I blinked my eyes open, wincing at the brightness of the unfamiliar room. The first thing I noticed was the dull, throbbing pain coursing through my body. As I slowly lifted my head, I realized I was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, my limbs weighed down by fatigue. The smell of antiseptic hung in the air, and the soft murmur of voices reached my ears.
I tried to sit up, but my muscles screamed in protest. Before I could fully get my bearings, two figures rushed over—Brianna and the God of Destiny. Brianna's eyes were red and puffy, as if she'd been crying. Destiny's usually composed face was lined with worry.
"Sion! You're awake!" Brianna's voice trembled as she grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. "We were so scared you wouldn't wake up…"
"You gave us quite the scare, man," Destiny added, a shaky grin tugging at his lips. For a moment, relief washed over me, seeing their familiar faces. But something gnawed at me, a cold emptiness lingering in the back of my mind. I scanned the room, feeling a sense of dread creeping in.
"Where's Celos?" I asked, a sinking feeling twisting in my gut as the question left my lips. Brianna's grip tightened, and her eyes dropped to the floor. Destiny's expression darkened, his jaw clenching as he took a deep breath.
"Sion…" Brianna began softly, her voice cracking. "Celos isn't here anymore."
My heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean he isn't here? Where did he go?"
God of Destiny stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. His eyes, usually so sharp and calculating, were filled with sorrow. "Celos used the last of his power to save me. That wound I had, the one from the Weaver—was killing me. Celos knew it was fatal, something even beyond my control. But he used Anti-Concept at its full potential. He rewrote the very essence of that wound, nullifying its existence entirely."
I stared at him, my mind reeling, trying to make sense of what he was saying. "He… he erased it?"
Destiny nodded, his expression heavy. "In doing so, he used every last ounce of his strength. Anti-Concept is powerful, but to push it to that extreme… he burned away his very existence."
The reality of it hit me like a freight train. Celos was gone. Not just defeated or wounded—gone. Erased from existence. I could feel tears welling up, my vision blurring as grief and disbelief swirled in my chest. "He… sacrificed himself?"
"Out of respect, Sion," Destiny murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "Celos did it out of respect. Long ago, before all of this madness… we were allies, comrades who fought side by side. We shared victories, we faced horrors together. Even when we drifted apart and found ourselves on opposite sides, that respect never died. In his own way, he honored that bond by giving everything he had left." Destiny's gaze grew distant, as if reliving memories buried deep within. "There was a time when we fought for the same cause, shoulder to shoulder, believing we could change the world together. Back then, we never imagined it would come to this. But Celos held onto that past… even when the world forced us to change. This was his way of closing that chapter, making things right in the only way he knew how."
A tear slipped down my cheek. I wanted to scream, to lash out at the unfairness of it all. Celos was always the one who kept pushing forward, even in the face of impossible odds. And now he was gone—forever.
I couldn't hold it back any longer. Tears streamed down my face as I punched my chest over my heart, trying to steady the storm of emotions inside me. "I'll never forget him," I choked out. "Celos was more than just a fighter—he was a warrior who died a hero. I'll carry on for him. I swear, I'll make sure his sacrifice wasn't in vain."
Brianna wrapped her arms around me, tears of her own falling silently. Destiny's face was drawn tight, but he nodded firmly. "Celos wouldn't have wanted us to give up. He believed in the fight we're still in. We have to keep going—for him, and for everyone else who's fallen along the way."
I wiped my tears away, determination hardening in my chest. The grief was still there, but so was the resolve. I wasn't going to let Celos's sacrifice be fruitless. He believed in something bigger than himself, and I would honor that, no matter what it took.
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of everything that had happened over these past days. The room was quiet, but tension still lingered in the air. I looked at Destiny, who stood before me, trying to regain a sense of purpose after everything. His expression was somber, almost regretful, but determined in a way that mirrored mine. It was hard to forget that not too long ago, he had been our enemy, the one pulling strings from the shadows.
I stepped closer to him, my eyes narrowing. "Destiny, I don't mind you joining us now. Maybe we could even work well together." He looked at me with confusion, sensing something was off in my tone. I clenched my fist, the anger that had been simmering inside me boiling over. "But before that, there's something I need to do."
Without warning, I drove my fist into his face, the impact resonating with a sharp crack. Destiny staggered backward, holding his cheek where my knuckles had connected. He looked up at me in shock, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Brianna gasped, but she didn't step in—she knew this was something I had to do.
"That was for Zorath, and for controlling Brianna," I said, my voice cold and unwavering. "I know what kind of history you and Celos had, and I get that you're trying to do the right thing now. But I can't just overlook what happened because you've suddenly decided to switch sides."
Destiny wiped the blood from his mouth, staring at me with a mixture of understanding and guilt. "I understand why you're angry," he said, his voice subdued. "Zorath didn't deserve what happened to him. I had a hand in that, and I know it."
"You did more than just have a hand in it," I shot back, my eyes narrowing. "You manipulated everything—lives, fates, and outcomes—like it was all some twisted game. You were willing to sacrifice anything, anyone, just to stay in control, just to keep your own twisted vision alive."
His shoulders slumped slightly as he nodded. "I did. And I've been haunted by that ever since. I've lost people too, Sion. Celos, Zorath—they were both part of a greater plan I never should've been trying to control. I can't undo what's been done, but I'm here now, trying to make things right."
I glared at him for a moment longer, letting the silence speak. Finally, I sighed and relaxed my stance. "I get it, Destiny. I really do. But the punch was necessary. Zorath may be gone, but his memory's not. We lost more than just a comrade—we lost someone who fought for what they believed in, even if they knew it would cost them everything."
Destiny nodded again, more firmly this time. "And that's why I'm with you now. No more games. No more manipulations. I'm done with being a puppet master. We do this right—from here on out, we're fighting for something real."
I stared at him a moment longer before extending my hand. "Then let's make sure this time, it's done right. No more sacrifices, no more losses we can't recover from. We fight together, as equals."
Destiny took my hand, shaking it firmly. "For Celos, for Zorath, and for every life caught up in our mistakes."
As we stood there, the remnants of our past battles hung heavy in the air. But there was also a flicker of hope—of redemption. We had all paid our prices, and from this point on, we would be fighting for a future none of us would allow to slip through our fingers.