Both Raine and Nikolay came to their senses at the same time.

Wow, I feel horrible. This is so much worse than a hangover.

Their left arm throbbed heavily in an unrelenting shock of pain. Nikorai blearily looked up to see that the wound had been neatly bandaged. This would have been comforting, if not for the fact that they were also handcuffed to the wall.

A quick cursory glance over their surroundings immediately informed them of their situation. They were currently in a dingy jail cell, barely lit by a singular torch that was held by the guard standing outside the metal bars. They were practically hanging by their arms, which was far from the most comfortable position for someone with a wounded arm.

The guard turned to Nikorai when he noticed their awakening. “Oh, finally. I’ve been standing here for days, waiting for you to wake up. You sure are a determined bunch. We weren’t expecting you to actually fill the bowl, but you pleasantly surprised us. We had chloroform ready, but I guess bleeding out heroically suits your role more.”

The shrine was a set-up all along. Since when had they become ensnared in the trap? No wonder why the sage didn’t react when they had an internal fight in front of her. Was the stranger on the path also a part of the plot? Lysandra? Gull? Even Navi? Did it even matter anymore? They were in this shitty situation, whether they liked it or not.

Nikolay glared at the guard. “Stop talking. I didn’t wake up to hear an asshole go and monologue to himself.”

“Like talking to a wounded wild animal,” the guard scoffed. “That might’ve served you well in the past, but it won’t help you now. Remember which one of us is in chains here.”

“So you enjoy spitting on people who are chained up? Kicking people when they’re down?”

“Hmm,” he tapped his chin in a mockingly thoughtful expression. “Yes. I’m sorry that you care about it so much.”

Ask him about the bandage on our arm.

Stop backseating.

Well, it doesn’t look like you’re relinquishing control anytime soon.

“For somebody so heartless, you seem well-versed in bandaging wounds,” Nikolay jerked his head towards their left arm.

“Oh, that wasn’t me. The doctors were responsible for your recovery. You’ve been out for a couple weeks, thanks to some strong magic-based anaesthetic. You should be thankful, really. If they hadn’t been onsite when you sliced your artery, you definitely would have been done for.”

“If you hadn’t led us into the temple, we wouldn’t be in that situation in the first place,” Nikolay spat. “You thick-headed, conceited piece of shit.”

Instead of being angry at Nikolay’s words, a wide smile began to grow on the guard’s face.

“You know, if you keep acting so ungrateful,” he said, a menacing gleam flashing in his eyes. “I’ll be forced to keep you in line. A vicious dog needs to have some sense beaten into him.”

Nikolay, we’re still injured. Don’t do anything brash.

To Raine’s dismay, his words only served to spur Nikolay even further.

“You must love hearing yourself talk,” Nikolay hissed. “A mirror would be a better listener for you — but even the mirror would eventually become tired of your bullshit, too.”

As Nikolay spoke, the guard opened the door and stalked into their cell. A lopsided grin stretched across his darkened face.

“You asked for this. Remember that,” the guard advised.

It wasn’t difficult to imagine what happened next. In a blur of motion, his fist drew back and connected with their cheek. Nikorai’s head whipped to the side, spine cracking from the impact.

Impressively, Nikorai’s face was completely indifferent — bored, even. He barely flinched from the punch. Raine had to commend Nikolay’s ability to ignore their inbuilt human reflexes, even if it was fuelled out of spite.

It stung, but not nearly as much as when their artery was severed. Raine could tolerate this much pain, at least. So, for the time being, he kept quiet as Nikolay handled the situation.

“Looks like you’re all bark and no bite,” the guard grinned, his white teeth flashing against the darkness of the cell. “Not much to say after getting hit, huh?”

Now, a matching grin forced its way onto Nikolay’s face, though much bloodier than the guard’s.

“Hitting me like a newborn baby isn’t going to solve your anger problems,” Nikolay snarled. “Resorting to beating a wounded man speaks volumes about yourself.”

The guard’s face contorted in a strange mix of satisfaction and rage as he lifted his other hand in a tightly clenched fist.

Nikolay kept his eyes open as the guard’s knuckles connected with their face. He shifted his head ever so slightly to prevent the punch from breaking their nose.

But despite Nikolay’s efforts to conserve their facial structure, pain still bloomed across the bridge of their nose. It hurt more than last time — Nikolay’s goading seemed to have an effect on the guard.

If Raine was in control of the body right now, their eyebrows would be furrowed together. Do you love getting hurt or something?! Why are you talking back?

Someone has to show this asshole that he isn’t shit. I can’t believe everyone in his life has just let him walk all over them without suffering the consequences.

You’re literally getting beat up, Raine groaned. Is it that worth it?

Y-

I knew you were gonna say that. Could you at least do it in a more diplomatic fashion?

