Pluto rested his head on his palm, elbow propped on the throne.
"Mutt…? Do you mean that naïve wolf who just ran off with the girl?" He asked lazily.
Bond stood before him, holding a fairly large brown bag—one that bore clear signs of teeth marks.
"I see… so they made it through," Bond mused. Then, frowning slightly, he added, "but why was he trying to steal from me?"
"oh, that?" Pluto waved a hand dismissively. "he didn't know it was you. Though, to be fair, he fully intended to steal, so it doesn't really make a difference."
His gaze then locked onto Bond's, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"by the way, where in the world did you find that absolutely naïve creature?"
Bond, formerly composed, suddenly fought back a laugh.
Pluto pressed on. "no, really. Is he okay? First, he made a horrible pact with you. Then, he let me scam him too."
"hahaha! I see what you mean!" Bond finally burst out. "he just goes with the flow, completely ignoring the fact that the world is a terrible place. Maybe chaining him underground for three decades messed with his head a little."
Pluto snorted. "still, though… he's extraordinary."
Wiping a tear from his eye, bond nodded. "that's true. He doesn't even act like an offspring of gods, but he's the real deal. And he's a softy. The best babysitter I could find for that feral beast I dumped on him."
Pluto perked up. "feral beast? You mean the crazy monstrous girl he was with?"
Bond sighed, rubbing his temples. "tell me about it. She was the source of that magical surge, wasn't she? No way I'm letting that thing anywhere near my beautiful mansion."
Pluto groaned. "dude! She nearly erased me a while ago! Just what did you unleash onto this world?!"
Bond gazed off into the distance, looking just as lost. "I don't know, man. I seriously don't know."
Pluto narrowed his eyes. "how did you even manage to… not die raising her?"
At that, bond's expression shifted into a smug grin. "ah, that was a bit tricky, but I used the old—"
Before he could finish, a soft, light-toned voice cut in.
"Can you both explain why Gihon is in utter chaos while the two of you are simply convening here?"
Pluto and Bond turned toward the newcomer, suddenly standing a short distance away.
They weren't startled that someone had evaded their perception. After all, this was an existence that far surpassed their own.
A slim figure with flowing, light-green hair that cascaded down their back, nearly touching the ground. A single braid wove down one side.
Their skin gleamed, as though polished with silver. Their eyes were unlike any other—one golden, inscribed with an intricate cross, while the other, stark white, bore a radiant golden circle.
They wore a black and gold garment: a sleeveless upper piece that rose to cover their neck completely, and a lower half of luminous gold, seemingly embroidered with stars.
Their presence alone brightened the dim night, an otherworldly glow radiating from them. At a glance, they appeared feminine, but they belonged to no gender.
"Lord… Gabi'el…?" Bond murmured, tilting his head.
Gabi'el stepped forward, their expression unreadable. Pluto immediately stood from his throne and bowed.
"it's a pleasure to see you again, Lord Gabi'el," Pluto greeted with utmost respect.
Gabi'el's golden gaze, void of emotion, fell upon bond, then Pluto again.
"you are both neglecting your duties," they stated. "I descended from the realm to investigate that impossible surge of magic, only to find Cthulhu wreaking havoc here."
Pluto and Bond visibly stiffened.
"Cthulhu's behind the chaos in Gihon?!" Bond nearly shrieked.
"well, at least it's good you arrived in time. Cthulhu's… not exactly a reasonable entity," Pluto added.
Gabi'el's frown deepened. "So you're leaving the work for me to do? Are you implying I was mistaken in placing you both here?"
Their voice wasn't heavy, commanding, or loud—but the sheer weight of their presence made Pluto and Bond tremble.
"C…C'mon… we had a lot on our hands too!" Bond protested nervously. "People started going insane out of nowhere! My mansion was nearly overrun, you know!"
Pluto chimed in quickly. "Yeah! And I had to deal with the source of that magical surge—I was busy calming her down so the world wouldn't end!"
Gabi'el exhaled slowly, their tone carrying the faintest trace of exasperation.
"Please, take your duties seriously," they sighed. "for now, I've chased Cthulhu away, and my heavenly beings are restoring order to Gihon."
Gabi'el turned back to them, their expression still unreadable.
"So… would you care to explain this world-ending threat that even I wasn't aware of?"
Before Bond could utter a word, Pluto pointed an accusatory finger at him.
"It's bond! He somehow—somehow—copulated with a Great Old One, and now he's unleashed something absurd upon the world!"
Bond groaned, waving a dismissive hand. "calm down. Your imagination is running wild. And hey did you just call my lovely wife an Old One?"
Gabi'el's gaze sharpened. "Bond, what connection do you have with this individual?"
"I'll explain." Bond exhaled, crossing his arms. "the one we're talking about is Alicia. My daughter. And an absolute beast."
He shut his eyes briefly, lost in reminiscence.
"When she was born, she didn't cry—she broke my finger. Snapped it clean. And all I was doing was trying to pat my newborn daughter."
He shook his head. "At first, I thought maybe she just had unusual strength or something. I mean, she IS my child. But as she grew, she slowly turned her mother—my wife—into her slave."
With a casual gesture, Bond conjured a large rock from thin air and dropped onto it, wearing a deeply exhausted expression.
"I'd come home to find Alicia, at three years old, stepping on my mansion's servants. One day, I found her doing the same to her own mother." He paused, rubbing his temple. "And the worst part? My wife was enjoying it."
Pluto blinked. "That… is deep."
Bond grumbled. "You don't say. She saw herself as above everyone else. And I had no idea where that arrogance even came from. So, I decided to play a little game with her.
"I told her that if she could beat me in a duel, I'd become her slave just like the others. But if she lost, she'd recognize me as god."
Pluto gawked. "Isn't that a bit much?"
Bond threw up his hands. "Have you met the girl?! I had to put myself at god-level, or I'd be overthrown before I even turned gray!"
Clearing his throat, he continued. "Anyway, I thought it'd be a piece of cake. She was three. Three."
"…"
"I said she was three, though."
"Yeah, I heard you the first time."
"Good. She was three, but I ended up burning through nearly all my magic reserves. I ran out of abilities, techniques—everything. And my glorious mansion? Not okay."
"You and that mansion…" Pluto sighed.
Bond pressed on. "But just when I thought she was finally running out of steam, she suddenly declared she was ready for another round! That's when I knew I had to bring out my trump card."
"Ohhhh, what was it?" Pluto leaned in, his moon eyes gleaming. "A spell from the grimoire of damnation? Or maybe Area of Dominance?"
"Ohhhh, what was it?" Pluto leaned in, his moon eyes gleaming. "A spell from the grimoire of damnation? Or maybe Area of Dominance?"
Bond shook his head with a wry smile. "No, my friend. Nothing so dramatic. It was a creampuff."
Pluto blinked. "A… creampuff?"
Bond nodded. "Got it from Tigris the other day. Stashed it in my storage space so I could try to remake it here in Gihon. But, alas, I had to part with it. Alicia loved it, so she yielded to me."
He sighed, stretching his arms behind his head. "And that, my dear friends, is how I avoided being overthrown by my three-year-old."
Pluto hummed in thought, nodding profoundly.
Gabi'el, who had remained silent through the absurd tale, finally spoke. "so, where is this daughter of yours now?"
Bond's tone turned bright. "Ah, I sent her to Pison! Didn't want her getting caught up in all the commotion and accidentally blasting my magnificent mansion."
Gabi'el frowned—not enough to ruin their impeccable features, but just enough to convey a hint of exasperation.
"Bond, how foolish can you be?" They said, voice calm as ever.