Roy dragged Zanis like a dead dog into the residence, with Lili leading the way. They reached a large room that remained eerily quiet despite the battle outside.
As they pushed the door open, the scent of Divine Wine nearly caused them to hallucinate. The room was wide, filled with jars and materials. A man was stirring a vat of liquid with a wooden stick. He wore grimy work clothes, his long hair covering his face. This was the God Soma.
He didn't even look up as Roy entered.
"Lord Soma," Roy said. "Your members have been terrorizing Orario to pay for this wine. We have suppressed them. Will you step up to handle your Familia?"
Soma ignored him. Lyu and the others were stunned; most Gods would react with worry or anger for their "children." Soma was purely indifferent.
"You're disappointed that they're all obsessed with the wine, aren't you?" Roy noted.
The stirring stick paused. Lyu looked at Roy—he had actually caught the God's attention.
"Lord Soma came to the lower world because he was interested in humanity," Roy said somberly. "The only reason a God would be this indifferent is because their hope turned into a disappointment as deep as the sea."
Soma slowly looked up. He was surprised an outsider understood his heart. He had brewed the wine for his children as a reward, but their instant, crazed addiction had broken his spirit. He had chosen to stop caring, letting the Familia fall into chaos as long as he could keep brewing.
Lili turned pale. She realized the root of the rot wasn't Soma's malice, but the weakness of the members who had traded their souls for a drop of wine.
"Lord Soma," Roy proposed. "How about a bet? If someone can drink your wine and stay sane, you will return to managing your Familia properly."Because Roy had pierced through to his true feelings, Soma developed a spark of interest. "If it were you, I have no doubt you could stay sane." As a Level 3, Roy likely had the [Abnormal Resistance] ability, which would weaken the wine's side effects.
"Not me—her!" Roy shook his head and shifted his gaze to Lili.
"Wh-wh-what?! I can't do it, Master Roy!" Lili cried out in terror. At age six, when Zanis Lustra took control, the Familia fell into a spiral of depravity. Lili had been coerced into drinking the wine once before, becoming a crazed addict until she escaped and was saved by the flower shop couple.
"Believe in yourself. You can do this." Roy crouched down, locking eyes with her. His calm presence instantly soothed the Pallum girl's panic. Roy knew that Soma's "illness" was caused by his own children. Even if Roy drank ten jars, it wouldn't move Soma's heart; it had to be one of his own.
"Drink it. Prove it to me." For Roy's sake, Soma—who had long given up on Lili—placed a freshly fermented jar before her.
Smelling the scent that was burned into her brain, Lili turned pale. She felt only fear, not longing. Under Roy's encouraging gaze, she lifted the jar with both hands and took a sip. With Divine Wine, the amount didn't matter; one drop was as potent as a gallon.
Lili's small body went rigid. Her eyes grew glazed, her face flushed red, and she licked her lips like a greedy little demon. Daphne and Cassandra looked on in worry, and Lyu's grip on her wooden sword tightened.
"It seems you lost," Soma scoffed, perhaps mocking himself as well. He had absolute confidence in his brew; even Gods fell for it.
"Not necessarily," Roy replied. "Lord Soma, perhaps you should have a little more faith in your children."
In the next moment, Lili drew a dagger from her waist and drove it into her own thigh. Blood sprayed. The sudden, agonizing pain snapped her back into clarity.
"Lord Soma... please..." Lili sobbed, her voice choking. "Manage the Familia... properly from now on!"
The room was stunned. No one expected such a young girl to have that kind of grit. Soma, usually so detached, actually bolted upright in shock. Lili was crying because Soma had been the only one to care for her when she was an infant before the wine took over. She wouldn't let herself fall back into addiction—not when the flower shop, Soma's hope, and Roy's bet were all on the line.
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