Marionette sighed in relief, "Mhmm hehh~ finally the battle narrative is over. Natasha came just in time to help Luca. I didn't expect Asteria to use that melody, it doesn't seem like a coincidence," she commented to herself while watching and giving the narration to the reader.
"It's not just a coincidence, Marionette. It was meant to happen like that, we both know that for sure," said Asteria who heard Marionette, apparently Marionette spoke in her mind without realizing it shared it with Asteria, because they always exchanged thoughts and information like that. "How is the condition there?" asked Asteria even though he was focused on playing music with Viny.
"Multitasking can never be underestimated, even though playing music like that can still talk to me like it's just some kid toy," said Marionette to Asteria's ability, she also answered his question, "Natasha has arrived, but I realized there were two Sprouts when using the Scenery power," she said reporting the situation to Asteria.
Asteria's soft laughter could be heard in Marionette's mind, "As expected, keep an eye on the situation there, I'll take care of the part here," Asteria replied to Marionette with an impressed voice.
Back to Natasha's side, she walking without showing any emotion because that was how she was, she had no emotions at all, just like the victims of the Sprouts on that side of the city. Even though the Sprouts were defeated, there was no change in the victims, indicating that the threat and consequences of the Sprouts were permanent. Approaching the unconscious Natura, she grabbed her and placed her on her head.
"Marionette, what should I do to them?" Natasha asked in her mind flatly because she had no emotions.
Marionette answered her with a voice that sounded happy and entertained, "On the roof of the building with the doll, yes a red light shining is my doll, right there."
Natasha looked around, the victims and those who were still alive but without any emotions passed by her sight, the destroyed building, the blood splattered everywhere made it feel dark and scary, but not for her who could not feel those feelings. She finally found a building that had a red light, and she move while taking advantage of the damaged conditions of the surrounding environment to help her move up onto the roof.
Reaching the roof of the building, she found Marionette lying down while playing with her string, "Hello Natasha, just put them here. Exactly five minutes, hm? Very agile indeed," he said to Natasha who did not react at all.
Marionette saw from the corner of her eye, Natasha in an open night blue dress exposing her back and shoulders. On her back and shoulders there were bright red tattoos, each different shaped. Behind her back was a picture of a seven-headed snake, her left shoulder was a shark, while her right shoulder was like a jellyfish. Wearing high heels, made her look taller and more dominant, plus her black hair that fell to her waist and was wavy added a mysterious impression as well as a charming touch. Her dark gold eyes also gave the impression of her emotionlessness stronger, even light was not visible in them.
"Still the same as usual, Natasha. A hunter of night creatures, your presence cannot be felt because of the lack of..." Marionette paused for a moment looking for the right word, "No, more precisely the absence of emotion in you," commented Marionette who slowly woke up.
Natasha follow her instruction to put Luca and Natura down slowly, she looked at their condition without feel sympathy, "Who are they, Marionette? One of them is in Overture form."
"Just a beginner. That one fairy is a Spirit type Fiore, while the Overture you saw is Luca. It looks like Asteria will take Luca into Willingness," said Marionette who walked closer to Natasha.
Natasha complained, "Huff... will there be a new division again? Judging from the density of Willingness," she said flatly.
An evil laugh came out of Marionette, entertained by the current situation, "There must be. Right? I'm confused why Asteria needs so many personnel in our group," she said, agreeing with Natasha's statement that Willingness has so many personnel. Observing the surrounding conditions, especially the killed Sprouts, she threw her Memorial needle and thread to collect the scattered Petals. "Natasha, I want you to check over there. When I used the Scenery's power earlier, I saw two Sprouts. I don't know what that means but my feelings is bad, no, it's even more confusing as if we have to destroy those Sprouts," She asked Natasha to go while gathering the scattered Petals.
At first Natasha did not comply with her request, but after a moment of thought she finally moved forward, her eyes carefully observing the surroundings looking for signs of life from the Sprouts she had killed earlier. There was no clue or even the remains of the Sprouts because they were devoured by Natasha's power using the shark tattoo on her left shoulder. Reactivating it, she could sharpen her senses like a shark. As a hunter, Natasha had no sympathy whatsoever for her targets. She always has blank gaze and her emotionless self made her look like a machine that acted on orders, but her "orders" were instincts in her own body.
Marionette who managed to collect the scattered Petals was immediately used on Luca, healing his Overture form. This could be done because Overture was the embodiment of the Mythos soul, so a damaged soul could be repaired with Petals. In other words, Petals were not only blood or the wounded effect of the Spirit soul, but could also be reused to heal the soul itself even though it would not be like before. Luca's hands and feet were intact again, his life was saved even though he was still unconscious.
