When Issei returned home, he was pleasantly surprised to find Aza and Asia playing cards with the twins in his room.

"Ladies, sorry to keep you waiting," Issei said with a smile.

"Oh, welcome back, Issei!" Asia greeted with a warm smile.

"Hello, Master," Nctolhu greeted, both twins giving him a look over.

"You had fun, Master," Nctosa remarked, and it wasn't a question.

Aza smirked as Issei grinned at the memory. "I'll have to compare notes with Akeno later."

Issei was honestly surprised she wasn't doing that already, and it was probably showing on his face.

"I am determined to beat Asia at this game at least once tonight!" Aza said proudly.

Asia chuckled awkwardly. "It's just go-fish, Aza."

It was amusing because, while Asia had a horrible poker face, the eldritch in the room were utterly unable to correlate her expressions to the contents of her hands. Thus, she was winning a lot.

"You also have a visitor," Nctosa remarked, pointing to the closet door that led to Asia's room.

"It is Lady Yog," Nctolhu elaborated. "She has paced the floor at least six hundred times before your arrival."

That was...he wasn't sure what it was? Aza was calm and unbothered, so it couldn't be anything too serious, but at the same time, things had been weird for him and Yog lately. And not the kind of weird that potentially led to fucking, as far as he could tell.

"Thanks. Have fun, ladies," Issei said with a wave as he headed to the door.

"So, um, when you say compare notes with Akeno...?" Asia asked, blushing behind her hand of cards.

Issei chuckled at that before he entered the space.

The entire room was backward. Mirror-flipped. Yog was indeed still pacing in the room until she noticed him with a star. "Oh, Issei. Er, Kungur. I-"

Ian-

Issei raised an eyebrow at her when nothing happened.

"Sorry, sorry, it's a habit at this point," Yog said, quickly holding up her hands before sighing. "I decided to, what's the phrase? Rip the stitches out?"

"Rip the Band-Aid off?" Issei counter-suggested, motioning to the bed.

"Right, that," Yog said, taking a seat as Issei moved to the chair in the room. "So, uh, this might be easier for me if you start first."

"Okay?" Issei answered uncertainly. "From what Aza said, you usually rewind time in the middle of talking to people? Because you want to appear...? Smug? Wise? Unflappable?"

"Yes?" Yog answered nervously. "I do it to appear how I usually do. A lot of Eldritch notice I do it, but they don't know why and usually don't ask questions. Just assume it's me leaving in the middle to take care of something going on in another time. And sometimes it is! But mostly I'm just do it be, well, Yog. Otherwise, I mess up, I stumble, and all that."

"Okay? But...why?" Issei asked curiously. "Do you just want to uphold the cool image you have?"

"Oh, you think I'm cool?" Yog teased with a grin before it fell. "I mean, kind of? I'm Aza's grand vizier and all that. Her wisewoman. Helping her rule an unruly reality and make it less annoying for us all."

"I mean, I get that, but doesn't that mean...you're never really yourself around others?" Issei asked in concern

"Sweet as always. Why did I ever expect otherwise?" Yog mused with a soft smile before looking at the ceiling. "I mean, I don't try to be an entirely different person. I just cover up the creases in my personality. When I start to worry about things I shouldn't, when I forget something obvious, or just mess up a joke."

"And you've been avoiding me because you...?" Issei asked, rolling his hand in a 'go on' motion.

Yog hummed unpleasantly. "Aza is aware of it entirely, but she just leaves me be. I was worried that you might order me to stop doing it around everyone."

"Why would I do that?" Issei asked with a furrowed brow.

"A lot of reasons. Humility, punishment, just because you can, or want me to be my actual self instead of this ideal version of myself," Yog listed off.

"I mean, I think I'd like that last one, at least around us," Issei mused idly. "But I'm not going to say how you should interact with people to do your job."

"Kungur, you are my literal God-king and I am your Vizier too now. You literally get to tell me how to do that," Yog reminded pointedly.

"Look, I've talked with Aza about it. Apparently, I always knew it subconsciously and that is part of why I find you a little annoying," Issei mused. "That said, I get it. It's actually surprisingly human on your part. Plenty of people would do what you do, even if it's just to look better."

Yog watched him curiously. "So...you're not going to make me stop doing it entirely?"

Issei opened his mouth before closing it. "Wait, there was a chance I'd do that to you? That doesn't sound like me."