Do you really think reasoning with him is going to work? Look at the overeager bastard.

Nikolay focused their eyes back on the guard in front of them. To prove Nikolay’s point, the guard had already pulled back his arm to hit them again.

Raine frowned. So you’re going to give him more reason to abuse his power?

At least there’s somebody telling him how much of an asshole he is.

The guard had punched them again in the middle of Nikolay’s sentence, but the latter continued to speak as if nothing had happened. Raine, on the other hand, was still recoiling from the sparks of pain that spread out from their jaw.

“You’re quiet all of a sudden. Hurt too much?” the guard taunted.

“You’re not worth the effort of speaking,” Nikolay retorted.

The guard’s knee met Nikorai’s abdomen in a sharp, jerking motion. It knocked the wind out of them, leaving Nikolay gasping for air afterwards.

“Fuck you,” Nikolay panted, a scowl still fixed on his face.

You’re still going?! Stop!

No longer willing to watch Nikolay dig himself into a deeper hole, Raine wrestled for control over the vessel. The struggle didn’t last long; Nikolay was still physically suffering from being winded. Raine was able to shove Nikolay’s consciousness out of the way and slipped into a physical connection with the vessel.

As soon as Raine assumed control, he immediately lowered his head in a subservient manner.

“I’m sorry for everything that I did. You were right,” he begged pleadingly. “So please, don’t hurt me anymore.”

I don’t like this at all.

This is the only way to avoiding being beaten to death.

Nikolay gave a disbelieving scoff. You’d rather live as somebody’s dog than die with honour?

Trust me, it’s not as bad as it looks. I’m used to it, Raine dryly replied.

Oddly, the guard ceased his attacks after Raine’s apology. He stepped backwards and faced an unseen figure.

The guard shouted, “Raine is here!”

A voice, booming and powerful, echoed from an unknown source behind an archway. “You may leave your post for today.”

“Yes, my liege,” the guard said in a suddenly deferential tone, dutifully stepping out of the cell to make way.

When the owner of the commanding voice stepped into view, Raine swore that he felt Nikorai’s heart stop beating for a second.

Nikolay’s anger from earlier had vanished completely, replaced by instinctual, unbridled fear. It was as if every cell in their body wanted to fight their way out of the cuffs: bite, scratch, kick — it didn’t matter, as long as they were far away from this man. Raine had never witnessed Nikolay so deeply afraid to his core, and if he was being honest, Nikolay’s strong reaction scared him as well. Just who was this man?

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

A golden crown delicately perched atop the stranger’s head, adorned with a myriad of multi-coloured jewels. His regal appearance was further reinforced by luxurious silk robes, designed in an elaborate style reminiscent of mages from medieval fantasy.

Yet, the man’s dress style wasn’t the most unnatural thing about him. His eyes glowed a bright yellow, almost like molten gold. On top of this, there was a prominent scar from one ear to the other, making a straight line running across his nose. It marred an otherwise flawless image, an ugly ravine that cut through his perfect skin. Raine couldn’t help but wonder what happened, for a scar to appear in such a peculiar pattern.

Despite his monarch-like appearance, the man willingly squatted down to meet their gaze. Raine felt almost embarrassed under his gaze, knowing that they were a sore sight after the guard’s beatings.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you at last, Raine. My name is Guthasar,” the man said with a genial smile. “How are you finding your arm? We patched it up with magic to aid the healing process. Alas, it saddens me to see that you are bound in chains despite your poor condition.”

The irony almost made Raine laugh in his face.

Truly a pity, especially when it was probably his orders to lock us up.

Usually, his sarcastic quips were met with a snide remark from Nikolay. But worryingly, Nikolay was uncharacteristically silent.

Guthasar continued. “Ideally, I’d like to talk to your companion, too. Did he introduce himself as Nikolay? I’m surprised he used that name. Unfortunately, speaking to you is much more important than catching up with an old acquaintance.”

Nikolay…

Raine frowned as he felt his companion cower further into the corners of their mind. Clearly, whatever happened in Nikolay’s past wasn’t pleasant for him. He was beginning to understand why Nikolay left so many questions unanswered. Nonetheless, an explanation was still in order.

Guthasar tilted his head at their silence. “You look concerned. Is Nikolay telling you something? Please ignore anything that he says. Our last meetings were akin to a… lovers’ quarrel.”

He wished that their captor was right; he wished Nikolay was talking to him. Anything would help him make sense of what the hell was happening.

“Please, listen to me,” Guthasar said. “I can make your life a great deal better. You want to be rid of this prophecy, right? I can do that for you, Raine.”

Raine wasn’t sure if it was partially driven by Nikolay’s reaction, but he involuntarily shuddered at the mention of his name on the man’s tongue. But despite his instinctual reaction, a small part of him was curious at the mention of escaping the prophecy.

