The Red Hand

"Umm... Yeah... Sorry for... That..." Amakusa said as she sat next to Halifax. They'd cleaned up the mess in the prison area, and the Heroine was embarrassed and regretful for how much mental anguish she'd caused the Divine Blade with her comments. "I was a bit out of line there..." She said as she scratched her cheek. “And me having a mental break doesn't really excuse it...”

{I need therapy... A LOT of therapy... Preferably one without Cats!} (Amakusa)

"And I'll apologize for attacking you like that." Halifax sighed while looking a bit embarrassed. "As angry and upset as I was, that was no excuse to lay my hands on you like that. Your words were from a place of concern, and I had no right to escalate things to physical violence. Sorry..."

"Meh, that's kinda the norm at this point." Amakusa said, noting that Enoris basically required it to get anywhere. "God knows how many people I did the same to over the years. This is the kind of world where might makes right after all."

{And in such a world, the concept of law and order are vague suggestions at best. Honestly... I think I've forgotten what it feels like to live in a place where enforcing one's will force of arms was not only frowned upon but genuinely impossible.} (Amakusa)

"I still don't like it..." Halifax sighed as she shook her head. "Though I'm also friends with a powerful kitty who just does whatever she wants, and I'm also not exactly a stranger to twisting people's arms to get my way... So perhaps I'm just a big hypocrite..."

{I've smashed plenty of Noble's faces in to get things done... So maybe I'm really no better than Akagi and the Gods in that regard...} (Halifax)

"At this point, we're all guilty of talking out both sides of our mouth." Arcus said, startling both of them. “Well, the mouth in some of our contexts being metaphorical, but you catch my drift.”

"You're already awake?" Halifax said as she walked over and picked him up. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. We don't exactly work like living beings. Being knocked out shouldn't be more than a temporary annoyance. How long have you been back?"

"Long enough to hear all kinds of interesting things." Arcus replied, a bit of sadness audible in his voice. "Don't worry Halifax, you've got a friend in me!" He said before being tossed across the room and smacking into the wall. "Hey! I thought you were against violence?!?"

"Who? Me? You must've confused me with some other Divine Sword." Halifax rolled her eyes. "This Sword has no problem with putting the hurt on idiots like you."

"You Demon Blade!" Arcus cried out.

"Ohohohohoho!" Halifax replied with a villainous laugh that she'd heard Akagi make once. "You've found me out, Arcus! I've been the evil Blade of the Demon Lord all along, and now together the kitty and I shall destroy this world! Ohohohohoho!"

{That's not a very funny joke, Halifax...} (Amakusa x Arcus)

"But that's enough playing around." Halifax said as Arcus's body morphed into his human form. He was shorter than both Halifax and Amakusa, though not by much, and his short blue hair and baby face made him look more like a young teen than the centuries old Bow that he was.

"Huh? Why does he look like a kid?" Amakusa asked, expecting the Divine Bow to be somewhat similar in appearance to the mature-looking Halifax.

"Hey! Don't be rude!" Arcus pouted at her comment. "It's not my fault I look this way!"

"P-Please don't tell me Penelope forced him to look like that due to her... tastes..." Amakusa said while picturing things that were most certainly not SFW.

{Morals in this world aren't the same as Earth, but I'm bending on that one.} (Amakusa)

"I don't think Penelope falls into that camp, probably." Halifax replied with a snicker. "Though he does look like that because of Penelope."

"Ehhhh..." Amakusa made a noise of disbelief as she looked at the unconscious Demi-God. "Is she really a shota-con? Do I need to call the inter dimensional police?"

"Pfff." Halifax barely managed to contain her laughter at such an acquisition.

"You..." Arcus sighed before shaking his head. "I look like this not because Penelope has preferences that we'd need to have an intensive discussion about, but rather because she's young."

{Halifax, did you purposefully say that in such a way as to cause a misunderstanding? No... You definitely did...} (Arcus)

"And?" Amakusa asked with a raised eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

"A Divine weapon will assume a physical form that is influenced by their wielder." Halifax explained. "If one is biologically 'old' but mentally immature like Penelope is, that will cause Arcus to take a form more like you see here." She pointed to him. "Additionally, said influence goes beyond merely messing with your physical form and can actually have a pretty big impact on their his personality. Arcus acts more immature and childish than someone of his age and experience should, and that is because of his wielder's influence."

{And he's also just an idiot ta boot.} (Halifax)

"Indeed." Arcus said, wanting to scold her for her word choice but holding back since it was technically correct, the best kind of correct as one kitty would say. "Our wielders have a lot of impact on us during our time together. It's not enough to cause a total personality shift but it will have an effect, especially if we're together for a long time and Pen has been bonded to me for over three hundred years."

"So if we gave you to Akagi you'd become evil?" Amakusa asked Halifax with a snicker. “Would your hair go white as you become some edgy sword of darkness?”

"No." Halifax shook her head. "Unlike other Divine Weaspons I am not influenced by my wielder. If I was then I wouldn't've been so repulsed by a certain monster's actions when she slaughtered the Dark Elves, and I certainly didn't change to become more like Helia during our time together." She continued, noting that Helia was quite aloof and air headed, two traits that didn't really apply to Halifax. "My will is too strong to be broken in such a manner. Though I suppose with Akagi she could probably overpower me if she wanted, so perhaps I would become a legitimate Demon Blade if she wanted me to."