Seeing Natura's damaged wings, Marionette immediately repaired them using her Masquerade power. " Awhh~ how bad, these beautiful wings have to be damaged," she commented on Natura's condition while acting sad.
Bringing out Memorial in both of her hands, she amputated both of Natura's wings even though it made her even more injured but it was a way that only Marionette could do. After successfully amputating, she quickly copied the intact wings using Masquerade and reattached them to Natura's body before the bleeding got worse, replacing the damaged wings with their intact replicas. She was very skilled in doing so because of her experience in taking care of her dolls and puppets, especially the needle and thread that she had always used no matter what the situation.
Natura woke up after Marionette once again used the Masquerade power to wake her up by infiltrating her mind. Masquerade is a special power of Marionette, where she can copy anything as it should be by touching her target, if it is a living creature then the copy does not have a soul, only an empty shell that can be controlled by Marionette. Other uses include infiltrating someone's mind, reading their memories or speaking directly through their mind, but it requires using her Memorial. Therefore, it explains why she can speak in minds like Asteria and Natasha before.
"I've given you the details, do you understand?" said Marionette who explained it to the reader while taking care of Natura's condition.
Natura was surprised who Marionette was talking to, she asked, "Mhm... huh? Who are you talking to?"
Marionette tilted her head while grinning widely at Natura, "Nothing~ just my habit, don't think too much about it," she replied without giving Natura any details, even so Natura still agreed because she was lazy to argue with Marionette.
Marionette's happy giggle came out when hearing Natura's answer, she started walking around the edge of the building while stretching her arms since she finish treating Natura's damaged wings. Her behavior still made Natura not want to approach her even since she was with Asteria. Realizing that Luca had regained consciousness, Natura flew closer to him, "Weak boy, are you okay?" she asked herself worriedly but hidden it with her cheeky nature.
Luca was still in Overture form and couldn't return because he didn't know how, he turned to Natura, "I guess so, I don't know myself..." he said confusedly, his body shaking remembering how he was beaten up by Sprout earlier.
Not satisfied with Luca's answer, Natura hit his cheek, "How can you not know your own body? What's wrong with you?" she exclaimed, looking at Luca seriously.
Because his body was covered by a gray cloth in his Overture form, including his face, Natura didn't know his current expression. Luca answered her indifferently, "I told you I don't know. It feels like something is missing, something feel lost."
Hearing that, Marionette paused them for a moment to explain the situation, "That's a side effect of healing using Petals. Do you think a flower that loses its petals can return to its original state even if the petals are already in their original place?" pausing with an evil chuckle, she finally continued, "Unfortunately not, it's the same with our souls. The process we go through makes us feel differences such as loss and emptiness that still remain. Because of that feeling of loss, there's something missing." She continued to circle the edge of the building while continuing her sentences, "It might sound complicated if you don't understand it."
Natura fell silent hearing Marionette's words, this was something fresh for her because she had never talked to her much. "Is that so, it's only natural that he can't understand. I'm sorry," she muttered softly to Luca.
Feeling uncomfortable, Luca shook his head while chuckling awkwardly, "I-It's okay, I just found out myself too. There's some truth to what she said, Natura. Can I still survive..." he said, becoming pessimistic again.
Natura sat on his shoulder, "Luca..." he said this time softly and caringly. "You've survived, that's more than enough for now," she said trying to cheer up Luca's mood.
"As you said, 'for now', that too with the help of the woman and this short girl," said Luca who didn't know Marionette and Natasha, he looked down and let out a heavy sigh, "Huuhhh.... only for now, but what about next... I'm weak and useless like this..."
"At least you realize that you're weak and useless, Luca," said Marionette who then chuckled because that was what Asteria would say. "That's better, Asteria would say that if he heard it. Realizing how lacking you are and being able to reflect on your situation," she said with a wide smile. "Honestly, I'm happy with your nature like that, because it's rare for me to meet someone who can be aware of themselves," her personal comment to Luca who belittled himself.
"But still, I'll be useless, what's the point..." complained Luca who saw his own form even in Overture he was still weak. Before Marionette could answer, he continued in a slightly more optimistic voice, "However, I will do what I can. Even if I can't fight, hehe..."
Natura looked at him with sympathy, she touched his cheek feeling the sadness inside, "Luca..." his name came out again to her.
Suddenly the moment of reflection was interrupted by a male voice from nowhere and spoke to them, "Hey plain child, you are so weak, honestly I can't stand being you!" he shouted which made the three of them shocked.