Yog nodded a few times, mostly to herself. "Yeah. Something about wanting me to be who I really am instead of who I pretend to be, or something. You were also probably trying to humble me in those timelines. Which...I get it if you do. You're the Kungur, the King of the Eldritch and Co-Ruler of the Universe. Making an example of time herself, well..."

Issei wondered what could potentially make him act like that with Yog, "Look, I'm not going to force you to change how you work and live, not for something that petty. I'd rather fuck a girl through the mattress instead of humiliating her. Unless that's her kink, but I don't know how I feel about that kind of thing yet," Issei said, murmuring at the end as he considered some of the unexplored kinks he'd might entertain one day now that he was immortal.

Yog sighed in relief as she felt her potential future became less sad. "Thank you, Issei. And I know already, you'll call me out whenever I do it around you if you feel like it," she said with a sigh. "That said, I'll admit there is more than one reason I decided to get back in touch with you."

"Is this about the Shub situations?" Issei asked expectantly.

"The Igartha one specifically, yeah," Yog said with a sigh. "I never looked, at how this conversation would all go. I wanted to just...talk. What are you going to do about him?"

"Still talking it out with Shub," Issei answered honestly. "The idea of keeping him in a labyrinth-playpen was-"

"You can't!" Yog interrupted. "Iggy is still just a baby to Shub, and-!"

"And he went off and tried to kill as many devils as he could," Issei counter interrupted with a frown.

"That wasn't Shub's fault! I'm sorry, I should have been watching! Please, just let her take him home, I promise no timeline will ever exist where something like this will happen!" Yog vowed quickly, hand over her chest as her expression was almost desperate.

Issei furrowed his brow at her behavior. "Okay, back all the way up. Why should you have been watching? Did Shub ask you to babysit or something?"

"No, no, she..." Yog bit her lip and looked down. "I try to keep an eye on Shub's babies. Make sure they don't do anything too stupid without her knowing and make her sad."

"You care a lot about Shub, but there is a lot of history there," Issei touched but didn't prod at the subject, something that even Aza wouldn't readily tell him. "Still a no."

"What?! Why! If you let me, I can make it so this all never even happened!" Yog retorted.

"Yeah, but what about the next time this Iggy has another episode and targets some other species? He might be too dangerous then," Issei reminded.

"I already told you, I won't-"

"Yog-Sothoth," Issei said, sounding as though he was starting to lose his patience. "I'm doing this so that maybe no one, you or Shub, has to keep an eye on him all the time. Besides, this is basically just a time out as far as Eldritch are concerned."

Yog gritted her teeth in frustration. "I'm just trying to protect Shub, Issei."

"Yog, from what I've seen and heard of Shub, I'm not sure she wants your protection," Issei said bluntly.

Yog stiffened as if struck, and deeply regretted not peeking into the future, to brace herself for this possibility. "Kungur, with respect...you have no idea what you're talking about," Yog said, balling her fist.

"Please don't do anything foolish, for both our sakes."

Yog blinked, looking behind her to see Yad sitting on the computer table. "Yad? What are...?"

"Making sure you don't do anything remotely stupid," Yad said with a sigh. "The Kungur has spoken. Our wishes were noted. And Shub has already agreed to submit Igartha to punishment, so long as it is not too severe. We need to accept that this point is fixed."

Yog stared before dropping her head in reassignment.

Issei looked between the two curiously. "You both are the same person, aren't you?" he asked, getting unsurprised looks from them. "Kind of thought so, but wasn't sure until just now."

"Yeah, yeah, Yad is me as an Elder God, and I'm her as an Outer God," Yog explained away. "For reasons that are still a bit too beyond you, our existences pulled apart but never really separated."

"I get that, but why is Yad so much more serious than you? And I don't get the feeling she resets like you do?" Issei asked, looking to the Elder God.

"That is correct, Kungur," Yad answered with a nod. "Are you familiar with the human interpretation of the psyche using the Id, Ego, and Superego?"

"No, but I'm sure one of you'll explain it," Issei guessed.

Yog sighed. "It's the idea that the 'Superego' is the logical part of the brain that knows what you can rationally do, the 'Id' is the part that knows what you want to do, and the 'ego' is just you deciding what to do between those two pulls. More or less.'

"And I'm just going to take a stab and say that Yad is the version that leans more to the 'Superego' and Yog is the version of your that's more 'Id.' Which you'd think would be reversed, with her need to uphold an image," Issei reasoned, stroking his chin.

"Wait, what?" Yog said, blinking before glaring at Yad. "You bitch, you set up that conversation to go that way."

"Obviously," Yad admitted. "And may I remind you that you are calling yourself a bitch?"

