Issue #27: X, Fire.

(General P.O.V)

Kane won the match.

Just like the previous 2 times.

(Kane's P.O.V)

"Dammit."

Thanatos whined as he draped himself over his throne, a frown on his pale and youthful face.

"Lost again. This time I was sure..."

"You play against yourself a lot, right?"

I asked with a roll of my eyes.

He nodded.

"That makes sense."

I said staring at the board occupied mostly by my pieces.

"You're...sufficiently okay. But when you meet a more experienced opponent you'll get your ass handed to you...'is what I'd tell someone else."

I smirked.

"But...you, you just plain suck."

He groaned in embarrassment while I chuckled. That was for stretching the whole thing for another day.

"How about another game then?"

The God of Death suddenly sat up.

"One to reclaim my honor and- wait where are you going?"

But even before he could finish, I was already on my feet, stretching my body. My bones creaked and muscles flexed, I turned to answer him.

"Sorry but I have a God to kill. And if I remember correctly, the deal was that you'd let me leave."

He looked away in embarrassment before pouting.

An image of someone from my past life superimposed above him and my sharp intake of breath did not go unnoticed.

Thanatos stared at me in confusion.

"So is it always dark in here?"

I enquired, slamming the door shut on some unwanted memories.

This was a new X. A new Kane. A new me. And this new me had no time for ghosts. Even if they used to be family.

Thanatos walked down from his throne, coming to stand beside me.

Before us, the view was as expected- devoid of all light. Yet the enigma, the puzzle I was yet to solve, was how I could perceive anything, let alone survive.

For context, imagine the wide and encompassing view of the ocean. Stretching from horizon to horizon with no break in sight.

That was Thanatos realm.

A sea of black, below a sky of black, surrounded by all black. All everywhere.(I can imagine my literature teacher shaking his head at me)

Even the throne behind us and the chess board on the table disappeared into darkness the second he turned his focus elsewhere.

How could anyone live in such an empty world? A world devoid of life? Devoid of anything...

Then again, I had no right to complain. I felt a kinship to him. Thanatos' realm was a mirror of what lay inside me. Perhaps that's what bothered me.

"You have a deep connection with death. I suspect, you do not fear...dying?"

Said God broke me out of my thoughts in a soft voice.

"Not since I was 14. Someone showed me...that Death was actually an escape."

I don't know why, but I found myself telling him something I had never told anyone before.

"My older brother...he was like you actually. Always whining. But he was never afraid. He taught me how to be brave..."

It was a long time ago...I haven't thought about him since...

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"He sounds wise. Death while an End is not to be feared. I can tell he faced his with his head held high. "

He answered after a while.

An image of an older boy, smiling down at me, hands wrapped around my shoulders while my dagger was shoved into his chest, appeared in my mind.

'Why are your hands shaking Kane? Remember, hold steady. Always hold steady.'

The boy whispered.

No Thanatos. You're wrong, there was fear in his eyes when he died...

"I lied. I can't send you back."

Thanatos spoke up.

The dead stare I gave him made his next words hurried.

"The nature of my suspension...I can't leave my realm."

He explained.

"Not on my own power at least."

"But then how-"

I begun, stepping up to him, my anger stirring up.

Thanatos, seeing the livid expression on my face, held up a hand.

"You came here by yourself. That means you can leave on your own."

Saying that, his eyes trailed over the blue flames perpetually burning all over me.

"Those flames are special, they can connect with any spark, I'm sure that's how you appeared here...do the same but now picture where you want to appear."

I breathed out, instantly settling my emotions down. That brief trip down memory lane always had the effect of...irritating me.

"Sorry about that."

I apologized.

Thanatos waved me off, sitting on a cushion that appeared from the darkness around.

"Sit."

He motioned to another cushion that manifested below me.

"I shall help you focus."

-0-

The nature of the flames burning around my body was different from my other abilities.

For instance, whether it was Venom blast or web-shooting, they were abilities deeply rooted in my own awareness of my own body.

Flexing my wrists had the effect of producing webs, while clenching and unclenching my body let me tap into bio-energy. Then releasing it felt like stretching my limb out for a punch or a kick.

It was physically intuitive. And I excelled at the physical nature of my repertoire of spider skills.

The blue flames however...were completely out of my control.

That or they were dependent on a different aspect entirely. Either my sub-conscious mind or- and I'm liberally stretching this out- my soul.

That was...less intuitive.

It was why the flames had been burning above my skin without going out for a weak straight.