Feeling a hot air in his shirt pocket, Marionette pulled one of the three cards given by Asteria earlier. Apparently is Rarog, a card depicting a giant bird with hellfire all over its body, "So it's you, Rarog. The bird version, apparently," She said when she saw the card.
"No! I'm just inside this Spirit Rarog. I am Greed, the Seven Sinful Sins!" said the same male voice proudly.
Marionette stared skeptically at the card, making her a little curious, "Greed? I don't remember sealing your consciousness inside Rarog."
Greed laughed sarcastically before answering, "Indeed not, because there was a little bargain between me and Asteria, that's why I can be here. That's right, Sinful Hearts who have my consciousness are inside Spirit Rarog," he said once again which made Marionette even more suspicious.
However when Marionette listened to it again while holding the card, she did not feel any lies in her mind through her Masquerade power. Laughter escaped from Marionette, she threw herself to the side of the building hooking herself with her thread to the wall of the building and also to herself so that she hung. She let out a satisfied breath, "Haahhh ~ always full of surprises, I don't know what Asteria has prepared for this prologue..."
Greed was surprised also confused by what Marionette meant, he ignored it after that asked Marionette to throw it to Luca. Without thinking twice, she threw it and hit Luca's forehead, making him a little surprised but he managed to catch it after that. "What is this? A card with a picture of a bird?" he muttered curiously and examined the card carefully.
Natura also checked it, "This is the Spirit Rarog, it comes from the underworld or what we call the Abyss." She checked it again to confirm, "There are two types, namely dragons and there is an eagle like the one in your hand. However, the dragon type is very rare, it's like a miracle if you manage to find it," she said explaining Rarog to Luca, indicating that Natura knew about the Spirit.
Greed was amazed by Natura's knowledge, he answered her, "Ohhh... Smart little fairy, how did you know this Spirit came from the Abyss? It's not like you're from that realm, but how come you know about Rarog?"
Natura didn't answer him as if hiding something from him, turning her head the other way while humming. Luca was also curious but put it aside because he felt uncomfortable. "G-Greed, right? What did you mean by what you said earlier? You said you couldn't stand being me," asked Luca who wanted to know what Greed said.
Greed spoke in a happy voice, "Weaklings like you make me sick, don't you have any desire or passion to become stronger? Become greater? Are you satisfied with yourself as a burden huh?"
Luca's words stopped in his throat, as if something was holding him back. He could only nod but his eyes showed a strong determination that made Greed even more interested. The watch that was attached to Luca's chest ticked, the Roman numeral one glowed red like Rarog's red fire. Indicating a resonance? That's what Greed felt who was in the Spirit of Rarog. He felt a strong desire or wish behind Luca's innocence, whatever it was but it was buried within him, so he opened the conversation again which surprised Luca.
"Luca is your name right? How is it? Do you want to become stronger? Do you want to develop, answer me!" Greed shouted loudly to arouse the turmoil of desire within Luca.
Luca immediately answered him without thinking and following his heart, "I want..." he muttered softly.
"I didn't hear it, what do you want!" Greed replied, getting louder.
"I want to be stronger!" Luca suddenly shouted excitedly without realizing it, he was out of breath and his eyes were full of flame of passion.
Unexpectedly, the Rarog card flew into the watch on his chest. Making the number one on his body also disappear and the number one on the watch shone brightly. Finally, Rarog's Spirit entered the same container or subconscious of Luca. Allowing them to communicate telepathically, "Great work, plain child," said Greed who was already in Luca's soul container.
Looking around, Greed realized that his place was different from Asteria's soul container, which was a night atmosphere with stars scattered in the sky with a full moon and was on green hills filled with flower gardens. Luca's was like an endless desert, he stood there without seeing any signs of life other than himself and Rarog flying in the sky.
"It's so quiet, only the sound of hot wind in my ears," Greed muttered as he circled Luca's soul container. His journey stopped when he felt Envy's Sprouts, he crouched down and touched the sand beneath him to speak to Luca, "Hey plain child, I can feel that the Sprouts are still alive. Share some of your body control with me," he asked, eager to fight.
Hearing Greed's voice with the power of Masquerade, Marionette jumped back up the building and pointed at Luca with a sharp gaze, "Greed, don't try to control him for your own personal gain, especially in front of me, she's my toy," she threatened him seriously this time.
"Hmph, I'm not like the others. As long as I can fight, that's my only desire, I don't want anything else," Greed said to Marionette and Luca. His words were credible because they didn't have the slightest intention of lying.