"We know we can be a bitch!" Yog said in annoyance. "I just didn't expect to be a bitch to myself."

"That is because you feel like shit, and are using me, your other self, as a form of self-inflicted emotional pain," Yad explained before looking to a bewildered Issei. "Kungur, please know we are utterly incapable of asking for help, but I detest this unfulfilling masochism we indulge in."

"I'll...see what I can do?" Issei offered owlishly, not even sure what to say to that or how the conversation took this turn.

"Thank you. Now, I need to go keep an eye on the Astaroth situation," Yad said before vanishing.

"Wait, when the fuck did it become a 'situation' when I wasn't looking!? Dammit, I hate going time-blind," Yog muttered, sighing to herself.

"Were you really about to punch me?" Issei asked, more curious than anything.

"More like time-punch you back to the most prudish era of human history I can find," Yog answered with a sigh. "And promptly get spanked by Aza. Or you in a few million years, which I'd probably get over with tomorrow."

"Sounds about right," Issei murmured. "Okay, so, I'm guessing you're not willing to talk about your situation with Shub?"

Yog didn't meet his gaze and that was as good an answer as any.

"Fair enough. Still, this gave me an idea," Issei said with a grin. "Yog, turn your time-viewing back on. It'll probably be easier just for you to look and see."

"Huh? Oh, sure," Yog said, tilting her head as she glanced up. "Wait, you...I mean, yes that..." she stopped and sighed with a small smile. "Shub will love you for this."

"Look, I'm trying to make a point, not be an asshole," Issei said reassuringly. "So, are we...good now?"

Yog crossed her arms with something close to a pout. "I'm still not happy you scared Shub like that."

"And I'm not happy Rias, Akeno, and the rest almost got their brains melted," Issei retorted bluntly. "Now, why is the thing with Dadora or whatever his name a situation?"

Yog sobered quickly, turning fully serious. "I'm not sure yet. Something just seems...off with his timelines, how this might play out.."

"Off, how?" Issei asked curiously.

"There is no route that leads to him escaping or defeating his opponents. That'd be good, yes, I know. But there should be a few strands, and I'm not sure what is stopping those possibilities from potentially happening. It's not you or Aza, I'd know that. Same as Shub. It's entirely possible other Eldritch are watching this and affecting Diodora's timeline secretly for whatever reason, hiding them from my sight. And Gods only try to do that when they don't want me to see something."

"The fact an unknown god might be involved at all is kind of big info on its own," Issei remarked. "I'm going to pass my idea along to Shub, and I'll ask her if any of her other children might be related to this."

"I doubt it, but you should anyway. I'll look into other possibilities," Yog said, turning to leave. "Oh, and Kungur?"

"Yeah?" Issei asked, half expecting that time-punch to come his way now.

"If you want Yad to take over for me long term, we can switch roles. Make me the Elder, her the Outer," Yog informed evenly. "Something to keep in mind if prefer her over me."

With that, the Time Goddess left before Issei could so much as consider a response.

"Oi, Eldritch family drama is harder to navigate than their maps," Issei grumbled to himself.

Meanwhile

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

The cultist watched her self-proclaimed master with disinterest, Diodora kicking repeatedly into the side of one of his pawns. "So, what bothers the Great and Mighty Devil now?" she asked, sitting in her chains with utter boredom on her face. "Did some she-demon not lick your ass properly?"

"Shut up you lowly waste!" Diodora snapped, moving away from his peerage. "Damn! They've already blocked off the palace with a barrier. But why are warriors working for the Satans trying to gain entry?"

"Wow, your head is empty," the cultist said in mild surprise. "I thought you'd figure it out. Just because we mortals are lowly little playthings, doesn't mean our Gods do not take offense when their worshippers are targeted."

"Please!" Diodora said with a snort. "There wasn't a speck of importance in that rabble I drew you out of. No sacred gear or potential. Just fodder to feed them worship."

"Dear fuck, he doesn't even know the Great Mother is one of the most pro-humanity of the Eldritch," the cultist muttered in exasperation. "Seriously, I'm the tentacle-worshipping cultist and even I can see the writing on the wall."

Diodora intentionally tuned her out. "Obviously this is the work of this consort the Eldritch Queen has taken. Trying to show his allegiance to the rest of these Gods. It gulls me to stoop to this, but perhaps I'll have to part with some of my peerage and return you in an effort to appease this fool."

"Be careful of what you say, Diodora Astaroth."

