God of Nothing

Rayse sat on the table as he watched his master prepare tea for them. He moved like usual, but the bags under his eyes told him that he too stayed up all night. Rayse himself spent the night at Sonia's house, talking with his husband through the night. 

He took out her heart once again, unable to return it to her family. Rayse's thoughts drifted back to the night before, with the stubborn refusal he faced.

"She gave it to you, so you should keep it." Sonia's husband kept saying.

"But Mister Leonid, I–"

"Please. My wife's last wish was to save you. Let her keep doing so."

For the umpteenth time that night, Rayse wanted to protest, but this time, Leonid held up his hand to stop him.

"Sonia always wrote fondly of you in all her letters. I think you reminded her of our son." He nodded to the side as he said this, where a child was seen dozing off on one of the chairs. He held a leather jerkin tightly, one of the belongings that Rayse delivered to them.

"What you've given us is plenty, Rayse. Now all I want is for Sonia to keep protecting you."

Rayse tried to explain that he could no longer use magic in the state he was in, but Leonid refused to listen, so instead, they talked all night about the memories Sonia left them with. He felt better coming out of it, so he hoped her family did as well.

"Here you go." Aleph set a steaming cup in front of him, which Rayse gratefully took. He took a large gulp of the tea, warming him up immediately. 

"Thanks, master."

Aleph quietly observed him as he drank, smiling contentedly at how much he was enjoying it. Rayse did like it, but in truth, he was just stalling as he was dreading the coming talk. For his part, Aleph himself didn't push him, though he was sure that his master knew why he came. Instead, he nodded towards Sonia's mana heart that he left on the table.

"Such a pure looking mana heart. May I?"

Rayse nodded, nudging the rock to him. His master took it in hand, looking at it carefully. He could almost see the gears in Aleph's mind turning as he looked at it, feeling for the attribute and the possible tools he could create with it. Rayse almost started to think about how he would refuse him if he asked for it, but after a while, he just gave it back.

"Lady Sonia's will is clearly seen within this heart. I hope it serves you well."

"...Yeah."

The time stretched out as the two finished their drinks. Rayse felt like he blew his chance, and was about to give up and just return to his room for now. But Aleph, perhaps sensing his hesitation, broached the topic himself.

"Now then. What have you come to discuss?"

"U-uhmmm–"

Here it was. After last night's events, Rayse became certain of one thing. Not only with Lost, but the stories he shared with Leonid only solidified in his mind that he still wanted to fight. The problem was that even now, his body would be wracked with pain if he even so much as circulates the mana in his body. The most torturous thing about it was that he could feel his own mana heart bursting with power dwarfing that of the heart he held in his hand. It calls to him, beckoning him to use it, only to dash his hopes once again every time he tried. That hasn't changed in the past week, but if there was anything they could do about it, his master would know.

"Master… Do I really need to quit being a mage?"

Aleph just stared at him, with that gaze that always seemed like it could peer into his very soul. He always had those eyes, but now they were softened by affection. It was a nice gesture, but his words stabbed him with the cruel reality.

"Rayse… I've done all I could. Forgive me, but your body is–"

"There must be something we can do!" He pleaded. "I have so much I want to fight for, and this stupid war keeps taking things from me!"

He took a deep breath, trying to settle down. 

"I can't… I can't stay back knowing you all will be risking your lives, mister. I wouldn't be able to handle it if Erebos took you too…"

His voice quivered, which a corner of his mind found strange because he felt pretty warm because of the tea. Aleph went over to his side, giving him a hug, and just like that, all his emotions boiled over. Rayse broke down in his master's arms, wracked with guilt, sorrow and frustration all at once.

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"Hiiik–"

"It's alright, Ray." Aleph comforted his disciple the best he could. Such a talented young man, all but forced to serve as a bystander. Even through the hug, he could feel his mana heart beating strongly from within him. Such monstrous amounts of mana, comparable to heralds, caged in a body ravaged with mana burns and unable to be utilized. 

Even if Rayse could fight solely with artifacts like Aleph used to, his potential has been cut off. Eventually, his friends, talented in their own right, will outstrip him if they haven't already. All in all, his time on the front line is effectively over.

And so Aleph let him mourn. Mourn for his friends' lives he failed to save, as well as for the potential he was supposed to have. 

After some time, exhaustion and grief gave way to slumber. Aleph gently set his disciple on his own bed before walking back towards the table. He fished through his pocket, looking for a particular letter. He tore it up and laid its contents onto the table, before picking up one in particular.

