions did not result in Solais’s other half being granted paradise, only a second chance upon reincarnating, the Blade of Light’s anger towards you is well founded. The least you can do is facilitate the blade’s current journey and goals… far away from you. While you’re certainly going to render unto Ouroboros a great deal of harm, as Solais plans to, you’re sure the two of you are better off apart.

The goals you are both striving for may be the same, but the two of you must walk different paths, unless you make enemies of one another.

“You’re setting the kid up like some sort of rival, but he’ll probably get himself killed or captured. Seriously, Song, are you sure you’re not letting him go because you can’t look him in the eye?” Shame? Is that what you felt right now? You remember all your past failures to this point. Indeed, of your many failures, you do not recall a moment where the blame was entirely upon yourself. Only this one. For this failure, you’d chosen to go against your own beliefs, thus you are filled with regret at your actions… and the mere thought of meeting Solais’s gaze makes you sick. “Yeah, right there. Seriously, give it a second, Song. Think with your brain instead of your heart. Neither of us young schmucks can afford to use our feelings to solve our problems, yet.”

You manage a light laugh at the joke.

He is the Reincarnation of Odin, with all the centuries of experience which that title entails.

“My point stands. The moment we think with either our heart or the head that isn’t between our shoulders is when we typically fuck up, you know?”

With those inspiring words in mind, you do take a moment to look upon the situation objectively.

It doesn’t take you long to realize that you’ve erred completely and utterly.

Solais, indeed, will lead only a life of constant adversity, pain, and suffering if you let him go now. Despite all the powers he has at his disposal, all unlocked due to once being human and requiring no urging to become more than a mere blade, he remains incapable in many other respects. If you faced Ouroboros with your strength and powers alone, you would be felled and captured a hundred times over. The same is true for Solais, and perhaps all your swords.

Standing, despite the urging of your heart to remain sitting and do nothing, you take a moment to thank Miyakuro.

“Well, I’d be a pretty shitty advisor if I didn’t make sure you didn’t fuck up. It’s a hard, thankless job, but I’m a generous, giving man who deserves to be canonized for his good, selfless works.” Miyakuro grips Gungnir to rise, but you wrest him up instead. The Reincarnation of Odin gives a yelp, then glares at you, but he snorts when you only beam at him in return. He dusts himself off while keeping the Divine weapon tucked into the crook of his elbow. “Really, the world doesn’t deserve me. I’m far too good for it. I can’t imagine what anyone would do without me.”

He is also the pinnacle of modesty, you remind him.

“Oh, yeah. Totally. I’m the most modest person to ever exist.”

The two of you banter as you make your way to track down Solais. You know that Miyakuro is very busy. He, Creighton, Sitri, and Kuroka manage the innermost, secret, and important facets of the Preservers. Yet, he is here to provide you with aid in righting your wrongs, even if only to lessen the weight on your heart.

Though he makes many of his phrases of self-praise in jest, you cannot think of another person who is more deserving of such words.

Particularly, yourself.