The noble devil looked down sharply at his servant, who had gone from being limp to climbing up to her feet. "Who said you could talk, you misera-"

The head snapped up and Diodora stopped

The eyes were rolled into the back of the head, blood pouring from the eyelids and ears.

"Apologizes for using your toy," the servant said, with a voice that was just barely her own. "But I thought you might want some help."

"Huh. Fuck. Looks like you just landed in bigger trouble," the cultist said, bowing her head to the puppeted pawn. "Hello, Unknown One. Should I assume you are an adversary of my Great Mother in this moment?"

"What a good fleshling you are! And yes, I am," the god said with amusement, the smile almost cracking the jawbone. "Now, Dio-"

"Keep my name out of your mouth," Diodora said warily, holding a spell in his hand but not pointing it. Not yet. "Why would I want the help of you? And from what?"

"I am a great fan of your work, Astaroth, but you are very slow on this!" the god said with a chuckle. "The Satans intend to kill you, to appease Shub-Niggurath, lest her dark children be called forth to do it themselves."

"Ridiculous! I am one of the remaining great pillars! And one of the Satans is of my family. Surely they-" Diodora argued.

"Will throw your head at their feet. Your life, no matter what you think of it, is not worth that much to them," the god supplied. "But this need not be your end, my dear boy, my young student. I can help you escape here and help you...practice."

"..." Diodora sweated. "Even if I believe any of this, even if I wanted to? Why not just try to appease the Queen and her lover, rather than gamble on you?"

"There is no appeasing him for you, Diodora Astaroth. The Kungur hates everything you are. If he was older and mightier in his supremacy, you would be hounded and tormented all the days of your long life until he took the time to put you down like a rabid dog!" the entity exclaimed in laughter.

"Why!? Why would he care about some miserable wastes of space like this one?!" he asked, motioning to the cultist, who gave him an unimpressed look.

"He would care because He Does Care. That is part of his nature, his existence. He Who Cares. For better or ill? He cared before, he cares now, and he will care again. And that care is why you will die, Diodora Astaroth. Unless you listen to me," the entity explained.

Diodora narrowed his eyes, considering his options.

"I wouldn't recommend it," the cultist said idly. "You'll probably regret whatever it'll cost you if you still exist by then."

"No one asked you!" Diodora snapped. "As for you, Eldritch? I'm not so easily tricked. I will handle this myself and-

"Diodora Astaroth!" a voice called from outside the room. "Come out! We know you're in there and have sealed off the entire compound! In the name of the Satans, we ask that you open this door!"

"Mm, seems our time is up," the god said, the bloody teeth of its victim beginning to fall out. "Oh well. I'll visit you again soon. But before I go?"

The controlled servant flicked a hand toward the bound cultist, before collapsing into a twitching and unconscious mess.

The cultist, however, groaned as she collapsed on her side. "Great Mother, please take me if I die here...," she murmured before passing out.

Diodora watched the scene in surprise, just before the door burst open, the soldiers emerged to see Diodora standing over two bloodied women; one a servant, one a captive.

"What is the meaning of this?" Diodora asked with a glare. "You dare to intrude into the territory of the Astaroth Family with-"

"Diodora Astaroth," the lead devil said with a glare. "We have an order signed by all four of the Satans for your arrest. Lord Ajuka is waiting nearby to ensure you are taken into custody."

His dear cousin. He has not been very involved with the family since his rise to being a Satan, but they were family all the same. "Very well," he acquiesced with indignation, motioning to the two injured women. "Do see to them since you have doubtlessly taken the rest of my peerage."

Some of the soldiers actually looked disappointed that he didn't give them an excuse to attack him. Diodora thought it was foolish that they presumed victory in numbers, but knew it would only end with him battling against Ajuka in the worst scenario. Prideful though he might be, he wasn't stupid enough to challenge a so-called Super-Devil.

'Not that foolish, yet.'

The words echoed in his mind unbidden, and he shook his head free as he, in his own mind, graciously allowed these fools to take him into their custody.

The sooner they did, the sooner this would be sorted out.

Or so he told himself.

End of Chapter 30

Welp, Issei had a nice long talk with Yog, and Diodora is finding hiself between a horrible fate and a poteintally worse one. A certain Eldritch God is interested in him and wants him to "continue his work" as said. But yeah, it if wasn't clear before, Yog and Yad are the same entity at different levels. They're not really a split personality, it really is siialr to Id and Superego for them.

Not much else really, but hope you all enjoyed this!

Early viewing of chapters 31-32 avaliable on my pat-reon:

p a treon . com (slash) akumakami64