TELOS TOU KOSMOU // Callahan X Reader

4

The great wooden doors creaked as you opened them, sliding between the carved panels and into the stagnant quiet of the room beyond. It felt oddly like you were stepping into a chapel - or a morgue. Between the engraving of the epic on the doors and the contents of the room itself, there was just something about it that was humbling.

Large windows lined one of the walls, illuminating the dust motes as they drifted through the air in the morning light. Ornate wooden furniture was scattered around the room, only adding to the feeling of indulgent expense. None of the pieces really matched though, giving away that this room was only used when it had to be - housing perhaps the advisors and companions of visiting royalty.

Now, it housed the champion of champions, propped up on the pillows of the bed, idly watching the dust drift through the air around them.

Ceres looked different than they usually did down in the arena. Maybe it was the change of scenery, but they didn't cut such an imposing figure up close and without the armor they usually donned. They were dressed in a simple white tunic now, their deep brown curls cascading down their shoulders and pooling around their collarbones. If it had been anyone else, you would have been completely at ease.

But knowing who they were, and being able to see yourself in the mirror quality of their eyes, was unsettling.

You closed the door behind you as softly as you could, dipping your head out of respect to the champion on the bed. When you looked back up, Ceres was looking down at you curiously, a strange sort of smile on their face.

"You're the healer?"

Their voice wasn't what you had been expecting either - it was too soft, too melodic, for someone who was able to split spines with their bare hands. It didn't seem quite right, that such raw strength had such a smooth voice.

"Yes." You said, nodding again. "My name is Y/N."

"Ceres." Ceres said, still looking at you - calculating. "They called you rather quickly."

"It was urgent." You said, stepping away from the door to view the rest of the room. On the far side, another door caught your attention - no doubt the attached quarters the caesar had mentioned that were for you. You would never be that far out of reach from Ceres - something that would be especially important for the later stages of the sickness.

Ceres let out a little chuckle at that, shaking their head. "Urgent... they shouldn't have called you."

That made you pause. "Why shouldn't they have?" You asked.

"There's nothing that you'll be able to do." Ceres said with a shrug, like it wasn't a matter of life and death. "I've seen the amount of people they lug through the streets every morning, I know there's no cure once you have this. It was only a matter of time, seeing that my job requires I get drenched in the blood of strangers."

They seemed so resigned about it - another thing that didn't seem quite right. You would have thought someone who fought for their life every day (even if it wasn't much of a right most days) would be more concerned with the thought of death. Wasn't fear the thing that had kept most champions alive in the colosseum, at least in the early days? Or after so many near-death experiences did that disappear?

"The caesar seemed very concerned for your well being." You said.

Ceres smiled again, that same mirthless smile they had given you before. "Anyone would be upset if their favorite sword broke. Especially if the handle is engraved."

"It seemed that he was more concerned about the hand that wielded it." You said carefully, playing on the metaphor. "Concerned enough that he commissioned me to put my extra time between caring for you into looking for a cure, after all."

That caught Ceres attention - their mirrored eyes drifted back to yours, curious now. "Is that what he wanted?" They asked.

You nodded. You still didn't know if you would be able to come up with anything, but it was your duty - to Ceres, to the caesar and to the city - to at least try. Now that you had the palace's resources at your disposal, the limits of the healing clinic didn't matter. Given the opportunity, you had every intention of pouring your extra time into looking for a cure.

"And do you think you can find it?" Ceres asked, directly questioning you now.

You hesitated. "I think it's my duty to try." You said. "Whether or not my efforts bear fruit is another story."

"Hm." Ceres pursed their lips, smiling thinly. "I said almost the same thing to myself when they were about to put me into the ring for the first time. Trying is a sticky trap - you might just find you're good at the thing." Ceres paused, letting the words hover around you for a moment, sinking into your bones. "I'm assuming they set you up in the other room, yeah?"

"I'll keep that in mind." You said, reaching down to pick your bag back up from where you had set it down. Heading over towards the far side of the room, you cast one last look over your shoulder. "I'll be back to check in again later."

"Don't worry about it too much." Ceres said, dismissing your comment. "The symptoms aren't even that bad yet - it only feels like a mild headache."

You just shook your head, opening the door to your new quarters and stepping inside, letting it shut behind you. The space was much smaller that the expanse of Ceres room - but you had been expecting that. Setting your bag down on the cot, you sat down next to it, listening to the gentle humming coming from beyond the door.

What you hadn't been expecting at all, was Ceres. The champion of champions, killer of men, who had one of the most beautiful voices you had ever heard.