It was late at night, and the city was quiet as many residents had gone to sleep. However, on a lone balcony, Arias was still awake, seated on the floor, leaning against the wall with his head tilted up toward the night sky.
[Ari, please speak to me…] Apeiro's voice called out in a low, worried tone.
A couple of hours had passed since Arias had been told the secrets Apeiro had been hiding, but he had not yet fully reacted. After hearing the truth, he had simply sat down with a look of confusion on his face. By the time an hour had passed, he was just sitting there, stoically gazing upward, lost in thought.
Apeiro had initially given him space, refraining from speaking, but as the silence dragged on, a sense of worry and anxiety grew within her, pushing her to reach out to him. After many attempts, Arias finally spoke. "I'm honestly speechless as to what to say to you. Should I be angry that you lied to me? Angry that you left me to grow up alone when you had the power to change it all? Or should I be grateful you're alive—or rather, that you never truly died?"
Arias had always disliked acting on sheer emotion. At times, he could control it, but in moments where he felt he would lose all bearings, Arias would go silent. During those hours of silence, he raged inwardly, asking himself numerous questions over and over again. Finally, when he had calmed down to a certain extent, he just breathed. He could try to see things from her perspective, but he knew he would be biased due to the anger he felt.
[I'm sorry that I made you grow up alone, Ari. I truly am. When I returned to being solely the abyss, my lack of emotion led me not to act, and I… I cannot justify myself. Emotions between lower beings are something I've only come to understand now. However, I can say for certain that you are what I care for most, Ari.]
At her words, Arias sighed and finally stood up. "I forgive you, or rather, I can only forgive you. You were my mother, but you weren't the reason my life was harsh. What sense is there in lingering on 'what ifs'? I just want to sleep and rethink what I want to do now."
Arias spoke as he felt—tired. Apeiro didn't push the conversation further. She was pleased enough just to have been forgiven. As for where the two of them stood, it seemed neither wanted to address that at the moment.
[I understand.]
…
Arias didn't get much sleep that night due to the many thoughts still plaguing his mind. However hard it was for him to accept, that was his reality. With his mother being a major reason he had chosen to become one with the abyss, his desire to continue down the same path came into question.
That was why he spent most of the night contemplating his next move. He had already decided that only time would tell what his and Apeiro's stances toward each other would be. Whether the anger he felt toward her actions would fade and whether he would see her as his mother or as this new entity he had named.
It was impossible to imagine the state of Arias's mind, but he had no choice but to cope and move on. So what if he felt angry? Was he supposed to choose death for himself? Or perhaps for her? He would never go to such an extreme as to choose death; he would risk it, but never resign to it, so long as an option remained open. This desperate desire to live was something a harsh upbringing had etched into him.
By morning, Arias had his answer to both of the things weighing on his mind.
*A part of me was truly happy to know that she never really died, but another can't forget her actions. This new life that you've granted me… let's hope you don't regret the consequences that come with it.*
His already cold eyes looked even colder that early morning as he got out of bed, ready to take on the world with a shrouded mind and a grand vision. He stepped onto his balcony, looking out at the view with some disgust toward the world. Was everyone bad? Was it all bad? No, he wasn't biased enough to ignore the good. However, he was realistic enough to acknowledge its broken state. The world needed change—something he had already taken upon himself. Unfortunately for the world, it wasn't out of goodwill…
"Right then, let's create the ideal world…for me." With a sharp glint in his eyes, Arias murmured these words as a declaration to himself. From that point onward, he would only put himself first.
!!
Following that self-declaration, Arias felt a sharp pain all over his body, causing him to fall to the ground in extreme agony. Before he could understand what was happening, Apeiro's voice appeared.
[Do not panic, Ari. Your vessel is experiencing a change, losing its likeness to a mortal as the energy from the abyss assimilates into it.]
Hearing this, Arias gritted his teeth and tried to calm down. As his body tore apart under a shroud of dark mist, flashes of gray would occur as his flesh was reconstructed from that very ominous mist. To avoid drawing attention, he crawled back into his suite and let the process carry on. This continued until close to noon, but finally, it came to an end.
His robe was completely stained in pitch-black blood, along with the floor, but as he stood up, all of it evaporated into the air and was absorbed back into his body, leaving the area spotless as if nothing had occurred.
"That was worse than the first time, but… I don't feel any different. What has changed exactly?"
Arias neither addressed Apeiro by the name he gave her nor as mother. In truth, he wasn't sure which to use anymore. However, she thought of this as him distancing himself from her, which saddened her greatly, though she didn't show it and just replied.
[It is only the first transformation. As for how many remain, that depends on you. For now, your body is made entirely of the abyss, a proper physical copy without the power. However, just that alone allows you to ignore the laws that govern reality, because they exist within you. If you place your hand on your chest, you will feel no heartbeat. Death and life are merely concepts to this vessel; they are beneath you.]
Apeiro avoided calling him Ari, unsure if it would be received well. She could only explain with a straight voice before going silent as Arias examined his body. With a single thought, his body began hovering in the air, allowing him to walk around. "Ignoring gravity… so that's what it means. I can ignore the laws, but I cannot yet bend them to my will. However, this alone could be considered godhood to some."
Arias descended and didn't immediately delve into all the new possibilities open to him. He knew there were many, and he would discover them with time or simply ask Apeiro. A few seconds later, Arias's doorbell rang, and his exploration of his newfound power ended as he went to answer it, expecting to find a bothersome Harley. To his surprise, it was instead a flustered-looking hotel service girl.
She fumbled while bringing his tray of food in and placing it on the table, but nothing too suspicious. It was only after she received her tip that she spoke, saying something completely unexpected.
"I think you and Wonder Woman make a good match, but you and Queen Bee would also be so hot," she whispered before rushing away.
Arias raised an eyebrow in her direction before a worrying thought caused him to open his phone and check on trending news. There, he saw an article reading…
**[A Battle of Royals: Queen Bee and Princess Diana (Wonder Woman) Spotted Fighting Over Gotham's Saintly Prince, Arias Markovic, After He Saved Numerous Lives at the Uptown Street Bombing. Eyewitness Reports Say…]**
Arias stopped reading and put his phone away. "The media's ability to start rumors never ceases to amaze me. I wonder how those two are taking it, though."