Luca spoke with his own reasons, "This will help us defeat the Sprouts, what do you think?" asked Luca who was waiting for Marionette's answer. Natura who was beside him didn't know about the conversation with Greed in Luca's body, but hearing to defeat the Sprouts she nodded in agreement with Marionette.
Letting out a tired sigh, Marionette just agreed, "Heuh.... It's up to you guys, go ahead. I want to check something," she said before swinging away between buildings.
Hearing confirmation from Marionette, Luca finally gave half of his body control to Greed by agreeing to his will. When Luca spoke, Greed's voice was mixed in, "How is that, can you see it, Greed?" asked Luca curiously.
Greed laughed in satisfaction because he could finally feel the outside world again, "Ahhh, it's so nice... See the projection of the playground, the music that can be heard, the fresh air caressing the skin, and the cold feeling at night..." he said which made Luca and Natura confused by what he said. It was as if Greed had just felt a life when he was in Luca's body and accessed his body. They were silent for a while until the sound of a building collapsing could be heard from the direction of the Summer Festival, "That's it, the Sprouts are there," said Greed who felt the presence of the Sprouts even from a distance.
When he was controlled by Greed, the strength in Luca's body seemed to increase. His running speed was faster than before, even his stamina had increased. Natura who realized it was shocked by the sudden change in his physical condition, she flew faster to keep up with Luca's running speed, "Since when can you run this fast? Even without my help," said Natura who was curious.
Luca answered her while running towards where Sprouts was, "I don't know myself, my body feels lighter..." he said who also didn't know how it could happen.
Meanwhile in Greed's mind, when running towards the battle place made him even more excited until he laughed happily, "Hahaha, hahahaa! I can't wait, how to fight with this body!"
The sound of chaos barely could be covered anymore, but Asteria continued to play his music with Viny in the Music Hall until Marionette suddenly fell from above and landed gracefully, making the audience shocked and amazed by what was happening right now. People were murmuring and whispering who the figure was standing on the stage, some of them were annoyed because the event was stopped while most of them were also curious if this was also part of the event. Marionette spoke in her mind, "Asteria, we need to distract all attention to the Music Hall. Be the conductor for the Grand Orchestra!"
Asteria stopped playing her violin when she heard it. Seeing him stop, Viny also followed him, then whispered to him softly, "Farfalla, what's wrong? Why did we stop? And who is this girl?" she asked curiously and confusedly.
"Viny, get ready for the Grand Orchestra. We will perform more lively for you tonight," she said, telling the purpose of Marionette's arrival, even though it was just a diversion. "You are still the main star, so it's gonna be okay," said Asteria who cheering up Viny.
Viny was getting happier, she nodded enthusiastically while standing in her position. Marionette cloned herself using Masquerade until there were a lot for each instrument that would be used, she also brought all the musical instruments from behind the stage up using her thread. The choir was also filled by Marionette, they were all ready. Asteria handed her violin to Marionette and stood in front of the Marionette clones who were with Viny. Connecting each thread on her clone with Asteria so that they could follow his orders more better, while she stood in the violin group beside Viny.
The audience couldn't take their eyes off, not expecting a Grand Orchestra that night. People gathered more and more before the music started again. Shortly after the music started with Asteria as the conductor to lead the orchestra, people became more enthusiastic and amazed. Marionette used Masquerade again, using her puppet intermediary who was off stage to control the residents to enjoy the festival and manipulate their hearing so that the sound of the fight that was happening outside could not be felt and realized. How could she do so many things at one time without running out of energy because her real self was in a special place that kept her from running out of energy stores.
The grand and lively music decorated the atmosphere of the Summer Festival, the projection of the giant playground in the sky also made people feel that nothing bad happened. In stark contrast to what happened behind them, especially to Natasha who tried to herd and block Sprouts from approaching the festival, the chaos caused by the fight was still ongoing. This time Natasha used the power of the jellyfish tattoo on her right shoulder, making her second Memorial weapon appear. From initially just a one-handed sword to two red whips on both arms, with different Memorials and different tattoos she gained mobility, wider attack range, and also added an electric element to her attacks. Uniquely when using the power of her red tattoo, it can trigger her emotions to appear even if only for a moment.
When pulling and slamming Sprouts who tried to approach the festival location, she was seen smiling faintly and enjoying her fight. "Again, again, again! I'm still hungry...." she muttered, feeling her killing desire getting stronger when using the two tattoos on her shoulders at once.
