15Thank you for waiting for the long awaited next story important chapter!
"She is ready now?"
"Yes, Master. Would you like to see?" Siren asked, standing to the side.
"Yes, of course." Excitement built up, and a grin crept upwards.
"Come down." Siren's directed her voice upwards, making a small figure perk up.
A young girl, looking like she was maybe twelve or thirteen, hopped down, wearing a pitch black one piece dress to match her long hair. She looked around the cloud-filled room, and the one before her noticed her wings. One white, the other a wilted black. Her bright blue eyes settled on the figure.
"Hello," she said coldly, to which he grimaced.
"…Hello." He was less than pleased.
"We failed to alter her personality; her power was just too great for any of us to handle," Siren muttered quietly. "Nonetheless, everything else has been tuned to perfection."
"I see you wanted me changed. Hypnosis never works on me, Daddy," the Angel with a burnt wing said mockingly. "You've had enough terrible bedtime stories to last me two lifetimes."
"Do not try me, daughter." Irritation grew within him. "Do you want to die?"
"How harsh of you, Daddy," she said disdainfully, crossing her bare, pale arms. She began to check her nails in boredom.
"I have a task for you. I think you will find it interesting."
"Oh?" She looked at him, a smile playing on her childish but beautiful lips.
"I have located your mother."
XxXxXxXx
"Icarus…"
"Hm? You say something, Daedalus?" Hime looked up from the television.
"It's probably nothing," Ariadne waved it off, taking out the last few pixels of his HP during his distraction.
"Oi! You cheap bastard!"
She stuck out her tongue at him. "Whatcha gonna do about it?"
"Tch…" He turned back to the screen bitterly.
The hacker looked at the Creator Angel concernedly. That's right…she has a daughter. I wonder how it must feel to leave your child in the hands of someone like that…
"Hey, Creator Angel," she said, holding up her controller.
"Yes?" Daedalus seemed to snap out of her trance.
"Wanna have a match with me?" She shook it lightly.
She paused for a minute, staring it down as if analyzing for any sense of trickery. She then stood. "I suppose playing a game with alleviate some of my concern."
"Concern for what?" Hime asked cluelessly, drinking down a soda.
"My daughter."
He choked on his drink and spat it out to the side. "Your what?!"
"Icarus, my daughter."
Heaven's Genie-us
Chapter 17: Kid Icarus
"I heard you the first time!" I hollered. "Why didn't you tell me you weren't a v-v—"
"You really didn't know about the myth of Daedalus and Icarus?" Ariadne raised an eyebrow. "Weird, you seem like the attentive type."
"Well, I didn't know it was true!"
"Well, it is true. Daedalus is a hell of a lot older than you'll ever be, so who knows how many generations she's started."
"I've only Icarus as a biological child, and even then I am not sure if I had to engage in se—" Daedalus began.
"Okay, okay, that's enough," I interrupted with my hand pushed towards her. "So why're you worrying about Icarus now?"
"I fear Naucrate may have persuaded her to come down here at this very moment," she said. "That is why I am worried."
"I'm not worried; your analysis is getting rusty, Daedalus," Ariadne said.
"How so?"
"Compare this world's atmosphere to up there and you'll see."
"…Oh, I see." She looked at me. "Master, my worry for Icarus has dissipated."
"What?" I was dumbfounded. "Is there that big of a difference between here's atmosphere and there's atmosphere?"
"Yes. Icarus has not left Heaven for at least four hundred years; she will not adjust well to this new pressure," she explained. "Ariadne simply hacked herself, and I used the Core, so we are fine. But Icarus—Icarus does not have either of those qualities."
"So what would happen if she were able to adjust quickly?"
"She would most likely try and harvest the Core from me, much like Siren before her." She touched her sternum, wings stretched out. "Which means I will be protecting you once more, Master."
"Oh…" I turned back quietly to the game, a lurching feeling dwelling in my stomach. "That so…?"
Why is it that she has to protect me? Honestly, she should just take off to somewhere they'll never find her! It's actually pretty easy to track down a tiny ass apartment like this one!
"I cannot just leave you, Master," Daedalus said. "You are a piece of the Core as well."
"Then isn't it better for us to be apart?!" I yelled out the words, shooting up.
"No!" Her sudden shout surprised me. "Who would be there to keep you safe?!"
