THE MOMENT
<Mythical Discussion>
"What do you know about myths?" Oz asked. Barley only recently started on Oz's unicorn burger; he couldn't stomach the meat. But, Astra seemed to be done eating. Oz preferred to make conversation than sit and watch the odd children in the play park. The last thing he needed was an orc or werewolf parent thinking his stare lasted a little too long on their child. Astra shrugged at his question.
"Not much," she answered. "Surprisingly, Sharp Development did not do much research on them. The only myth they studied in-depth was Santa Claus; but, that was just because Ms. Sharp assembled an army of Santas." Oz's eyes widened.
"Santa's a myth too?" Oz asked. His magical talents were suddenly explained with the knowledge that he wasn't a typical human. Oz wasn't a Unique Soul like Astra or Barley; but, he wasn't as powerless as a Zero either. Astra nodded.
"Santa Claus is an idea that humans tend to dream up when there are enough of them. In some universes, those wishes coalesce into real, magical beings. All Santas are Zeros to each other; but, they don't share the same soul the way human Zeros do."
"Do you -," Oz began to pose a question but he interrupted himself with a headshake.
[/p: You think Ballisea knows? - Oz] He sent a Whisper instead of speaking the words aloud to avoid Ballisea's habit of eavesdropping. He spotted the text glow in purple letters on Astra's wrist. She nodded.
[/p: Knows what? -Hels] Oz felt the reply on his wrist and he heard Helios' voice clear in his mind. He shook his head. Oz forgot about the other party members that weren't sitting with them.
/p: Dunno. But, she knows it all. -[Ruin]
"I guess we should tell them...," Oz sighed. Astra and Barley nodded at him.
[/p: I'm a myth. -Oz] he Whispered to the group.
[/p: AMAZING! - Hels] Oz flinched as Helios shouted in his mind; but, he felt genuine excitement with the message.
[/p: Yeah. She knows. -Ruin] Barley's eyes widened once Oz received the message; she received it too.
"Oh boy!" Barley said as a realization took form in her mind.
"Ballisea knows -"
"Shhhh!" Oz said. Barley rolled her eyes. But, instead of Whispering, she lowered her voice and leaned over the table.
"She knows; that cat ain't getting back in the bag," Barley said. Ballisea's ethereal laugh sounded around them as if to prove Barley's point. "But, you know what that means?" she asked. Oz shook his head; but, Astra was struck with a sudden realization.
"Melody!" Astra exclaimed. Barley nodded. Thanks to Astra's revelation, Oz was able to make the connection too. Melody started their quest, but she was very private about her reasons.
"But, why?" Astra asked herself the follow-up question. They sat quietly for several moments to ponder the question. Ballisea's laughter had frightened the children from the play park and Barley's chewing was the only sound.
“Sharp Development was the best company in the multiverse; but, ever since Ms. Sharp died, Melody inherited the company. And…,” Astra sighed. “...anyone will tell you Melody is not Ms. Sharp. It’s possible she’s looking for a way to use myths to help the company again..." Then, Astra shook her head.
"Jenny warned us about this," she said. She took a deep breath, then nodded at Oz. She told us to focus on our reasons, right? Do you still want to keep going?" she asked Oz. He pondered for a moment, then nodded.
A tiny part of him began to notice how personable Ballisea was. And, she certainly kept her word; she could kill him from any universe without a second thought, but instead she often laughed alongside his group. But, Astra constantly warned him that Ballisea did not have a problem killing anyone. Friend and stranger alike. The only reason she hadn't killed him yet was because she lost a game. And, the only reason she wanted to kill him was because she couldn't.
"Yeah, I still like being alive."