However, when using it for too long, her soul could not hold back her excessive emotions due to the effects of her power, requiring her to deactivate her power in certain circumstances. So far, she could only use it for ten minutes at most for each tattoo on her shoulder, while on her back she rarely used it or even didn't use it at the moment and includ this moment too. Although before ten minutes, Natasha had already felt the impact and slowly lost control of her mind. Therefore, she limited the use of her tattoo power and focused on her own power with the one-handed weapon Memorial or two whips without the help of her red tattoo power.
No matter how Natasha couldn't stop the movement of Sprouts, as if it was endless. One died and another appeared again without her realizing it was a different Sprouts. She thought quickly in her fight to solve her current problem, "Their movements are quite fast, with each step releasing water like that makes them more agile..." she thought while observing the Sprouts once again to confirm it.
Faced with a worse situation where every time she cut a part of her body, the cut part quickly healed and grew a new part, because at the core which was the marble in her stomach was where the healing power came from. "Even though I had destroyed it by devouring its entire body when I saved, uh... I don't know what its name was," She thought, forgetting that she had saved Luca earlier.
Until when she realized that one of the Sprouts she was fighting didn't have the core, she stopped fighting it and watched it run away. "Something's strange, why that creatures doesn't have any core anymore," She muttered flatly, she used her shark tattoo again after feeling like she hadn't used it for quite a while. She ran around the city looking for the source of the strangeness. In her search, she just remembered what Marionette said about there being two Sprouts. When she remembered it, enlightenment appeared in her head and she got the answer she was looking for. "Ahh... So annoyed, rather than fighting this endlessly, let's just find the main source. Envy should be close to its host," she rushed to find Envy, to face it directly, following her own instincts that's her enlightenment.
At the same time, Luca and Natura finally reached the location of the former battle between Natasha and Sprouts. The situation was quite worrying, broken building glass, destroyed walls, and roads that were full of holes and badly damaged. Natura who saw Sprouts running towards the festival immediately exclaimed, "There it is! Sprouts is heading towards the festival!"
Before she could chase after him, she was immediately interrupted by Greed who warned her, "Don't! It's just a trick. I don't feel the core of Sprout there. Find a way into the underground sewer, the presence is below us," he said, informing Sprouts position with his instincts as the Seven Sinful Sins.
Not wanting to waste much time, they took advantage of the roads that were full of holes due to the battle to find where the underground sewer was, until they finally found it even though it smelled bad and was dark. Natura who was reluctant to enter commented, "Seriously, do you want us to go in there?!"
but Greed who controlled Luca's body caught her and forced her jump in with him, he continued running towards the location where the core of Sprouts was. Natura inevitably gave light with her power so she could see in the dark while holding the bad smell. Luca also couldn't stand the smell in the underground sewer, but Greed ignored it and became very enthusiastic when he felt the presence of Sprouts getting closer. Exploring every corridor and bend until finally they found Sprouts in a coral reef-like structure with a glowing blue water flow protecting it. The difference between the Sprouts they fought before and the ones in the nest was the larger marble core. Currently, the Sprouts are sleeping in it and hatching many Sprouts that are similar to the original, some of them even have marble cores in their stomachs but are smaller.
"That explains why the Sprouts weren't completely dead," said Greed who was amazed by Envy's creation of Sprouts, which was one of the most unique he had seen. "What kind of envy can create Sprouts this good," he praised, trying to get closer but was noticed by the Sprouts herd. "Come on, do you think I'm afraid?!" shouted Greed who was full of ambition.
"I'm afraid!" Luca shouted, who was the opposite of Greed, because there were so many Sprouts in front of him right now.
Natura complained and looked at him with a disbelieving face, "Oi, who else is fighting them if not you,"
The Sprouts horde moved quickly, but Greed's reaction was no less fast, using Rarog's power in front of him. The surprise attack immediately burned the Sprouts including the eggs on the coral reef, but the coral reef was still intact and not too affected, there was a lot of ash around it indicating that the Sprouts were protecting their nest. "Ohh, this Sprouts is quite clever one," Greed praised once again happily.
The Sprouts in the nest woke up, holding a brightly shining egg in both arms, "Get away, all of you get away!" shouted the Sprouts which even made Greed, one of the Seven Sinful Sins, surprised to hear it.
"Sprouts can talk... That's impossible, we never created Sprouts to have their own consciousness, especially talking, usually they just follow their host's nature." said Greed who began to keep his distance, not wanting to take any risks. "Cowardly child, give me access to control your body completely, we have to fight that thing!" Greed asked Luca happily, but Luca remained silent and felt that he still couldn't fight back.