"Uh, guys—" Ariadne tried to speak, but flinched when I jabbed a finger at her.
"I-I have her! She's perfectly capable of granting wishes like you, isn't she?!" I yanked the hacker to my side. "I'll just have to contract her too!"
"Wha—" She turned red.
"Master! You are being driven by emotion!" Daedalus came over and gripped my shoulders. "I am only trying to protect you!"
"And I'm only trying to protect you! You ever think about how worried I get when this shit happens?!" I had lost total control, and spilt my thoughts. "I thought you were going to die facing Siren! Don't you know how terrifying knowing someone is risking their life just for you?!"
"No, I do not!"
"!" I froze for a second, but attempted regaining my footing on the situation. "W-well I do! It's not pleasant!"
"That is quite unfortunate, then, because I would gladly risk my life to save you, Master!" She looked deep into my eyes, her own wavering. "You are the first one to ever care about my like this, and I want to preserve your kindness…"
I took a deep breath. I really can't argue with her, can I? Even if I'm her master, I can't just up and "banish" her from me. I took her hands off my shoulders, sighing afterwards.
"I just…need some time alone, okay?"
"Ver…very well." She stepped aside, and even opened the door.
"Thank you," I whispered, and disappeared.
XxXxXxXx
I took deep, thoughtful breaths sitting on the swing. Who knew the nearby park could actually serve a purpose to someone like me? The abandoned atmosphere was very calm, and I felt at ease…except the thought of this Icarus fellow weighed down on me. This calm was before a storm, maybe even a hurricane. I knew the terror of tangling with Angels, and it wasn't pretty.
Who exactly was pulling the strings up there? God? If it really was Him, then He'd already have the Core. Did this world even have someone who could be called God, or is it a place where life just evolved? I threw my head back, sighing again. If only Daedalus, Ariadne, and I could just live in peace without everyone upstairs scrambling for something we—someone's behind me. I turned around cautiously.
Jet black hair falling to the ground in curls. A young teenage girl's body cloaked in a black dress that stopped at the calves. Solid blue eyes that I knew by heart. Pale skin suggesting the lack of an outdoor life. A smooth, beautiful face comparable to only one other. One feathery white wing, and one burnt black one. My heart stopped for a full second when we locked eyes. It was so quiet. A dropping pin could draw anyone's attention in the silence.
"Hime…Atsuki?" Her voice was soft, bewitching.
I didn't dare respond. What should I do?
"I'm looking for…Mother. Do you know…where Mother is, Hime Atsuki?"
At this time of day, Daedalus would usually be at home, but Ariadne was there; she'd probably be alerted of any Angels falling down to Earth. There was also my telepathic communication with Daedalus. I spoke despite myself.
"You…must be Icarus."
"That is me." Her tone grew more comfortable with me.
"Daedalus has told me about you." Why was I talking to someone who might incinerate me in this very park?!
"She has?" She showed some form of expression, and it wasn't a pleasant one.
I bit my lip, deciding to change the subject. "What brings you down here, Icarus?"
She reached out, and the malice I knew was hidden began to show itself. "I want—"
"Hold it, Icarus."
Ariadne came out of nowhere, gripping her wrist. It made me wonder where Daedalus was. Instead of relief flooding my veins, it was suspicion.
"Ariadne!" Icarus said in surprise, her tone shifting drastically. "Finally broke the ties with Daddy, didn't you?"
"Don't speak to me about Naucrate." Her grasp only tightened as she got colder. "Just drop the act already."
"You poor thing! You serve under a little guy like him?" But you're the same height as me!
"I don't serve anyone—he treats me as an equal," she responded coolly.
I stood up. "Where's Daedalus?"
"Mother? You know where Mother is, Ariadne?" Icarus put a hand on her cheek. "Can you tell me?"
Ariadne ignored her, addressing me alone. "She can't see you right now."
"Why not?" Daedalus, where the hell are you?!
"Because…she can't bear to face Icarus."
Icarus frowned, easing her wrist out of Ariadne's grip. "Mother doesn't wanna see me? Why?"
"She know why you're here. Don't play dumb."
The new Angel shook her head. "Yeah, yeah…Playing dumb gets me nowhere."
A sadistic smile crept across her face. "So I'll stop now, and be smart."