Something Happened to Kallisa
She's mine, right? Something had happened to Kallisa. Once that thought crossed my mind, it was only natural that I'd get pissed off.
"Why the hell are these bastards so desperate to touch someone else's devotees?"
"...Hmm."
Come to think of it, that made sense. But that didn't stop it from pissing me off. They were reaching out with their filthy hands.
"I step away for a second, and these dogs come charging in."
Ah, of course, this was about the Lord of Dragons and whatever constellation whose identity was still unknown.
"This isn't about you, so don't worry."
I'd let the Black Sun off the hook since she'd stopped at an attempt on her life. Plus, we were kinda forced friends now anyway.
-GRRAAAAAHHH!!!
The 'Lord of Dragons,' who had been quietly watching the situation, started thrashing again. Even though its entire body was thoroughly restrained, this elder dragon was going berserk in a way that hurt itself.
"You still got energy left to spare?"
As expected from someone with such a fiery temper, its momentum hadn't died down at all.
-WHOOSH!!
I immediately drew out my divine power and shaped it into a massive hammer.
Using 'Hammer of Divinity (B)' on the constellation 'Lord of Dragons'!
-CLANG!
The massive hammer slammed down onto its tough scales. True to its title as the big boss of dragons, there wasn't a single scratch, but the impact seemed to leave it seriously dizzy.
-GRRRUUUHH...! I'll kill you!!
"Hey, calm down already."
I was already overwhelmed trying to sort everything out, and this thing was making it even harder.
Let me try to straighten this out again.
The reason the Lord of Dragons was throwing its tantrum was because of our Kallisa. And right now, there was a high chance Kallisa had fallen into some constellation's scheme. From the circumstances, just like with Lisia and Belladys, she'd set out to find me after I vanished.
I'm right here, you know. Come back.
I inwardly pleaded pathetically for her to return since I was here, but Kallisa had already embarked on a long journey.
"What?"
"Hmm."
A fallen devotee loses their ability to sense their constellation and turns into a madman. It meant she might never return to my side.
This was an unusually sharp analysis from her. When I glanced at the chat with interest, the Black Sun continued revealing what she sensed.
Exactly. Even from the image I knew of constellations, they had a brutal tendency to destroy any talent they couldn't claim for themselves.
"But she's different."
-Don't speak of Kallisa so carelessly!
The Lord of Dragons bellowed its rage in a thunderous voice.
"Ooh, music to my ears."
I turned my attention back to it.
"Why are you so dead serious about this?"
-...
"Did I kidnap your family against their will, or force someone who didn't want to come?"
-Y-You bastard...!!
As we bantered like this, memories of our past flooded back fresh and vivid. Back in my clueless Baby Constellation days, my episodes with the Lord of Dragons had started just like this. Each dragon was destructively powerful and had a piss-poor attitude, making game progress a real pain.
Still, time was on the player's side in the end. I'd cleared all the official quests it issued and even resolved the troubles plaguing them as a bonus. Kallisa was the new devotee the game company had arranged as a result.
-Do you know what that child means to me!
"What... daughter?"
The first family relation that popped into my head. In fact, Kallisa's lore stated she was a lifeform the Lord of Dragons had personally poured its heart into creating. It had wanted an exceptional dragon to succeed it, or something like that.
-...Daughter! Yes! Kallisa is like a daughter to me!
"But."
-What?
"So what? She's mine now."
To grind its gears, I spat out the blunt truth on purpose.
-If it weren't for you, Kallisa would never have wandered off...!!
"Heh."
Should I just kill it? Even if I smashed its head here, the main body would be fine. That's the nature of us constellations.
The Black Sun, watching the scene, was starting to look dizzy herself.
"See?"
Unable to stand it anymore, I tapped the restrained dragon's snout.
"Even in a moment like this, you don't know where Kallisa is or what she's doing, do you?"
-...!!
"Before turning your devotee into mine, shouldn't you check if the kid's safe first?"
This was the problem with constellations. They always prioritized their own discomfort over everything else.
"You cool with your daughter dying right now?"
I stared at the now quieter Lord of Dragons, waiting for that massive maw to open again.
Kallisa's communication cutoff happened shortly after my disappearance. Her last destination: an unnamed dungeon. Heading there alone without even her direct subordinates left me with a bad feeling.
Dungeons ultimately loop back to constellations anyway.
Devices to test humans, to see if they qualified to become devotees. But the lack of a name raised questions again.
They really went all out.
It reeked of deliberately wiping the dungeon's name to prevent any possible tracking.
"Heh heh heh."
Who the hell was this guy? If I caught them, I was confident I'd pamper them with my best.
Anyway, the culprit behind this wasn't me or this lizard. It was some third constellation. Our devotee Kallisa had fallen for its temptation and was probably wandering lost in that dungeon right now.
"Hmm."
No matter how I racked my brain, no solution came to mind here.
-What are you going to do now!
Having spilled all it knew, the Lord of Dragons now demanded I provide a plan.
-Kallisa's star has lost its light, and I can't issue an oracle either. Now...
That massive head fixed its gaze on me. Its expression was extremely displeased, but even accounting for its natural looks, a deep sadness seeped from its eyes.
-There's no way at all to find Kallisa...
I stayed silent for a long moment before casually asking,
"Was she that precious to you?"
-How dare you even ask...!!
"More than your dragons that just got dog-killed?"
-...My children's lives cycle anyway. It's the flow of the stars.
It was similar to the monster respawn concept in the game—roughly, when one individual died, another would be born anew. A setting I'd heard somewhere before.
-But Kallisa is different. She's a dragon I personally crafted, like my own child. If she dies, her life force loses all value.
That was why the Lord of Dragons was so obsessed with her.
And I took her.
It felt good, like snatching the most precious thing from a constellation. You had to torment them to get the full flavor.
"Kallisa's important to me too."
-Don't make me laugh!
"Who are you to judge my love for my devotee?"
My love was equal for all. That's how I'd built the cult. So I couldn't just abandon my beloved Kallisa like this.
"Yeah."
...
....
"Sigh."
After agonizing over it endlessly, I finally had to make a decision.
-...?
The Lord of Dragons looked at me with puzzlement.
Honestly, I did have a way. A very constellation-like method that didn't give a damn about consequences—refreshingly straightforward.
"I tried to avoid it as much as possible, but this time, no dice."
I opened my mouth again and voiced what I'd been thinking.
'Kallisa.' She resided in the dragons' sanctuary, the most favored by their constellation and bearing the heaviest responsibilities. That's why she found her life utterly suffocating. Despite having wings, she couldn't fly, stripped of nearly all freedom.
'Please, set me free now.'
Two beings vied over a single devotee. It was time for her to settle into another constellation's embrace. Shedding her tough scales and enormous wings that blotted the sky, Kallisa's body grew delicate, smooth skin. Of course, she couldn't become human without procedure—it required her original constellation's permission.
'Polymorph'
From mighty form to faithful, lovely devotee.
With a single permission and command, such a miracle could be wrought.
Now she was fully a member of the Father God's cult.
"Release her."
-...What?
"I said release. Polymorph."
Aaah... Time to return to your mighty dragon form, Kallisa.
I decided to deliver a massive gift to that nameless dungeon.