It didn't take long for Milo to wake up; his head was throbbing with immense pain. His body didn't feel like his own, which was possibly the most ironic thing of all time.
Milo looked down, the bodysuit of Carmen's Masterpiece covered up most of his skin, but the parts that did peek out were a caramel brown. Every action he took required effort he never knew it needed. Each breath seemed labored, each muscle seemed strained. His body was fighting his conscience. Actively trying to remove it.
This was the pain of a divine flaw. Flesh was not his home, and flesh considered him an invader. Stumbling forward, he grabbed the construct's right hand, tearing it off. He shoved his shoulder in, using his dormant ability. He was technology's god; it should rightfully bow down to its deity.
The hand reformed itself, fitting itself perfectly around his severed right arm. It would do for now. Milo walked over to Eva; her stone form was slowly leaking ruby dust from the hole in its skull. A healer would've been real nice right now...
She even saved his life, quite literally. That object he had used was a creation of hers. Milo didn't entirely know how it functioned, but it brought back his body, the true version of it at least. It would've been preferable if it were the version of his body after the surgeries, but alas, there is only so much a transmigrator could do.
Milo hoisted her over his left shoulder, walking over to the screen visor of the mech. He reeled back his right fist. Shattering the fiberglass, he began his descent. He was careful, after all; he was used to changing his limbs into whatever they needed to be, but all he could work with was the construct's arm.
Skidding to a stop at the bottom, he began to walk along the ravine's walls. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain of his flaw; every second was constant agony. He stumbled to the ground. How much more hopeless could he get? How much more must the world stomp his face into the mud?
"It's unfair... isn't it?"
Milo looked up... then quickly averted his eyes; whatever he looked at was not meant to be gazed at or interpreted. The small amount of comprehension he gleamed seemed to be an infinite void of darkness. Milo felt his body shiver in his presence...
"I see you have my scion with you. She didn't listen... I didn't expect her to. I saw the choices she would make after all."
Milo muttered weakly.
"Nether?"
Nether chuckled; his voice was infinity itself, simultaneously existing and not existing. It nearly made Milo's mind break.
"In the... well, I'm dead, so not in the flesh."
Nether seemed to squat on his knees next to Milo, considering his voice was closer.
"So how does it feel? Despair? The inability to do something about your situation. No matter what choice you make, no matter the decisions you ponder on. Fate takes it toll. You think you broke Fate? You are wrong, so very wrong. Fate only broke because it let you break it."
Nether sighed, stepping back. "Alas, I hope you choose wisely in the future. I cannot help you further. There is only so many decisions one can make before Fate hits back twice as hard. I hope you escape the terrible dream of my father."
Milo gasped out "Father?"
It was too late; the pressure was already gone. Milo was left alone once again, having been mocked by the Demon of Destiny... he began to laugh. It was just too damn funny, really!
"What did I expect? I've had it so damn easy so far; it was bound to happen."
Milo indeed had it easy; he had already been given a Supreme Aspect as a result of a nightmare that had cleared itself. He had then been given the rarest aspect of all thanks to Eva. He had it the easy way; he hadn't struggled once. Now Fate came to remind him who was in control, who pulled the threads of his body, of his soul, of his future.
His hysterical laughs turned into sobs, sobs of despair. Sobs of recognition, this was his fate. He was to die in this nightmare along with his dearest companion. All because Fate willed it so, all because it was part of some grand plan to push the Fated being of this world into the spotlight. He was not the protagonist; he hadn't even been in this story before. It made sense that it would want to eliminate the two biggest anomalies at any cost necessary.
His body trembled; it trembled beyond his control.
"Damnit... damnit" Milo tried to gather himself. He tried to regain any sort of semblance of control, but his body refused vehemently. He felt his stomach heave, and he doubled over. He threw up tons of bile and stomach acid. His throat was burning, and everything hurt.
'Why... why am I doing this? What's the point if it all fails in the end?'
What about your family?
"Who are you... You are not Nether."
Does that matter?
Milo looked up, and a sliver of the flesh covering the ravine slithered back. A single star in the sky shone through the tiny gap. This was the same familiar voice that pushed him to use the device Eva had made.
I'm here to help. I'm your biggest fan after all.
'No'
What?
'I said no.... I'm tired of higher powers playing with my life, dictating what I do, who I become.'
But-
'Enough, get out of my damn head.'
... Alright, if you so desire
The flesh slithered back into place, and Milo regained his bearings. He summoned the familiar armor of Carmen's Masterpiece. The fitting was perfect, Milo became comfortable, and he noticed that his right arm had been replaced by the metal of Carmen's Masterpiece. It was a painless process. With a groan, he stood himself up. Grabbing Eva once again.
Perhaps one gift wouldn't hurt
Milo almost screamed, but quickly retracted his words as the once unmoving statue grasped itself towards him. Milo nearly broke his neck turning to her face.
"Eva?"
Eva looked back at him, crimson eyes shining with happiness and relief. The statue was shivering.
"Thank god... oh thank god."
Milo held her; he didn't want to let go. He couldn't. They were back at square one, stuck in an unfamiliar place, but they had each other.
Milo felt it was the greatest gift of all.
***
Milo sat on the precipice of a mountain. Far off, a walking fortress with eight legs stomped along the mountainline. Even further, the outline of a giant mass of flesh was making its way towards the fortress.
"Is this really it?" Eva asked next to him.
"I guess... I just want to wake up from this terrible nightmare."
"Me too, but I get to enjoy your real body while I'm at it."
Milo blushed... it was true that the two had decided to do a lot of "catching up". That is what experiencing death will do to a couple. In doing this, he discovered that skin and stone don't mix well together, but he was resistant enough.
Milo looked up; the night sky was illuminated by the four moons. The smallest moon was lower than the rest... in fact, it was reachable with the mech that Milo once inhabited. Milo had no idea what role the moon had; all he knew was that the moon would inevitably fall. If this plan worked, and Milo was certain it would, they could at the very least escape alive.