{I shudder to think would would happen in such a situation. A Demon Lord with my power... If Akagi can predict the future with her calculation power... Just what would happen if she gained the ability to see even a few SECONDS into the future? Such a being... It would be grasping at powers that I don't even want to imagine.} (Halifax)

"Halifax." Arcus' jovial expression and atmosphere changed to a sharp glare as he locked eyes with his sibling. "Is what you said true? Did the Gods... Are we being lied to?"

{Lady Elariel showed up at the end there, and from what I gathered before I was knocked out... She was corroborating Halifax's claims about the Gods. If what she said is true...} (Arcus)

"The Gods deceived us all Arcus. They blamed the magical disasters on the Spirits who were never actually the culprits, and they knew it." Halifax answered him truthfully. “Everything you were told was a lie.”

"And why would they do that?" Arcus asked, not out of disbelief but because he wanted answers. Claims like this needed to be taken seriously and the ancient Bow needed to understand what drove the Gods to commit such an atrocity. "What reason could they have to wipe out an innocent people? Lady Elariel said something about self-preservation..."

"They did it because Enoris is doomed and the Gods have decided to sacrifice it and all of its people so that they can escape." Halifax's words slammed down onto the Bow with the weight of a mountain.

{And I'm pretty certain they'll wipe out the Demi-Gods, Angels and the Divine Weapons to power this transfer, so not even these two would've been spared.} (Halifax)

"You... You can't be..." Arcus put his hand to his mouth so as not to leave it hanging open in disbelief. "No... But that would explain everything. Why you sided with a Demon Lord. Why Lady Elariel is here... I see... Now it all makes sense."

{So you didn't betray the world due to a hatred of the Gods. You're trying to stop them before it's too late. I knew things didn't add up. I've known Halifax for centuries and even at her lowest she never wanted to actively destroy this world.} (Arcus)

"You should help us, Arcus." Halifax said as she stood up and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "The Gods must be stopped. If their plan succeeds everyone on Enoris will be sacrificed in the largest blood magic ritual in history. Think what you may of Akagi, but she's actually offering an off ramp. Her plan is to keep the people of this world alive, albiet with conditions."

"And if those bastards go to Earth they'll pull the same shit there I'd bet." Amakusa spat in disgust. “I won't allow that.”

"Yeah... No doubt they'd try to ingratiate themselves with the Humans of Earth in an attempt to worm their way into their minds as they did here." Halifax said. "And I will not allow another world to fall victim to their machinations." She tightened her fists in frustration, hating herself for allowing things to have gone this far and lamenting her powerlessness. "So how about it? Do you feel like teaming up with me? You were always the one sibling I liked." She smirked. “And I think we'd make a good team.

"I..." Arcus paused to give an answer, but before he could say anything else the Bow was interrupted by a voice from the jail cell.

"Lies!" Penelope yelled weakly as she propped herself up against the wall. "Don't listen to the traitor! She's doing nothing but spouting nonsense in an attempt to deceive you!"

"Pen!" Arcus turned to his wielder, surprised to see her conscious. "Thank goodness! You're alright!"

{You still look like someone ran over by one of those automated Dwarven carriages and dumped in a ditch though.} (Arcus)

"She's already awake?!?" Amakusa said as she summoned and drew Inori, ready to fight. "How tough are these Demi-Gods?!? She was practically on death's door after that fight!"

"To me, Arcus!" Penelope commanded him to come to her side. "We'll break out of here and report everything back to Lady Reflia!" She said, her voice weakening as she winced in pain. "And then the Gods will show this traitor their Divine Justice!"

{You'll pay for turning your back on everyone, Halifax! I'll make you regret deceiving me!} (Penelope)

"I know I hit your head pretty hard, but did you lose some of your already low IQ, Penelope?" Halifax sighed as she motioned for Amakusa to lower her blade. "Not only are you heavily weakened right now, but if you did somehow get past me Akagi is going to deal with you. There is no escape from here for you."

{Like seriously, I threw you around like a ragdoll at the end and Akagi can toss ME around in the same manner! I'd praise you for your courage if I didn't know your words came from foolishness rather than sheer mental resilience!} (Halifax)

"Penelope... No... I'm sorry, but no" Arcus shook his head, shocking the Demi-God. "Listen, Pen. I've been at your side for over three hundred years. We've fought against all kinds of enemies and had a great time together... I've honestly come to view you like my own little sister, despite how such feelings are technically forbidden." He chuckled as he walked over to the cell and crouched down in front of her, his eyes showing just how sad and angry at himself he was. "You're my troublesome, but cute, little sister who I can't leave alone and want to spoil endlessly. But this time... This time I can't just go along with your demands, wielder or not. I'm sorry, Pen... I won't let you keep going down this path anymore."

{Please find it in your heart to forgive you for failing you... I'm a terrible older brother...} (Arcus)

"You..." Penelope's eyes widened as they filled with rage. She'd never been rebuked so bluntly by the Bow before and it only served to incense her even further. "So you've betrayed me too?" She asked, venom dripping from each word. “You'd turn your back on everything, just like she did?!?”

{Are you going to walk away too? Are you going to show me your back just like Halifax did those centuries ago?!?} (Penelope)

"No. I would never betray you, Pen." Arcus shook his head as he put his hand through the bars and cupped her cheek, barely holding back tears. "But as your partner... As your friend... It's my duty to stop you when you're going down the wrong path..." He sighed before looking downward, tears dropping to the floor. "Forgive me for not taking action sooner. I shouldn't have let you get this way... I should've stopped you before you'd gotten this bad... I should've..."

{I should've been the voice of reason...} (Arcus)