Aegis

Chapter Thirty Nine--End of the Journey

So tears had never been Kyros' strong suit. When Erianthe started crying her heart out, Kyros froze. Sitting next to her seemed like the best solution to try to comfort her. For now, it was working. Erianthe's cries were softening until they disappeared completely.

"Feeling better?" Kyros asked.

"Yes. Those were tears of joy by the way," Erianthe said.

"Ah, yes. Not tears of overwhelming emotion like you get all the time?" Kyros replied.

In response, Erianthe rolled her eyes and smiled. She wiped her face with her hand, brushing tears out of her pretty, brown eyes.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but could I speak to you, Kyros?" Ares asked.

Kyros turned to Erianthe, who nodded. While she helped the others with the captive Rogues and the pieces of the Orichalcum, Kyros and Ares talked a few feet away.

"I told you it wasn't too late," Kyros said. "Thank you."

"You did. And you shouldn't thank me. After I caused you so much harm, there is no way to make it right," Ares said. "I could only stop it from happening again."

"Yeah, you're right about that," Kyros muttered.

For lack of a better response, Ares just sighed and nodded. The man pulled Rupture from his back and stood it up on the ground. The black spear caught a bit of the afternoon sun in the sky. Even in broad daylight, it was just as imposing as the first time Kyros saw it that night when Delos was destroyed.

"I have a way to break Reaper's curse on you," Ares said. "But it . . . would be painful."

Ares lifted Rupture of the ground and grazed the shaft on the rocks.

"How would you break it?" Kyros asked.

Rupture, the black spear, sang against the rocky ground.

"You know Rupture's legend?" Ares said. "The lightning it creates can destroy nearly anything. I can direct the lightning, and well, destroy Reaper's particles inside you." The man swung Reaper around so that the blade pointed towards the sky. "But it will hurt."

"What will hurt?" Erianthe asked.

A little ways away, Erianthe stood ready to draw her sword. Of course, she didn't look like she was about to fight. Only years of fighting alongside her let Kyros know that Erianthe was tensed and ready for battle, if need be.

Behind her, the brothers Erianthe called Chris and Erik looked up from their task gathering the Orichalcum pieces.

"Ares can destroy Reaper's pieces inside me. And it will hurt," Kyros said.

"Immensely," Ares added.

Erianthe stepped forward. "Are you going through with it? Do you trust him?"

Images of Pluto controlling his body flashed through Kyros' mind. In all honesty, the only thing Kyros had been concerned with was the amount of pain. If Ares wanted him dead, the man could have stayed silent.

"I don't think he'll kill me, Eri." Kyros turned to Ares. "Do it. Break Reaper's curse."

Ares smiled. "All right." The man pointed to Chris. "You, boy over there. You're a healer?"

"Yeah," Chris replied.

"Will you watch over him for me?" Ares asked.

"Part of my oath," Chris said. "Hey, Erianthe, come here for a second."

In a few moments, Kyros laid flat on the ground with his head in Erianthe's lap and his hands in her hands. This arrangement would have had Kyros flushed and embarrassed if not for the fact that Ares was about to electrocute him.