Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.
Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.
"Speech"
Arc 6: Drama In Life - Chapter 14
"Oh, I was expecting these two to join your little group, Jin." Makima remarks, her gaze lingering on Blake and Elizabeth with interest. Then her eyes shift to Shirahoshi, who seems visibly nervous under her inspection. "And this new addition to the Eldritch pantheon is quite intriguing, almost without weaknesses. Most entities with similar abilities would react violently to their surroundings, but to see one as composed as her, not causing chaos... It's a rarity, though not unheard of."
Shirahoshi gulps, trying to shrink under Makima's unblinking stare. She exhales in relief when Makima finally shifts her attention.
Makima strolls over to Paimon, then, with surprising force, pinches Paimon's left cheek. The sudden pain causes Paimon to cry out and wake up, clearly startled.
"Who dares pinch Paimon's cheek?! Paimon will—" Paimon began, flailing indignantly midair, her tiny fists raised as if she were preparing for a very serious tantrum.
But then she froze.
"I am. What are you going to do about it?" Makima tilted her head, reaching with her other hand to pinch Paimon's other cheek.
"...Absolutely nothing! Greetings, Mistress!" Paimon chirped, her eyes wide in worship. "Paimon has prepared ALL the sweet, tasty food—ready to deliver straight to you!" She saluted midair, still letting her cheeks be pinched, as if it were the most normal thing.
"Good. Now, I need a private moment with Jin here. Go somewhere else and find more food for me," Makima said calmly, releasing Paimon, who saluted again before leaping into a nearby river.
"Wait, I thought she can't swim?" I muttered aloud.
"She can't." Makima replied, smiling at me.
"Eh...?" I stared at Makima, then glanced back at the river where Paimon had jumped in, still waiting for her to surface.
"Don't worry, she should be fished out by now in another world at this point. Paimon tends to travel to other worlds by nearly drowning herself in the process. Of course, she'll always be saved before that can happen." Makima explains.
"I see..." I sweatdrop. "So, how long do you plan to stick around?"
"Until the Hell pantheon decides it needs me for whatever tasks no one else can handle." Makima tilted her head, leaning in so her face was nearly up to mine. "By the way, congratulations on becoming the Heart of the Eldritch pantheon. That's a big thing. Oh right...!" She looked over at Shirahoshi, who gulped at the renewed attention. "You should prepare yourself, as you're being sent to the high school to join the current batch of newly recruited members in the Eldritch pantheon."
"Wait, what?" I glanced at Makima, then back at Shirahoshi, just in time to see her vanish before my very eyes, as though the world had opened its jaws and swallowed her whole.
"She also needs to go, though she's not quite important, honestly. The Heaven pantheon is willing to accept her." Makima pointed at Elizabeth, still asleep, and a golden glow enveloped her. With a flash of golden light, she was gone.
"Why...?" I stared at Makima in disbelief and confusion.
"Blame the fact that you've become the Heart of the Eldritch pantheon. You've become much more important now, and it's under the Eldritch pantheon's orders. I've been chosen to help guide you in becoming a better Caretaker of the Eldritch pantheon, to take care of the Heart of the Eldritch pantheon." Makima shrugged her shoulders playfully.
"That... what?" My brain struggled to comprehend what Makima had just said.
"Think of it like this." Makima poked me in the chest, precisely where my heart is. "Your heart is no longer just your own. It's your duty to raise it to become much, much more than it could ever be. This is your new duty as the caretaker."
"Okay." I slowly nodded, trying to process her words.
"And because of how important your heart is to the Eldritch pantheon, many other pantheons are eager to acquire it, seeing how it would bring numerous benefits once they gain control of it. Of course, this would lead to many consequences, but many pantheons are willing to bet on this and pay the price." Makima explained further.
"Great, so I get to deal with people after my heart now," I scowled in annoyance.
"Yup." Makima nodded cheerfully. "Anyway, we should relocate to another world for your heart to devour, as the one we're in is too badly broken by me upon entering it."
"Eh...?" I looked around, then realized Makima was right. The Land of Ooo was beyond recognition now.
"Oh yeah, it's fine to have this one stay around." Makima said, pointing at Blake, who was still out cold. "Her duty is to help you, among other things. So, no need to send her off. Unless you get tired of her, of course." Her smile widened at the end. "Anywho, time to visit a world that shouldn't be too hard for your heart to devour. It's just a small challenge compared to other worlds."
With a wave of her left hand, everything outside the log house began to shift. Now, we were somewhere in a modern setting, with towering buildings that could only belong in such an environment.
"This world is one of the many created near the Ghost pantheon and is ownerless for anyone to grab, if they're willing to challenge the Ghost pantheon. Just for you, Jin." Makima patted me on the shoulder. "I believe in you. As for how you choose for your heart to devour this world, that's up to you."
What the fuck? This is considered a small challenge?! I'm pretty much picking a fight with the Ghost pantheon at this point!