He had no shame in admitting that he desperately wanted to return to his life before this entire fiasco. Having been assassinated and forced to inhabit an unfamiliar vessel, Raine was hardly a willing participant in the gods’ elaborate schemes.

Life before this might not have been in lavish luxury, but it was homely, consisting mainly of his mother and elder sister. They had a mock ‘therapy session’ when he needed comforting and made friendly banter at the dinner table when he was feeling down. Being torn away from them was like losing a piece of himself in the never-ending cosmos, forever lost in the realm of impossible probability. And with each night that he spent without a friendly face to grin at, Raine felt that piece of his heart drift even further away.

If Guthasar could truly revert things back to how they were, Raine could just brush it off as a bad dream. An unfortunate occurrence to look back on and laugh about in the safety of his own home. Maybe he’d even tell his sister and mother about Kosira, though they would just laugh and dismiss it as a wild story. He wondered what they would think of Nikolay. His sister would probably hate the jackass, always being the voice of reason.

Raine bit his lip, keenly aware of the tears forming at the corners of his eyes. This was no time to become sentimental.

It took him a while to find his voice again, but eventually Raine was able to speak.

“C… Can you really?” he mumbled through bruised lips.

Guthasar nodded enthusiastically. “You see, we have a mutual interest. We can help you leave Kosira and relieve this terrible burden on your shoulders. In terms of your unfortunate ‘companion’, though: It simply won’t do if you still have an intrusive voice in your head when you return to your beloved family and friends. We can take dear Nikolay off your hands with the help of some magic. I’ve already prepared another vessel for his spirit to inhabit.”

In response, Nikolay’s panic exponentially rose to even higher peaks. It was like a raging whirlwind, threatening to drag anything nearby into its tumultuous, twisting embrace. By the time Raine realised that he was being pulled in, it had already become a difficult task to detangle his own thoughts from Nikolay’s manic frenzy. He fought against the overwhelmingly powerful surges of fear, wrestling his consciousness away from being consumed by the same panic.

Is this how Nikolay felt when he had his near panic attack? God, it felt awful to experience someone else’s emotions.

Once Raine had calmed himself down, he called out, N- Nikolay, please! I’m not accepting his proposal.

Even though the deal was tempting, Raine had enough brain cells to recognise that Guthasar had far from pure intentions. If Nikolay was reacting so strongly just from being in Guthasar’s presence, it was an understatement to say that handing Nikolay over to him would be a bad idea.

Sure, Nikolay was annoying. He was a harsh friend — using ‘friend’ in the loosest sense — and a shit tutor. But there were still times when he was a great companion.

Like when he comforted Raine after realising he was on the verge of having a panic attack. Or when he gave Raine meditation exercises instead of training drills when he was exhausted.

Raine really, really wanted to say yes. There was basically no reason why he wouldn’t say yes. Apart from one reason. One grumpy, stoic human-shaped reason.

“I’m sorry. I can’t accept this deal,” Raine said.

He attempted to say it in a professional tone, but it came out rather pathetically when he had to spit out blood in the middle of his sentence.

Guthasar looked at Raine. “Why? Is it Nikolay?”

The people pleaser in Raine begged him to change his answer, but he merely avoided Guthasar’s imploring gaze by staring at the floor.

“I can’t betray him.”

“Oh, that’s it?” Guthasar asked with a laugh. “We won’t hurt him. No matter what he thinks, I have his best interest in mind.”

Raine desperately wanted to believe Guthasar. He wanted to believe that there was a simple answer to solving all of his problems.

“…I can’t.”

In a sudden flash, Guthasar’s face changed from an accommodating, pleasant expression to an outwardly hostile one.

“Do you realise that we can stop the prophecy from happening either way? Leaving Kosira is the better choice, but we can always prevent you from completing the prophecy in a more… permanent fashion.”

His menacing stare made Raine want to shrink back into the hard stone wall behind him. Somehow, being pierced by Guthasar’s gaze was leagues more uncomfortable than the guard’s physical methods of punishment.

“Threatening me will not change my answer,” Raine said with all his mustered courage.

To illustrate his point, he even lifted his chin and straightened his aching back.

Again, Guthasar’s expression changed once more. The cold, threatening gaze still lingered below the surface, but a hint of fondness now graced his features.

With a steady, calloused hand, Guthasar reached out to gently cup Nikorai’s bruised cheek. Raine involuntarily tensed his jaw at the contact but didn’t- couldn’t pull away.

For a brief period, it seemed like they were about to share a tender moment. But abruptly, Guthasar raised his hand and brought it down with a sharp crack. His palm directly struck the fresh bruises on Nikorai’s cheek, sending even stronger shockwaves of pain than the original blow that caused the bruises. Raine reflexively jerked from the blow, yelping at the stinging that branched out from the site of impact.