I've finalized your designs, master Aleph. Show this letter to the people in my workshop, they'll provide you with everything you need. It's on Artisan Road. Just look for the sign. -Jodi

Aleph still had trouble reading this world's script, but fortunately Jodi's writing, like the person, was deliberate in its accuracy.

P.S. I'm on my way, so show me your prototypes once I arrive.

That made him crack a smile. Jodi's single minded pursuit of the top of her field was admirable. He did not even mind her calling him master this time.

He looked out of the window, eager to get to work. It had been about an hour since sunrise. Is anybody at her workshop at this time?

Aleph doubted it, which was why he wanted to try and get some rest before getting to work. He turned back towards the bed where he had just laid his disciple, seeing that rest was not an option at the moment. So instead, he took out Oblivion's mana heart, figuring out what he wanted to do with it. The plans Jodi sent were made not taking it into account, after all, so he needed to make drastic changes to his design in order to accommodate it.

Aleph turned the letter over, using the blank side as a canvas for designing his newest equipment, when he saw a lovely green jewel on the table. It was Sonia's heart, entrusted to Rayse as its owner's final wish. He picked it up curiously, taking his mind to where his disciple went off to the previous night. Seeing as Rayse still had it with him, her family apparently wanted to respect Sonia's wish to protect him.

He remembered when he went to see Deceit's remains, hoping to harvest useful materials from it. The herald's true body was encased in a replica of Agony, faithfully recreated by whatever magic the herald of Deceit wielded. Both bodies were in relatively good condition, if you don't account for the massive hole that punched through their midsection. Aleph stood to retrieve what he had harvested that day, a collection of bones and leather material that he planned to use to create his own gear.

"Mmmm…" Rayse mumbled unintelligibly from behind him, making him look at his disciple once again. He was like that for a time, just looking back and forth from the stone in his hand to his disciple, wondering if what he was about to do was the right thing to do.

Eventually, it was Rayse's words a few hours ago that nudged him into action.

'This stupid war keeps taking things from me!' Such words felt uncomfortably familiar. The feelings behind them were what fueled Aleph's campaign against the Demon Lord on earth many centuries ago, so he knew how serious Rayse was.

He won't let anyone stop him… Aleph sighed.

"Help me keep him safe, Lady Sonia." He gripped the jewel, which briefly shone. Aleph knew it was only a reaction to his own mana heart, but he'd like to think it was the cheerful and courageous soldier giving her approval.

Being human for too long, one does learn to find hope wherever they could.

So Aleph took his pen and designed a weapon. One fashioned for his disciple's wish to stand against the darkness even in his broken state.

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Rayse awoke past midday, feeling strangely refreshed. He blinked away the fatigue for a couple of minutes, before realizing that this room wasn't where he was assigned to. He jumped up in panic, before he realized where he was. Embarrassment replaced the panic as he exited the bed in a flash, returning to the table where a huddled Aleph sat.

"Mister Aleph, I–" 

He stopped just before reaching out to him, seeing that he had fallen asleep on the table. This time, it was Rayse who picked up his master and laid him to bed, with no signs of protest from the usually vigilant former god.

He returned to the table to clean up, clearing out the cups that had been laid out since dawn, and was about to clear out the papers when he noticed his name on one of them.

For Rayse

The familiar phrase made him curious. He had only ever seen it once before when he received the Dragonscale Shield. He scanned the drawing, admiring his master's work. The parameters were in a script he failed to recognize, so all he could glean from it was that his master was making him a spear. He turned the piece of paper over, uncovering even more drawings, as well as a portion that he could actually read. Apparently, the letter itself had come from Jodi, the friend Iona was looking for that one time.

One word stood out to him, emblazoned below the drawings. The word emboldened him. Whereas the Dragonscale shield was named such for its function, this one seems to have been named after Aleph's wish for his disciple. Rayse felt tears welling up once again, but sucked it up, opting to go to the street where Iona's friend's workshop was. 

He took the letter off the table, venturing back out into the world much more confidently as he turned the word over and over in his mind. His smile returned ever more fiercely, and he could feel his body itching to move. His body was in the same state it was when he slept, but now, after seeing what his master was making for him, it made Rayse want to live up to it. To be worthy of the wish his master had for him. So he recited its name over and over in his head, hoping to embody it.

Unbroken. I am Unbroken.

He said it to himself over and over, and soon, he was standing in front of a busy workshop.