Unfortunately, the situation became more critical when the Sprouts holding the egg began to release its egg, where the egg cracked indicating hatching. Greed gasped at the sight, his instincts told him to run while Luca who was silent and curious made them not move at all because they were opposing each other. "Hey, run quickly, why are you standing still, Luca!" Greed shouted in his head.
Natura's instincts also felt the same way, she shuddered but was reluctant to leave them alone even though her body was shivering with fear. Realizing this, Greed forced himself to take control of Luca's voice completely, "Little fairy, go find Asteria! Quickly, I'll hold the Sprouts at here!"
Natura's body shook even more in fear seeing the egg move and start to hatch faster, her eyes widened because of the pressure in her feelings, "B-but... If-"
Natura's words were cut off by Greed who shouted at her once again, "Do you want Luca to die here?! No one can survive if you just stay still!"
Greed's shout finally moved Natura's heart to fly quickly towards Asteria's place, leaving Greed and Luca alone. Natura's disappearance made the place dark again, but Greed created small fireballs to illuminate the darkness. "Now, just the two of us, Luca, whether you like it or not, give me control of your body, now!" he ordered loudly.
Luca wanted to answer him but his words got stuck in his throat because of the pressure he was facing right now, sweat poured down his forehead until his breath started to get short. His vision started to feel blurry, Greed realized it because he shared control with Luca, "What's wrong with you, Luca?! Why are you just silent!" he shouted in Luca's head.
Feeling excruciating pain in the head, Luca and Greed fell to their knees, their breaths gasping until their vision started to feel even more blurry. Greed was released from his control with Luca, finding himself regaining consciousness in the desert. Feeling frustrated and annoyed he hit the sand in front of him, because he couldn't fight. At the same time Luca found his vision returning to normal, but his body was very tired. Just trying to stand was difficult, let alone running.
A few moments later, Sprouts' egg hatched before his eyes with a red light descending from above. Showing red water coming out of the egg, a stark contrast to the previous blue Sprouts. The red water continued to flow out until it filled the entire water tunnel, the strong current dragging Luca away from the location of the Sprouts nest. So much water came out, that it caused a huge explosion to destroy the road above it. Natura who heard the loud sound of the explosion made her stop for a moment and look back, "What is that?! An explosion from where?" she thought for a moment before continuing to look for Asteria, her chest felt tight after hearing the explosion, thinking about how Luca was currently.
The lump of thick red water became one with the coral reef where the nest was, showing the form of Sprouts who had changed into a mature or perfect form. With a larger body, having four pairs of legs, two pairs of arms on the sides and four additional arms on the back. Still wearing a robe but having a sharp tail behind him. The core of the marble was still blue on his stomach but had red eyes in the middle, plus a layer of small legs that were harder than before. But his movements were slower than the previous form, walking slowly towards where Asteria and Viny were. Every step he took still made the sound of water spots, his voice echoed and emitted a kind of wave that could detect movement.
At the end of the water tunnel leading to the large river where Asteria and Marionette had met before, Luca was thrown from there and drowned in the depths of the river. With an unconscious state, his consciousness moved into his soul container or subconscious. "This place again, there is nothing here, just like me nothing in this world," Luca mused as he saw all around him only endless sand.
But this time it was different, Greed was in his soul container. He grabbed Luca's shoulder and surprised him, "Yo, apparently you are aware of your own subconscious."
Surprised to find himself with Greed, Luca fell backwards due to his presence, especially seeing Greed's form which was only a red silhouette with no visible body parts. Greed laughed at his reaction and crouched in front of him, "What? Surprised to see me like this? This is just a manifestation of my consciousness, inside the Sinful Hearts that are bound to Rarog. My true form does not exist due to the lack of Sinful Hearts," he said, explaining his current state.
"N-no, I thought you would look like a monster... after seeing what happened out there..." Luca replied, feeling very uncomfortable, even touching his own head.
Greed stood back up while cleaning the sand stains on his body even though there were none, "It must be hard for you to be brought directly into a deadly situation like this," he muttered about Luca.
Luca looked down, he let out a heavy breath and released a little of the burden on his head, "As you can see, I'm nothing. I just lied to myself to look useful in front of others, even though it was beyond my reach. Always, always I was helped by others, not only Asteria but also Natura and the others," he said complaining, forgetting what was happening outside his subconscious at this time.
Greed shrugged his shoulders, then crossing his arms, "Are you satisfied with just that? I asked what you wanted and you said to become stronger, is that a lie? Are all your words and actions just your trick?!" he asked, starting to get a little annoyed with Luca.
Although hesitant, Luca nodded while speaking more lethargically, "I'm just trying, there's nothing wrong with that, right? Besides, what do you expect from me, I'm not the main character like in a comic or something. I'm just a weak human, very weak compared to the weak..." every word he uttered made him sink deeper into despair.