Then, Raine felt Nikolay’s presence surging to the forefront of their mind, nudging his consciousness in an implicit request for control. He immediately obliged in surprise, giving Nikolay access to the vessel.

“Leave Raine alone,” Nikolay growled in a low tone.

Even though they were chained to the wall and heavily restrained, it was impossible to ignore the dangerous tone that laced his words. Raine, who didn’t even have a corporeal form right now, felt a shiver down his figurative spine at Nikolay’s command.

In complete contrast to Nikolay’s tone, however, Guthasar’s eyes sparkled in response. His face lit up like a lightbulb, in the sense that it seemed like a switch had been flipped on. Or off, depending on whether someone viewed it in a pessimistic or optimistic way.

“My dear Nikolay, it has been quite some time since we last spoke. It must have been lonely, living all of your lives without somebody who knows the ‘true you’.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Nikolay spat on the floor. “Why do you act like we were best friends? Our closest moment was a fight to the death. Twice, because you’re a fucking rat.”

“Ah, but we weren’t fighting to the death. Only you wished for my death; I was merely defending myself.”

“Does it change anything? You’re like a cockroach, always crawling back for leftovers. Which piece of shit hired you to fuck me over this time?”

“I’m offended that you still think of me as a mercenary. But I suppose you’re used to looking down on people, hm?” Guthasar stood up, looming over Nikorai’s badly beaten figure. “Quite a different circumstance that we’re in today. Our roles have been completely reversed. Though I don’t think I looked quite as pitiful as you in my darkest days.”

Nikolay clenched their jaw so hard that Raine worried their teeth would shatter. “Why do you want Raine to leave Kosira? No- that part makes sense. Why do you want me?”

“To free you.”

“What? Have you gone mad since the last time we met?”

“Oh, my sweet, naïve Nikolay. While you were frolicking around the world with your newly acquired lives, I was achieving godhood. I have built an entire organisation upon the philosophies that I gathered from my many years of contemplation. Do you know what everyone in the Order of Truth calls me?” Guthasar smiled eerily. “They call me King.”

Nikolay stiffened. “All you’ve proved is that you’re a jealous fool who spent centuries chasing titles.”

“This is exactly why I wish to free you,” Guthasar shook his head in disappointment. “But it seems like today is not the day to begin your enlightenment. No matter, we have all the time in the world to convince you. Or until the next lunar eclipse, I suppose.”

Guthasar turned around sharply and strode out of the cell, his heels clicking on the concrete floor.

Nikolay didn’t let himself relax until Guthasar was out of sight. Likewise, Raine had been waiting impatiently for the chance to ask exactly what the hell was going on.

So... Do you want to talk about it, or...?

Not really, Nikolay curtly responded.

A brief pause later, he added, But I can share if you think it’s extremely important.

Raine hesitated. After all, Nikolay did seem quite shaken by Guthasar’s appearance.

If it’s uncomfortable for you, then I don’t want to push it.

Nikolay softly exhaled, their damaged ribcage complaining at the movement. Thank you. I just wish that I had anticipated this.

What do you mean?

A twinge of guilt crossed Nikolay’s consciousness. I knew that Guthasar was alive and most likely in Kosira. I should have deduced that he would hear about the prophecy... and me.

Raine didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at Nikolay’s response. You’re allowed to be human, you know. Not every possible outcome has to be accounted for in your plans.

Raine, I couldn’t think through a single coherent thought when he walked into our cell. I was completely paralysed, frozen completely still from fear. If Guthasar’s appearance hadn’t taken me by surprise, he wouldn’t have slapped you.

It was just a sla-

But what if it was worse?

Raine desperately wanted to give Nikolay a hug. Alas, his condition meant that he had to settle for a cognitive pulse of worry.

And you’re always talking about my anxiety, Raine sighed. I thought you hated me, anyway. Why do you care?

This is still my body, Nikolay grumbled half-heartedly. If it gets irreversibly damaged, I have no chance of returning.

Neither of them believed it, but it was amusing for Raine to see Nikolay deflect the question so readily.

And so, a couple of hours passed in blissful, uninterrupted silence. At least, as blissful as it could be with a throbbing arm wound and fresh bruises on their face. Thankfully, the guard from earlier never returned. A different guard had replaced him, but her patrol rarely crossed past their cell.

At some point, a distant, persisting noise permeated the secluded silence of their cell. If Raine strained his ears hard enough, he could make out people roaring in pain. He winced. Torture, maybe?

Upon further contemplation, though, it sounded more alarmed. And it was rapidly getting closer.

Do you hear that?

Unfortunately. Hopefully it doesn’t involve u-

A familiar figure rushed into view, blood unceremoniously splattered across their face and clothes. They spared Nikorai a fleeting glance while they were passing, but then had to double take when they realised who was in the cell.

“Wh- You?!”