Iris thought about Reyz’s words carefully, chewing on the information. She took a glance over to Arylos who had his head lowered but did not retaliate. She waited for him to speak, wanting him to speak up.

“That monster wears my brother’s skin,” Reyz hissed unnaturally.

“Arylos?” Iris asked to get his attention but Arylos said nothing.

“Have you really nothing to say for yourself?” Reyz pressed.

“What if he just looks like your brother and this is all a confusion?” Iris suggested, trying desperately to find reason in this.

“He’s telling you the truth,” Arylos said with no hesitation. “The body I’m possessing is that of Korseis, his brother.”

“What do you mean–” Iris began.

“I’ve told you before; this body is a vessel, a puppet,” Arylos repeated himself in a stern voice. “I’m just possessing it; it was never mine.”

“Don’t you see, girl?” Reyz laughed. “We humans cannot trust creatures like him. We have to destroy them before they destroy us.”

As if by instinct, Iris’s hand flew and gave Reyz a solid punch, knocking his withered corpse to the ground. “You can shut the fuck up,” she growled while grinding her teeth. “After that little display yesterday, you seriously cannot call yourself human and Arylos a monster. The fact that you’re nothing but a dry husk and yet you’re still talking to me should be proof enough.”

Reyz responded to the pain only with laughter. “And you trusting a monster in a three thousand year old corpse is any different?”

“As if you’re any different?” Iris bit back. “You’re just as old and you look more like a corpse to me.”

“Iris, that’s enough,” Arylos cut in while resting his hand on her shoulder. “I did not bring you down here so you can fight with him. I brought you here so you can speak with him.”

Iris took a moment to calm herself down. He was right; in any case, this makes Arylos look worse since he’s trying to be diplomatic. “I won’t forget that his body is your brother but remember that he is also my friend,” Iris explained, trying to keep her voice calm. “You fear and don’t trust what you don’t understand I get that, I really do. But I’m learning to understand and I’m moving forward.”

Reyz let out a quiet scoff as his strength started to leave him. “His friend, are you?” he mocked with a pained laugh. “You are too blind to see it; you are nothing but a means to an end for him. When he no longer has use for you, he will cast you aside.”

“I don’t believe that,” Iris responded while shaking her head.

Reyz continued his laughter as his voice became more quiet. “Holding her captive until she cannot deny you? That’s cruel even for me, Arylos. Tell me, what is more important; her or you keeping up this lie of yours?”

Arylos felt wounded but could not respond. Iris looked towards the Titan, waiting for him to respond; to say that she is more important. Yet he remained quiet, silent as the grave.

“And there’s your answer, girl,” Reyz added before falling quiet, including his rasped breathing.

Arylos let out a shuddered breath as took up his sword and stood up, Iris watching him the whole while. “What did he mean?” she asked him accusingly.

Arylos refused to turn to Iris, looking back towards the corridor. “Let’s go,” he said softly as he headed for the door.

“Hey! I asked you something!” Iris called out, refusing to move.

“He may be unable to speak but he can still see and hear us,” Arylos responded while gesturing towards Reyz with his sword. “I would prefer we speak further in private.”

Iris turned towards the withered corpse, even the eyes were still hollow sockets. “What do you mean? Is he still alive?”

“He is unable to die, no matter the circumstance,” Arylos responded from the doorway, waiting for Iris.

Iris felt her blood chill as the idea that this man was still aware of them and listening to them terrified her. She jumped away and ran towards the door while keeping her eyes on the body.

“He can’t move,” Arylos continued as he gave the guard a slight wave and continued his way out. “As long as he is drained of blood like that and his bindings hold him fast, he won’t be able to move, no matter how hard he tries.”

“That’s how you trapped him before, didn’t you?” Iris asked, following behind Arylos as the guard closed the door behind them.

“I did,” Arylos answered, making a pulling motion with his hand and the doorway at the top of the corridor opened. “I drained him of blood and bound him in a tomb at the bottom of the southern ocean.”

“You did what?” Iris asked, not believing it. “At the bottom of the ocean?!”

“Now you see why I can guarantee that someone found him and woke him up,” Arylos continued as they headed up the stairs. “As unlikely as it is to think that someone would have fished him out of the ocean, it’s practically impossible that he got out on his own.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“Why didn’t you ask him then?” Iris asked.

“Because he won’t tell me; he is only concerned about killing me,,” Arylos replied, clenching his fist. “To him, it doesn’t matter who set him free; the only thing that matters is that he could come after me again.”

The two exited the corridor, back outside under the sun and Iris enjoyed the smell of the fresh air. “He really wants you dead, doesn’t he?” she asked while turning back to Arylos who still had his head down, unable to look at Iris.

“Wouldn’t you?” Arylos returned her question. “You’re telling me that if you had the chance to get revenge for your people, you wouldn’t take it at all costs?”

“Revenge is a dark road,” she responded while keeping right to Arylos’s side as he continued on the road back home.

“As inclined as I am to agree, that requires logic and reasoning,” Arylos explained. “When you’re talking about emotions and revenge, logic is no longer a factor. To hell with the consequences. I’m willing to bet Reyz even consumed the people who set him free just to build his strength.”

Iris thought about it, part of her would show appreciation for those that set her free. “A means to an end,” she whispered under her breath.

