Yatro: Everything ~ Present

“Mors has a child?” Was the only thing Ases could say, still out of himself with surprise.

“Why are you so surprised? She’s a Goddess, but she has the right to have a life, you know? Although she had me before she became like this, as far as I know.” Responded Todo, rubbing his wrists where he was chained just a moment before.

Ases could not believe it at all. How? Even more, he wasn’t even sure that Todo was younger than him. How old is Mors? And why didn’t she ever say anything.

“I think your chance to get your wish is here, dear.” Said the royal telchine at the side. Ases had completely forgotten she was there and he was startled when she spoke again.

“Are you sure?” Todo asked her, with a tired tone as if he had asked her the same thing several times before.

“I won’t hurt you. I cannot. I… think I have had enough of hurting my family. And I know it is selfish to put it like this, but whatever you have to do, at the very least, do it out of my sight.” Said the telchine, walking out of the room without daring to look at Todo again.

Ases looked at the telchine in disbelief. Did that just happen? Wasn’t she the one who poisoned him in Medio? The one who joined the priest and invoked that giant beast?

When did the world stop making any sense?

“Ases, look at me.” Said Todo, snapping him out of his stupor, grabbing him by the shoulders so he could not look away. “I need you to trust me in this, and we probably have no time left so listen well. You have to kill me.”

There was neither hesitation nor fear in his voice. The conviction he had while saying those words resonated deep in Ases, causing him a chill that he could not explain. He took a step back, trying to get away from him.

“Look, there’s no time. See this bracelet in my arm? My mother told me that a Goddess put it in me when I was a baby. Those things are using it as a bridge to get access to my mom’s powers to be immortal.” Todo said, not even giving himself time to breathe.

Todo was forcing Ases to look him in the eyes. He looked crazed, manic, out of control. He freed himself for him and walked back.

“No, wait. You saw them right? Those things dying and coming back to life, you must have seen them with your own two eyes. They have been trying to do that for weeks now, they did all kinds of horrible shit at me, torturing me, keeping me alive to make sure they would be able to keep using me! You can’t let them win!”

Ases thought of running away, wondering if he was actually a madman who was lying only to get him to kill him. If he were in his right mind, he would have gotten out of there as quickly as he could.

But he was not, and more importantly, he had seen those things come back to life. And was it true or not, the light that connected them all did come from the bracelet Todo had.

“I won’t kill you.” Ases said, firmly.

“No, you still don’t understand. It’s the only way!”

“If they are using the bracelet to steal your powers, why don’t you just, take it off?”

“I tried! They also did, but I can’t take it off, it is etched into my arm. Those beasts cut my skin to try to separate it, but this thing goes down to my bones.” Todo said, pointing to the thing and yanking it as strongly as he could. Like he said, it didn’t budge.

The conversation returned to death again and again. Why did he keep insisting that was the only option?

“Fine, let’s say you can’t take it off. You don’t need to die, maybe Mors can find a way to break their spell and make them mortal again.” Ases replied, trying to find a solution.

“No… My mom can’t… She has no power over the seal. Halia asked me the same thing, actually. This thing is the work of other God, made specifically so my mother can’t interfere with it.” He said, the craziness in him giving way to desperation and sadness.

“Then maybe another God can help. The Goddess of Wisdom is still alive, maybe she can help.” Ases said, seeing how Todo was almost deflating in front of him. Maybe he could find some hope for him to cling to.

“Even if she could, it would not matter. How do you plan to take me to her? We are in the bottom of the ocean, hundreds of kilometers away. I would drown far before we had any hope of reaching her.” He said, now sitting in the ground, hugging his legs with his arms.

“You can’t be sure, I can try to take you there. Whatever can keep alive.” Ases said, but immediately regretted it. He remembered the petrified form of Atalan, keeping the bubble of air around them. He was right, they were trapped.

“No. I don’t want to drown. I could not. I’m too scared of it.” Todo said, with a tone of finality.

They truly had no options. Whatever they wanted to do, they had to do it now, before the ocean crashed over them and the telchines regrouped to take back their prisoner.

“Maybe I can cut your arm?” Said Ases, grasping at straws. He knew that it would be the same as killing him in their circumstances, but the idea that there was a minimal chance of him surviving made it sound better in his head.

“No, you can’t do that.” Todo said, sadness giving way to complete seriousness. “My mother told me that if I take off the bracelet, I’ll become immortal, but her power will enter my body, causing me horrible pain. If you do that, you’ll be condemning me to eternal pain.”

Ases was horrified by the idea. What was he supposed to do now? Was he supposed to believe everything he said? The light indicated he was right, but if that meant he had to kill him…

“I can’t” He said, trying to find any excuse he could say to not do so. “Mors would never forgive me”

That was the best thing he could come up with, but todo simply gave a chuckle. A resigned smile appeared on his face.

“I know. She won’t. And to be honest, I’m worried that she may come down here. If she knew what was going on, believe me, she would find the way to keep me alive, even if that meant those beasts became permanently immortal. If they got this far, they probably can find a way to become truly, fully immune to death.” Todo said, a mix of resignation and desperation cracking his voice as he talked. “That can’t happen. It just can’t, please. You have no idea how it was to be down here with those things, they must pay for what they did to me. Please, just, do me this favor, that’s all I ask.”

Todo stopped hugging his legs and kneeled into the ground, before bowing forward with his forehead to the ground.

“Please. Help me get my revenge on those things. Do you have a family outside? Friends? Anyone? Just, think of them. Think what would happen if those immortal beasts got out of here. This is our only chance to stop them, please.”

Todo didn’t move. Sticking his forehead to the ground, pleading.

Ases stood there, unmoving. It was as if his mind was battling itself. The last thing he wanted to do was to kill him, but hadn’t he come down there to stop the telchines in the first place?

If the situation was hopeless before, then truly, any possibility of hope would vanish if the creatures perfected their immortality.

Was there any hope left in the first place?

No, there has to be, for his daughter. It can’t be like that, what would be the point of even being born if she wasn’t given even the chance of living a life.

And so, he battled on, for what felt like hours. Outside of his mind, his body had taken the decision already, determined to follow the truth that weighed heavier in his heart.