"Just a quick question, but how powerful is the Ghost pantheon compared to the Eldritch pantheon, Hell pantheon, and the Heaven pantheon?" I asked Makima, suppressing the urge to wipe the sweat from my forehead.
Makima hummed to herself for a moment before answering, "It depends on what type of ghosts the Ghost pantheon is willing to send out. You'd be surprised by the different kinds of ghosts that exist. Some are extremely weak, where even mundane humans could deal with them, given the right skill set and tools. Then, there are the extremely powerful ghosts that use the concept of rules, affecting reality itself. They bind themselves to a set of rules that others must uncover in order to use against them. Otherwise, through these rules, they can even kill gods. I'd say the Ghost pantheon is somewhat on the same level as the Eldritch pantheon, Hell pantheon, and the Heaven pantheon."
I nearly wanted to shout at Makima, but I managed to keep my mouth shut just in time.
"Of course." Makima continued without missing a beat, glancing out the window. "This world is common among others that contain ghosts, both weak and powerful, depending on how lucky you get."
"Right..." I took a deep breath. "So, what now?"
"Now? You can do whatever is needed to feed your heart. After all, the hearts of different pantheons have unique methods and hunger that many have to figure out how to satisfy." Makima said, bumping her butt against me with a smile. "As for the Heart of the Eldritch pantheon, it's always random; no one has ever figured out the right patterns for it. Other than that, it requires lots of madness as a side dish."
Ah, yes... madness as a side dish. Of course...
"Although you could do that later." Makima continued, her voice turning sultry as she placed a hand on my chest, leaning into me and staring into my eyes. "Instead, you could feed me now..."
"Wouldn't it be better if we were in a better place and time?" I suggested, my mind in disarray from everything Makima had introduced so far.
"Oh, so either you've already fucked Blake here, or you've matured enough to ignore your lower brain's commands." Makima observed, her gaze holding a hint of approval. "That's fine. I can wait. Time is something all of us will have plenty of."
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, Makima blinked and leaned closer, taking a sniff before pouting.
"It's both..." Makima narrowed her eyes at me, then smiled once more. "No matter, as long as you use my powers. We can have sex whenever."
I honestly forgot I had a contract formed with Makima.
"Hey, wake up." Makima kicked Blake with a bored expression.
Blake quickly stood up, her head lowered.
"Did you find yourself proud listening to Jin and my conversation here?" Makima poked Blake's forehead, grinning now, her eyes filled with mischief.
"No. Never." Blake's body shivered in fear.
"Let's make sure that stays the case." Makima said dully. "Otherwise, I'll have to teach you some manners. Moving on." She turned to me. "Jin, let's explore this world. Maybe it's one you recognize. That'll make it easier for your heart to devour it." She grabbed my tie like it was a leash and dragged me out the front door.
Truly, I had forgotten the type of person Makima was until she did something like this.
"Follow along, kitten." Makima gave Blake a side glance.
Blake gulped and quickly walked behind us, making sure to stay behind and never beside us.
As we left the log house, which had vanished without a trace, none of the natives seemed to notice or be surprised by our sudden appearance out of thin air.
Not too far away, I spotted a very familiar building.
The lower section was a brick, traditional-looking multi-story building with a storefront-style entrance. It had windows and a front door, fitting in somewhat with the other residential buildings on the block. The upper section, however, was a massive, metallic, sci-fi-looking structure that seemed bolted onto or grown out of the top of the lower part. It was filled with bizarre and exaggerated equipment—antennas, satellite dishes, robotic arms, laser cannons, and strange mechanical appendages.
The sign on the building read "Fenton Works," easily identifying it as the famous home and laboratory of the Fenton family from the Danny Phantom series.
Well, that answers what kind of world Makima had brought us to.
And now that I looked around carefully, I spotted some very familiar characters among the crowd.
A quick peek into the infinite futures with River of Time revealed I seriously had too many options on how to get my Heart of Eldritch to devour the world of Danny Phantom. I could easily just let my Heart of Eldritch run freely, but that would lead to many downsides in the long term, so I couldn't let that happen.
"By the way, Jin." Makima said, a hint of joy in her voice. "I hope you don't mind, but I made it so we're registered as a married couple in this world for our identities."
The fuck?
"It's going to take a while for you to figure out how to get your heart to devour this world, so we may as well enjoy ourselves while we're here. And I see us being married as something fun. Especially with all the kinds of things we could do." Makima winked at me as she gently tugged on my tie.
Sexy devil with a bizarre end goal and lifestyle, say what?
"Not to mention, I can see Nyarla and the others going stir-crazy upon finding out about this. Just that alone brings me joy." Makima's smile widened slightly.
Ah, now that makes more sense... in a messed-up way. But still, something I can comprehend.
Author Note: I decided to just go with whatever comes to my mind at the time to post, either Daily Life of A Caretaker or Daily Life of A Hell Tasker. Just to prevent any further writer's block from happening between the two.