Arylos made a nodding motion as the two continued in silence, feeling as though the weight of the world was on their shoulders and neither one could alleviate that burden. A part of Iris wanted to make Arylos feel better, but her head was still swimming from all of this. She reached out, wanting to take Arylos’s hand, but gave up; it might only make things worse or at least awkward.

After the long silence, the two returned back to the house and as Arylos closed the door, Iris finally spoke up.

“So, why did you want me to listen to him?” she asked, leaning against one of the walls.

Arylos sighed as he walked away, heading towards one of the other rooms. “Because when I say this body isn’t mine, you know what it’s like. That someone lost their brother, someone lost their son, just for me to be here. You can’t let yourself forget what I truly am.”

“Look at me,” Iris said sternly, pulling on Arylos’s arm and turning him to face her. She saw that his red eyes carried a dull glow and his face soft. She had seen this expression before and she hated that she was learning this and seeing it. It was like he was like a whimpering dog, his tail tucked between his legs. The strong man she had known was now fading away. He knew he was wrong and he was afraid of what Iris would say, and that hurt her.

“What does any of that have to do with us?” she asked, trying to ease his heart.

“Everything,” Arylos answered. “You cannot forget what I am. You treat me like a man, a friend, but I’m something different inside and outside. I am a formless and timeless being wearing the skin of a boy who died three millennia ago. You cannot let yourself forget that.”

“But what if it doesn’t matter?” Iris followed up, holding onto Arylos’s arm tighter. “What if I don’t care? What if all I want is for you to be here with me?”

Arylos turned away, pulling on his arm but Iris held him firm. “Why didn’t you answer Reyz?” she asked softly. “Am I just a means to an end?”

Arylos turned back and his eyes carried the hurt of a deep wound but he had no answer. Iris then let go of him, making up her mind. “Then tell me your side of the story,” she asked.

Arylos thought for a moment and then nodded slowly and moved towards the living room, resting his hands on the sofa.”

“What do you know of the tale ‘Saviour Without Sin’?” Arylos asked softly.

“I just read your book on that,” Iris responded. She came over on the sofa and sat on her knees in its cushions so she could still look at Arylos. “Two brothers from the north; one became a monster and the other hunted the other brother down and ended up cursed.”

“That’s the one,” Arylos answered with a nod.

“I assume the story is about you and Reyz,” Iris continued, resting her chin on her arms. “The question is which one of you is which. I could easily argue either one of you would be the older brother.”

“Reyz is the older brother Nerseis,” Arylos responded. “This body is that of the younger brother Korseis.”

“So, what is the real story?” Iris asked, staring at the Titan intently.

Arylos inhaled deeply as he remembered the story. “It was when the Dragon Wars first started. I had to stop it, but I didn’t have a vessel to take at the time. I reached out to anyone who would listen but no one would. Until one day, I got a response from Korseis. I initially didn’t want him since he was weak and sickly but he was determined for some reason.”

“So you took possession of him?” Iris jumped in.

“He wanted to be a warrior like his brother and so I made him an offer,” Arylos responded, ultimately moving to sit on the sofa next to Iris. “I offered to take possession of his body but only to fight in the war. Once the war was over, I would leave him and he could retain much of my strength. He agreed and I took control, tucking his mind and soul safely away.”

“I take it big brother Nerseis didn’t like that,” Iris jumped in again, mocking Reyz.

“He didn’t,” Arylos responded. “He tried to stop the process but it almost killed Korseis as a result. He vowed he would kill me and wouldn’t listen to me when I tried to explain. Mad that his brother was just a means to an end. I didn’t care for him anymore and went about my business, creating this sword and fighting in the war to keep the Reig under control. Nerseis took on the name Reyz and hunted me down.”

“I guess that makes sense, but I feel like that’s not the end of the story,” Iris added while resting her head against her arm.

Arylos shook his head. “A decade later, he came back to me, this time turned into that creature you saw him become; a Paladin.”

“Hold on, that’s a paladin?” Iris asked as if the wind was knocked out of her. “I thought a paladin was a warrior that protected people, fought evil and kept the peace?”

“And I’m not evil?” Arylos added while glaring at her with his burning red eyes. “Paladins have been romanticised as heroes. Really, the Paladins like Reyz are nothing but a demon.”

“How can a paladin be a demon?” Iris asked.

“Easy,” Arylos answered. “What do you know of the paladins from stories?”

“They’re valiant warriors,” Iris answered. “They make vows to protect people and vanquish evil.”

“By that definition, Reyz fits,” Arylos responded. “He is a warrior that vowed to protect people and vanquish evil. He wanted to protect his brother and protect other people from me and vowed to destroy me.”

“And that makes him a demon? That creature you were fighting?” Iris asked, still not getting any of this.

“In a way, but Reyz is an advanced and unique case,” Arylos responded, interlacing his fingers. “Reyz spent his time destroying evil creatures; demons, spirits, dragons, the like. Over time, they began to influence him and turn him into what you saw. He became possessed by a demon manifest of his own desire to destroy me, a perverted corruption of what’s in his heart. His own body retaliates against this ‘evil’ until he becomes nothing but a monster trapped in his own body; a carnivore in sheep’s clothing.”

“Kind of like you?” Iris asked.

“Exactly like me,” Arylos answered.