Underneath them, my clothes remained whole and hell- there wasn't any actual pain either.

They almost felt soothing, like a warm blanket around my shoulders during winter.

I also suspected they were the reason I could survive in Thanatos' realm. Or part of the reason anyway.

"...I had forgotten, but Cerberus' fire looks similar. Only his are much much stronger."

Thanatos revealed.

"And although weaker I'm banking on you sharing the same innate ability shared by all Hellhounds- Flame travel. With enough will and my knowledge of the Underworld, we might be able to precise the coordinates of the Boss's palace and send you there."

"Okay."

I inhaled, finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. It won't be long now Diana...

"How do we that?"

"First...concentrate and try to find the-"

Thanatos' voice trailed off as I looked deep within myself.

After a decade plus of training, I had mastered the art of ignoring any and everything while meditating.

This even included my biological functions like breathing, or the sound of my heart pumping.

Everything fell away.

Then slightly but quickly, I felt something.

My chest begun burning. Right where the tattoo of a spider in flames was.

And then...I became consciously aware of the flames themselves, the way they licked the dead atmosphere within Thanatos Realm.

The way they protected me from everything- I was sure they would turn anything into ash before it could reach me.

Just like...how Pyra had my back.

"Good..."

Thanatos' voice pierced through the haze of focus.

"Now try to locate a spark...it can be anything, fire, light or even someone's spirit."

The God of Death directed.

My brows scrunched up. I could feel the flames but nothing else.

Trying to spread out my awareness into the surroundings wielded less than was useful and it also felt...weird.

Trying to look within, to follow the connection between the spider tattoo which seemed to be the source of the flames, made the fire flare up but nothing else.

I tried to dive into the link only to feel a block obstructing my mind. My will.

Whatever the mental block was, I couldn't bullrush it. Doing so carried with it a risk of messing up my memories, or worse my personality if something unwanted bled through.

Almost half a day after starting, I opened my eyes in frustration.

"It's not working."

I mused, rubbing my chin in thought.

"It's only been a few hours. Be patient."

Thanatos instructed, eyes still closed and hands folded on his lap.

"This is something you cannot rush. Let the fire speak to you. Cerberus never seems to struggle."

"Right. Compare me with a God knows how old, 3 headed monster dog."

I groused.

Thanatos smiled, peeking one eye open.

"Now who's being whiny?"

This bastard. Even as I glared at him, I couldn't help a similar smile from spreading across my own face.

I had to concede.

"Touche."

That out of the way, I renewed my focus with gusto. There was no more use in complaining. Thanatos, as much as I peeved me to say, was right. I was whining.

'Maybe it's the way I'm doing it? The first time I ever noticed these flames was back when I was fighting Circe. The second time was...in the lake.'

I shivered at the memory.

'And now too...I guess. It's not hard to make the connection. These flames are Pyra's last gift to me. And I remember her sending me through them before Circe killed her.'

I just needed to unearth those emotions and the sensation of moving through the fire. How it felt like.

I levelled my breathing pattern. My chest rising up and down in a steady rhythm.

Then I remembered...

The warmth around me increased.

(General P.O.V)

Thanatos, watching his new friend, was left surprised.

The flames around Kane, billowed out in gentle plumes, encircling the two of them in a sphere of flames and then, the God of Death felt Space melt and deform around the sphere.

And in an instant, they were outside his realm.

"You did it."

Thanatos whispered in an elated tone.

"I didn't think you could do it so fast but...you actually did."

Kane opened his eyes, a glint of excitement and wonder in his eyes as he stared at his burning hands, and the sphere of flames around them.

"The flames...they're not mine but they feel...like a part of me. Like Pyra isn't dead..."

He muttered, breathing in deeply. In a smooth motion, upon his inhale, he pulled all the fire into him.

This action had an unintended consequence.

It revealed to them...exactly where they had headed up after leaving Thanatos' realm.

They were inside a chamber with the floor being made of lava, (the only safe place to stand on, being the box in the middle of the room that they were coincidentally sitting on.) and all around them, restrained by glowing chains, with links the size of a ship's anchor, were large behemoths.

The Titans of old.

And their attention was on the two.

Thanatos turned to Kane, a blank expression on his face.

"I'm thinking it wasn't your intention to teleport us to Tartarus?"

Kane could only shake his head wryly.

"Trust me, I might not fear death but even I'm not that suicidal. This is what I hope you think it is...an accident."