Holding back his annoyance, the sound of grinding teeth could be heard slightly from Greed, "That doesn't answer my question, idiot! I asked what your wishes and desires are, you said you're getting stronger, right? Was that just a lie?! Answer me!" Greed snapped once again, shouting at him.
Luca was also annoyed because he was always cornered, he threw a handful of sand at Greed, "I want it too! Do you know how it feels to achieve something that is beyond my reach, it's very difficult, especially when you expect a lot from me! What do you really expect!? Even I have never wanted anything since my old sister was gone!" he shouted angrily and stared at Greed with a sharp gaze.
Greed couldn't take it anymore, he pushed Luca hard, hitting his face mercilessly, "I know that! Do you also know how it feels to not be able to feel anything in this world, the same as your desert! My Sinful Hearts are no longer perfect, taken, what does this world want huh?! Why was I created if it's like that!" Not giving him a chance to speak, another punch flew to Luca's face, making him speechless and listen to Greed's rambling, "And you, Luca, you just put yourself down, always like that. You never try with passion, with confidence! Where is your passion, where is your desire! Are you a human who can only accept your circumstances and weaknesses! Tell me, what is your desire for!"
Luca strangled Greed neck without warning, he answered him loudly, "For what?! Why do I have a desire if I can't achieve it! Everything is impossible for me, fighting, running, even having a desire I can't do it anymore!!" he let out a sigh of annoyance before continuing, "I just want to meet my sister again, can't I do something as simple as that! Why can't we just meet!"
Hearing Luca's revelation, Greed fell silent because his words sounded very honest and his anger proved it. Luca who said that was also surprised because he dared to reveal the problem he had been keeping and strangled Greed's neck. Feel ashamed, Luca suddenly stopped and crawled back away from Greed who could only remain silent. The situation became silent, only the sound of the hot desert wind filled their ears. No one dared to speak again after knowing each other's feelings, how they both bury their own problems in different ways.
The despair in Luca deepened, he was pensive looking at the endless sand in front of his eyes. While Greed touched his own neck while muttering, "He just strangled me, I didn't expect that. That kid is like a dolphin, he looks innocent but something behind him feels strange." Not only that, he thought about Luca's simple wish to meet his sister but it felt impossible for him to achieve it, making Greed curious about how something as simple as that could not come true, in contrast to himself who was almost impossible to realize.
The silence lasted for a long time causing Greed to be annoyed, he finally sat down with his back to Luca. "Sorry about earlier, I got carried away by my own fighting desire. It's only natural, I'm Greed after all," he said half-heartedly, not admitting his rude nature.
Luca chuckled hearing that, he took a deep breath before speaking, "I shouldn't have strangled you for no reason either..."
Greed mocked him with nudged his shoulder jokingly, "Hey, you dare to fight me even though you feel weak. That means you don't 'want' to be belittled by others, how strange."
"Ahh, hahaha..." an embarrassed laugh escaped Luca's mouth, he easily forgot about their previous fight. He was silent for a moment before speaking again, "Greed, why are you excited when you want to fight? I can't understand it," asked Luca curiously, he turned his head slightly to look at him.
"You're not me, it's natural not to understand. It's just that I feel something inside me burning and heating up to the point of exploding, that feeling is always thrilling and I feel like I'm alive," Greed said slowly while looking at his form which was only a red silhouette. "Besides, why is your wish to meet your sister, Luca?"
Luca took a handful of sand and poured it out slowly, "I want to know the answer, why she gave me that pocket watch and disappeared without any explanation. I don't remember what happened before, all I can remember is her message to believe that the watch she gave me will help me later. After that, I only woke up on the train and finally arrived in this world," he complained without hiding any lies in it. The sand in his hand ran out after telling the story until the end.
"Wanting to meet because you want to know your sister's reasons, it seems to be meaningful. But are you sure you don't want to chase her, your weakness is not the end of your desires," Greed muttered, trying to understand Luca's feelings and desires.
"What can I do, my weak self s-" his words were immediately cut off by Greed who exhaled in annoyance and irritation.
"Aaaghhh... That's always your excuse. I'm fed up!" Greed exclaimed, standing back up and crossing his arms, shrugging his shoulders proudly. "Therefore become stronger, you said that time, 'I do what only I can do', so do it. Prove yourself that you can be strong in your own way, Luca!"
"In my own way..." Luca whispered to himself, a light of hope appeared in his gaze, his eyes widened and sparkled.
