Many weeks had passed, and Adonis and Echene had been working relentlessly on the mech suit for Echene to use. They spent long days and nights in their workshop, surrounded by the sound of clanging metal and the smell of hot iron. Athena had found out about their plan and, with a determined look in her eyes, begged for a suit of her own. Unable to refuse her, Adonis divided his time, tirelessly constructing a second mech for her while Echene focused on finishing his own. Athena's mech was designed to be swift and agile, a nimble fighter like Nyx and Adonis himself. Meanwhile, Echene's was built with a different philosophy: strength and power over speed, a formidable creation meant to withstand the fiercest of battles.
Just as Adonis neared the completion of Athena's mech, Echene burst into the room, his voice full of excitement. "It's finished! Come on, let's spar. Let's see if you can beat this! I designed it to fight Titans!"
Adonis turned, intrigued by his friend's enthusiasm. As he entered the room, his eyes widened at the sight before him. An enormous mech towered above him, its frame larger than any he had ever seen before. The metal gleamed under the workshop lights, a testament to Echene's hard work and determination.
"Wow, you really put in a lot of work on this mech," Adonis remarked, a hint of admiration in his voice. "Athena's is hardly half this size, but it's nimble and fast."
Echene grinned proudly. "Well, you're the only one who can fight Titans... but not anymore."
Adonis's expression shifted, a hint of disappointment crossing his face. "You've only seen me fight one of the strongest Titans. That's why they didn't help — not because they were too weak, but because their powers didn't affect it."
Realizing his mistake, Echene stammered, "S-sorry, I didn't realize that I—"
Adonis's tone turned cold. "Those people are your family now. Yes, some are stronger than others, but one's weakness may be another's greatest strength. Now, board your mech. You claim big things about it. Let's see if it can even take a hit from a Titan."
Echene climbed up into his mech, gripping the controls with determination. Adonis leaped into the air, drawing back his fist before delivering a devastating blow to the mech's chest, a strike equivalent to a weaker Titan's attack. The mech's metal crumpled under the impact, and it collapsed to the ground in a fiery explosion. But Echene had built the cockpit to withstand heat and pressure, and it remained intact.
Adonis tore open the cockpit, pulling Echene out as he lectured him. "If you build it to fight, it also needs to be capable of taking a hit," he said sternly. "You need to focus on the armor first, then on strength. Make it strong enough to move, and the extra weight will cause far greater damage."
Echene, embarrassed by his failure, ran and sulked in the corner of the room. As Adonis began to clean up the mess, Athena ran over to comfort her brother. "Brother... What's wrong? Adonis said he'd help you make it stronger."
"I-I failed," Echene muttered, his voice choked with emotion. "I failed after I spoke so arrogantly to him… after all he's done for us, I failed him—"
A soft voice interrupted their conversation. "Hey, if I know Adonis, one thing he doesn't do is get upset over failures. As long as you put in the effort, he's not going to be upset."
Echene looked up, wiping his eyes. "Th-thank you, Nyx. I just… it was the way I spoke to him, saying how the mech could do the same as him."
A rumbling laugh filled the air as Atlas overheard. "GRHAHAHA… wait, you're serious? You thought a hunk of metal could beat that monster? Ha! Are you sure you didn't hit your head when we were in the Dark Realm?"
Echene, shocked at how much better Atlas had gotten at speaking, stumbled over his words. "Y-you can speak in full sentences now?"
Atlas smiled. "Yes, your sister and Nyx have been teaching me. It's been hard for me to fight without remembering those days, but your sister and Adonis have shown me a light to follow."
Athena looked up at Atlas and asked, "What hurts you the most, remembering what happened or forgetting it?"
Atlas pondered the question for a moment. "I-I believe remembering it hurts the most."
"Then why don't you just forget the past?" Athena suggested. "I've heard Tana say that alcohol makes her forget her pain, so maybe that'll work for you too."
Atlas, standing tall, suddenly shouted, "TANA, BRING ME THIS MAGICAL ALCOHOL!"
The shout caught Adonis's attention as he was cleaning up debris. He walked over to Echene, concern on his face. "What the hell was that all about? And are you ready to start on your mech again, to make it stronger than ever?"
Echene turned away, ashamed. "B-but I failed. Why should I try again? I'll just fail again, I—"
Adonis cut him off, his voice firm but encouraging. "Failure is the greatest tool we have. All you have to do is get back up."
Echene's face brightened with a small smile. "Let's do it, then. Let's build a mech that can fight any Titan that comes its way."
