Chapter 24: The Choice
Solskin
There was just too many. I couldn't fight them all. The attacks kept pouring in, each strike leaving unnatural pain. I was dead already, so why was I feeling pain? I laughed at the stupidity of the situation. I felt the temptation to let them have their way, just to escape the pain. I mean, I was already dead.
I saw Persephone struggling with a monster. Her arms were outstretched, trying to use her scythe to keep it from reaching her. But, the monster would just pass through the scythe. It crossed my mind that she was alive, so I was confused as to why she was here. I charged away from the monsters surrounding me with reckless abandon, ignoring the resulting attacks that landed on me. I ran towards the struggle, knocking over Persephone's attacker with a shout of fury.
The black figure with Persephone threw his scythe behind me, forcing the mob of enemies chasing me to scatter. Persephone quickly got up and helped attack the monster. She brought her scythe down, quickly slicing through the monster. The blade passed through the foggy being as if it was merely swinging through air. The lack of resistance caused Persephone lose her balance and tumble forward.
Crap. I felt useless. My sword became useless. My skills were useless. Just like when Mordred died. I hated myself. I hated that useless feeling. I hated it so much. I just wanted it to go away.
I could feel tears well up in the corners of my eyes. My vision became misty. I felt like punching myself. I was in the middle of and fight and I was crying? What would Erik think? What would the soldiers think? I let them all down. I didn't even become a royal guardsmen.
Tears began to flow freely down my face. What would I do if I did it again? Before, I did it unknowingly, and certainly never willingly. I didn't ever want to use it. My mind was torn between two decisions, both horrible. Loki's curse. To use the power to save Persephone, or to watch her die. Time seemed to slow down. Persephone, her eyes wide with shock and mouth gaping in horror, slowly stumbling towards a shadowy death. Its claws were outstretched, ready to tear her to pieces. I glanced over my shoulder at the black man. He was still summoning his scythe back to his hand. I had to choose.
Persephone
Death. It felt so familiar, I almost accepted it. My life didn't flash before my eyes like the others said it would. I just saw the inevitable, only able to watch passively as I fell to the ground. The monster's claws cut through the air, leaving a shrill whistling sound as they slashed through my body. Red blood spilled on red ground.
I could hear a cry of shock from behind. Solskin. His words were lost on me as I closed my eyes tightly. The world went silent, my lips forming the prayer of death. I had died once before. I knew what to expect. But I was still hesitant. The prayer hung on my lips as I realized something; I felt a tear slide down my cheek. My throat closed up as I choked on a sob.
"Please, Thanatos, I don't want to die."
Fear and anxiety rushed forward from the depths of my heart.
"Please, not again."
Chapter 25: The Hesitation
Solskin
I froze, unable to act. I could only stare in horror as Persephone lay dying on the dusty ground. Her death was on my hands. I let loose a cry of fury and pain. I focused on my blade. I could feel it begin to vibrate in my hand. I raised my sword, ready to swing at the monster. I wanted to save her.
But I already knew that I was already too late.
Suddenly, I felt a scorching heat followed by a blinding light. I quickly raised my hands to cover my eyes, dropping my sword. It didn't too much. My eyes were in indescribable pain, and it wasn't just my eyes. Every second, I felt like my skin was peeling away, my flesh melting off my bones. Even behind my tightly shut eyelids, all I could see was white. A scorching, blinding, brilliant, painful white. My eyes burned, even as I turned away. It was no use. No matter where I stumbled, I felt as though every part in my body was slowly vaporizing into nothingness. I collapsed to the ground in agony, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face.
After a while, the heat faded away. Only then did I open my eyes. A nova of white light was all I saw. I blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision. I laid there for a long while, waiting for my aching body to ease. I looked around at the desolate landscape. All I could see around myself were purple flames. They licked silently towards the sky. I could see smoke rise from burned husks of the monsters. All of them were dead. I relaxed, letting my head fall back to the ground. I could hear a quiet sob close by.
It was Persephone. I glanced at her. Her skin was red, it looked sunburnt. Her wounds had healed from her magic. But they only sped up the body's natural processes, still leaving nasty scars. She was sitting on the ground next to me, her head buried in her lap. I tried to say something but all I could manage was a soft croak. She turned towards me, her eyes red-rimmed and watery. My heart sunk. It was my fault. Guilt pierced through me as we stared at each other.
Persephone
We sat there for a while after battle had ended. All of the monsters were dead. Thanatos incinerated them, but at a cost. I knew how much power he used to protect us. He revealed his true godly form to use his own lifeforce for power. He fought so many by himself, trying to protect us. He used so much magical power. I saw his normal form after, if only for a few seconds. From what I glimpsed, his appearance was drastically changed. His normally thick black hair had thinned considerably. What was left of it was a grayish color that was approaching white. His eyes were darker than before, and held with them a solemness that was not there before. His cheeks were hollow. And after locking eyes with me, he vanished. He sacrificed so much to help me. To help us.
I felt ashamed. As his servant, I forced my god to exert himself to his fullest extent. After healing my own wounds, sat next to Solskin, watching over him. His lips were locked in a grim line.
As if my body suddenly caught up to what had happened, I began to cry uncontrollably. Burning tears streaked down my face. I knew why Solskin had so much trouble dealing with it. The fear that I felt as the monster's claws reached towards me lingered on me, causing me to shiver as I recalled it.
The moment replayed in my mind. Over and over again.
Solskin woke next to me. Seeing his face, even more tears began to well up in my eyes. I quickly wiped them away with my sleeve and stood up, patting the dust off my tattered robes. With a forced smile, I turned towards him, "Let's go home."
Solskin nodded weakly. He tried to pull himself to a standing position, shaking from the effort. I bent over, helping him up. He was unsteady, but he could walk with support. Together, we struggled back to the heart of the underworld. To Orpheus's Pass.
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