TBATE: Let The Truth Be Known {Completed}

Chapter 45: Untimely Reunion

REGIS

Arthur remains on his knees for a while. His mind stirs and goes over every possibility for every scenario he can imagine. His brain is moving at light speed. It became unbearable even for me. He's so distracted that he doesn't notice me exiting his core.

As I stand behind him in my human form, he kneels, and his wheat-blonde hair droops in front of his face. His hands rest on his knees as his breathing begins to stabilize.

I reach a hand down and take hold of his shoulder. "Arthur. We have to go."

His head snaps up, awoken from his stupor.

"Right. Yeah. Let's go," he mutters.

"Do you need to talk about it? I saw it too," I implore.

"I think you know what I feel. It's complicated. Seeing her care for me like that. It felt awful to relive it. I haven't come to terms with my life as Grey. I think that's my final step," he answers.

"I think you're right. Now let's go kill some gods so you can have the time to mull it over," I reply.

Arthur chortles. "Yeah. Let's kill some gods."

He stands and reaches a hand over to me.

"Do you want me to hold your hand or something?" I taunt.

"No, dumbass. Get in," he groans as he rotates his hand and holds up his middle finger.

"Fine," I relent and phase into his hand.

I nestle into his core and prop my feet up, watching through his eyes like I'm at an IMAX movie.

He activates the portal. We've reached the point of no return. It's times like this that I bring my role in this world into perspective. I'm in the back of a car that drives us to our potential demise. I watch from the passenger seat with an opinion that gets heard and considered but never really feels like my own. I feel like an imposter at times. A being with the amalgamation of many personalities. I'm simply unoriginal.

It's just something I think about. I guess it's why I do all these impulsive things and search for thrills. This is way more psychoanalysis than I was bargaining for.

"It's now or never, Regis. Beyond that river is our victory or our death. A challenge to our mortality. Are you ready?" Arthur calls out. His voice reverberates slightly as his voice bounces back from the cliffs of Mt. Geolus.

"I'm ready to die if you ask me to, Arthur. We're in this together until the end," I answer as I emerge from his back. I stand just as tall as he does.

He turns his head to the side and glances at me in his periphery. "If there's an afterlife, I hope we can meet there too. You've been the best companion I could have asked for."

"Thanks, Arthur, but you're forgetting something. I'm not your only companion," I reply.

His face brightens in realization. He draws an iridescent stone from his dimension rune. "You're right. Do you want to meet her?"

"What do you mean? Of course, I do. She's your daughter and therefore my niece," I answer. The answer should be blatantly obvious.

"Then start thinking about what you want to tell her. You've got about a minute," he declares before the world around us begins to swell with aether.

The volume dumped from his core that coalesces with the ambient aether in the sky above us creates a physical manifestation. A large, 20-foot-wide purple sphere ripples with power as it begins to fall from the bottom like the sand from an hourglass, landing directly on Slyvie's egg.