As they headed back to the work area, they passed by Athena, testing her mech and training against Tana. Nearby, Atlas was shaking in a corner, mumbling to himself. "T-they're killing everyone… they're all dead… DEAD… I-I killed them all… a-all of them…"
Adonis quickly ran over to check on Atlas, whose voice grew louder and more frantic. Atlas attempted to strike Adonis, but the punch, though powerful, wasn't strong enough to harm him. When Athena saw this, she rushed over to help, but Atlas tried to strike her too.
Seeing the danger, Adonis shouted a single word , "Evisceration!" His fist ignited with flames, and he delivered a crushing blow to Atlas's gut, lifting him off the ground and shattering his ribcage. Atlas hit the roof with enough force to shatter it, debris crashing down on him. Athena, shaken by what had just happened, clung to Adonis, whose shadow loomed over the fallen Atlas.
Adonis's voice was cold and commanding. "Atlas, I do not care what you do when you are here, but there are two rules I ask of you: do as I or a higher rank ask of you, and never harm another member of our crew or family. And you have attempted to harm my dau—harm Athena."
Atlas struggled to stand, his voice trembling. "Pl-please forgive me… I-I didn't know what I was doing."
Adonis, still furious, turned away, his tone icy. "If you have no control over yourself, then you do not need to be around others weaker than you."
Atlas slowly rose, the rubble sliding off his blood-covered chest, his wounds fresh and painful. The group stood in tense silence, ready to battle if he attacked again. The silence was finally broken by Tana, who asked, "Atlas, what was the cause of the outburst?"
Atlas paused, coughing as he answered, "The memories… they hurt…" he began to slam his fist into his head
Adonis's voice remained cold. "Then it might be best for you to stay alone until you come to terms with your past—or at least away from the women and children."
Tears streamed down Atlas's face. "I-I didn't mean to do anything. What if I forget the past?"
Adonis stopped and turned back. "Forget the past, like amnesia?"
Atlas, still shivering, replied, "N-no, like the drink Athena spoke of."
Adonis glanced at Athena, still trembling with fear from the ordeal. Before he could ask further, Tana interrupted, "He's talking about the liquor I drink, Adonis. If you dri—"
"I know what happens if you drink too much," Adonis cut her off, his voice distorted, a flicker of fire in his eyes. "I've seen the effect it has on people. I've seen families destroyed and slaughtered because of it."
Tana was startled by his change in tone, and even Nyx stumbled, frightened by his outburst. "A-Adonis, are yo—is everything alright? Why are you so upset by the mention of alcohol?"
Adonis took a slow, deep breath. "A long time ago, I met a young boy who dreamed of becoming a great adventurer, achieving the highest rank possible, Adamantite. But many years later, I returned to find only a grave with his name on it. He had gotten drunk and killed an innocent woman in a rampage. A gold-rank adventurer then killed him. It was shocking to see such potential end that way. That is why I keep my name and face away from the spotlight. I only revealed myself when I fought the Twin Kings because I knew I would either die there or kill them both and I had no time to think for if i hesitated they would have escaped. But there are only two beings who know my true face: one is God himself, and the other is Odroduc."
Stunned by his confession, Tana sat in silence. But before anyone could speak, a voice interrupted, "Nice place you got here, Adonis… haha, and your friend there looks to be injured pretty badly."
Adonis turned sharply to face the intruder. "YOU! How the hell did you find this place, Monries?" His voice, loud and demanding, sent a shiver through her. She stumbled back, struggling to speak. "I-I just wanted to see if I could join you. I know I tried to attack you, but I was scared. I saw something behind you, and it was terrifying. Its power was like death itself. Your aura… it's that of a man who has killed many without regret, but you are burdened with the guilt of something that wasn't your fault."
Adonis slowly walked over to her, but before he could reach her, a masked man burst through the wall, wielding two guns. Adonis grabbed Monries by her arm and threw her to the side. She looked up in shock, muttering, "How's he not dead?"
The masked man fired his guns, piercing Adonis's chest. His body fell into a pile of ash. The man then turned his guns toward the rest of the group, but before he could fire, a shadow moved behind him. He spun around, only to see what could be described as a beast straight from hell. Just as he laid eyes on the figure, Adonis emerged from the flames, his fist burning with fire. He drove his fist through the man's head, crushing his skull with a single, monstrous blow. The man's body flew across the floor and slammed into the wall with a resounding thud.
Monries, seeing this, fled in terror, running back the way she had come. Adonis, realizing she knew too much, ran to track her down, determined not to let her escape.