Abyssal (ManxMan)

At What Cost?

At What Cost?

Kai really, really wanted to see it; to see the things he'd done that had impressed Marius so. To hear out of the Conqueror's own lips that he'd single-handedly defeated him was a pipe dream he hadn't dared ever imagine. What had little old him done, exactly to secure this impossible victory? According to Marius, he'd used the Spirit's power, the power he was born with, to beat him. But at what cost? After all the pleading and begging, it had literally taken him dying to get the Spirit to come out and protect him.

He shuddered just thinking about it. Instinctively, he rubbed the inside of one of his wrists, feeling for a cut. Even though he didn't yet know which wrist he'd cut, both of them throbbed.

He still couldn't believe it. He needed to see it with his own eyes to believe it, and then...

"Okay. Show me," he agreed, his heart lodged in his throat.

"Give me your hand." Marius reached out his own hand, staring levely at Kai. He could see doubt in the King's eyes. Doubt that Kai was brave enough to take the King's hand and see what he'd done to himself to secure this victory.

Oh, how he loathed to admit that he was right. What person wanted to relive a memory so painful that their mind repressed it? He certainly didn't. But he had to if he was going to figure out the steps to summon the Spirit of the Sea.

"Do I have to touch you to do this?"

Marius' lips twitched. "Definitely."

"Ugh."

Kai's pulse was off the charts as he put his hand in Marius' much larger one. When he felt something that resembled static, he nearly yanked his hand away. It felt like the same static shock he got when he touched a metallic object.

He was already starting to regret this.

"Close your eyes." Marius ordered in that authoritative voice of his that never failed to rub Kai the wrong way.

"Like hell I will."

"Fine."

Almost immediately, a bright red light began to emanate from Marius. In the blink of an eye, Kai was standing in the amphitheater again.

He stiffened instantly, his body's reaction to returning to a place in which he'd suffered gravely in.

He forced himself to relax, to calm down his racing heart, but only barely. Only then did he realize that he'd tightened his grip on Marius' hand unconsciously, practically squeezing it.

He immediately snatched it away -or tried. Marius on the other hand wouldn't let go.

"You have to keep skin contact for this to work," he said.

Kai relented.

"See for yourself," Marius gestured at the amphitheater.

Kai looked to where Marius had gestured to see him from the past standing in one of the alcove's. He winced at his own nakedness, remembering the humiliation of being forced to fight naked in the middle of a crowd of gawking immortals. It seemed that he'd crashed into the alcove of the one known as Lord Luka, and was holding a dagger to his wrist.

All eyes were on him -at least the eyes of those who'd remained in the amphitheater instead of escaping, terrified by the dagger-wielding mortal who'd beat every single one of the opponents thrown at him.

The guards clamored around their King, determined to ensure his safety. Marius however wasn't particularly concerned. He pushed them away and stepped forward, facing him with a strange expression on his usually unaffected face. It was something like bewilderment.

Well, that was new. It wasn't every day that Kai got to see Marius bewildered.

Kai turned his gaze back to himself. The breath caught in his throat at the sight of sheer desperation in his eyes. He didn't think he'd ever looked that helpless, like a scorpion cornered by a ring of fire, about to stab itself rather than endure the burning.

"Ah, so you want to be the one who gives and takes. You'd strip and toss me to the wolves, and then you'll be the one to save me, is that it? You get off on having all the control, don't you? Does it make you hard thinking you're so magnanimous, so fucking generous? Well, let me tell you what you really are, Marius." His despair and distress came through his shaking voice.

Kai's chest tightened at what he knew was about to happen next. He watched as the past him insulted Marius with a meaningful, "You're a piece of shit."

Without an ounce of hesitation, Kai slit his own wrist with the dagger and blood exploded out of his wrist, staining the alcove in which he stood.

Kai gasped out loud and averted his gaze. He felt tears pricking his eyeballs and the heavy lump in his throat got even bigger.

God. How did he reach this point? It was the lowest point he'd ever reached in his life, and they'd pushed him over the edge to plummet straight to rock bottom.

Reeling from the self-inflicted blow, Kai staggered and then tripped on one of the alcove's many pillows.

He was going to plummet straight into the arena's sands face-first when Marius rushed forward and caught him in his arms, bringing him close to his massive chest. 

*~~~~~~~~~~~~*

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