Greed felt that he had succeeded in persuading Luca, he pulled him to stand with him while smiling widely, "Hmph, look at your face, did you just wake up?" he teased jokingly. "But, there's nothing wrong with relying on others to achieve your desires. Yes, for a weak person like you, not me!" he told her to fix Luca's feelings. After that he laughed evilly while patting Luca's shoulder. "Once again I ask, what is your desire, Luca?" he asked with full confidence and sincerity.
"My desire... My greed..." he whispered trying to gather his confidence, he took a deep breath and exhaled. "I want to fight, keep going until I can meet my sister again. In my own way..." he said softly but was heard by Greed.
"Say it out loud again, what is your desire!" shouted Greed where this time his body lit up and beat like a heart.
"I want to fight, fight in my own way!" replied Luca with a little louder and his innocent voice, making Greed laugh when he heard it.
A resonance was finally formed, just like Envy who gave her Sinful Hearts to Glaze to create Sprouts, using the main ingredients of envy and jealousy. While the resonance between Greed and Luca is slightly different, where their resonance is because of a desire and passion, especially their desire to change. Change their circumstances by fighting. Greed's form also changes, he resembles Luca but the style is more masculine and has a red color on his right strand of his hair. Signifying their relationship is getting stronger and starting to trust each other, even thought Greed's Sinful Hearts wasn't complete.
However, the hopeful state was interrupted when Greed realized what he had forgotten. "Umm... by the way, Luca, how did you get back to your body?" Greed asked, just remembering their current situation.
"I-I don't understand it either, but weren't we thrown into the river by the Sprouts hatching? Wait, thrown into the river?!!" Luca replied, becoming worried, he walked around in panic while thinking about how he could survive. "H-h-h-how, this..." he muttered, becoming increasingly panicked.
"Seriously, we died stupidly by drowning?!" Greed shouted, unable to believe it, he caught Luca and shook his shoulders quickly because he was also panicking, breaking the calm atmosphere with their chaos.
Until the moment when Marionette's laughter sounded very happy, surprising them both, pulling Luca back to his senses. Even so, his form was still in Overture, indicating that even unconsciousness did not return him to his original form. After waking up, Luca immediately checked his surroundings, finding himself on the riverbank with Marionette who was standing with a sly smile, "T-Thanks..." Luca said with a little confusion about what was happening.
"Good, I don't want to hear what you say either. Besides, like I said before I want to check something and I found bad news and also good news for our current problem," said Marionette who stood straight with her sly smile getting wider while playing with the needle in her hand. "The good news is that Luca can defeat Sprouts with Greed," Marionette paused before continuing, "The bad news is that Luca will probably die," she said lightly.
"Eh... Hahhh?!" suddenly Luca was very surprised, he spoke but no words came out of his mouth.
Greed spoke in Marionette's head because he knew Luca's body was connected to her Masquerade power, "You can relax like that, don't you care or what?" he asked confused and a little annoyed.
"Hey, I've already told you the news at least. You guys should find out for yourself, I'm not a tutorial system here," Marionette replied as if she didn't really care.
Luca calmed himself down, he finally spoke even though he was still shaking in fear, "W-what do you mean by 'I probably could die', h-how c-could that be...." his hand held his other arm to calm himself down better.
"Mhmm... that's normal since you've been in Overture form for too long, especially since it's not perfect like that. You guys should move quickly before it's too late," said Marionette who gave a heavier urgency. But after that she complained, "Gosh... I'm turn into a guide like this, even though it's not my job," She said before turning away and walking away without saying a word of goodbye.
Luca was silent in confusion because he didn't know how to get out of his Overture form at this time, he tried to remove the cloth on his body, he also tried to remove the Roman numerals that were attached, but it was all in vain. His mind started to feel blurry again, his vision became blurry, "It happened again... just like in the water tunnel earlier..." he complained while holding his head.
Greed who also realized it spoke, "Again? Apparently the burden of the Overture form is too great." He was silent for a moment before expressing his request, "Luca, this time, give me full access to your body. I'm still upset with Envy's Sprouts, I feel like tearing it like paper!"
"Of course... don't overdo it, I'm afraid my body won't be able to take it anymore..." said Luca who was worried about his own condition, he knelt down still holding his head which was getting heavier little by little.
Luca then gave access to Greed, the needle on his watch stopped showing the number one. With Greed fully controlling his body, Luca felt a little relieved because his burden was reduced, even though it made Greed feel the impact, "Tch.... it's troublesome if its like this, there's no other way than to fight the Sprouts quickly," he groaned as he slowly started running while holding back the pain in his head.