As Alaric spoke, his tone seemed questioning, but in that same moment, the power of Nyarlathotep surged into Tolzna's body. He paused, then clicked his tongue.
"Escaped pretty fast!"
Alaric could sense that not a trace of the Mother Tree of Desire's will remained within Tolzna's body. Though the taint of her influence lingered, the Mother Tree of Desire's consciousness had clearly fled in a hurry.
"Shame. I wanted to study it a bit," Alaric said, shaking his head. He glanced at Bethel and The Ancient Sun God. "I just checked Lil' Tolz's condition. It's worse than yours, Bethel. We need to operate immediately… Good thing I've got enough experience, or this would've been tricky."
"One of you stay to assist with the surgery. The other, keep an eye on things elsewhere to prevent any surprises." Seeing no movement from either, Alaric added, "Decide among yourselves who stays."
The Ancient Sun God and Bethel exchanged glances. Bethel spoke up, "I'll stay. Sun God, you should check on Suah. Even with the Evernight Goddess there, it's the Mother Tree of Desire's spawn. Your presence would ensure things go smoothly."
"Agreed." The Ancient Sun God nodded after half a second's thought.
…
Tolzna felt as though he had endured an endless nightmare.
In that nightmare, he was ensnared by the Mother Tree of Desire, slowly eroded by her power. His attempts to resist were futile, and he was reduced to a puppet, even forced to bear a child.
It was hard to say whether death or continued existence was more painful for Tolzna in that nightmare. He lacked the capacity to think or the chance to choose.
In rare moments of clarity, Tolzna sometimes wondered if he should have perished in the Fourth Epoch. At least then, none of this would have happened... he wouldn't have become a puppet of the Outer Deities or a tool for their invasion of this world.
Yet, at times, Tolzna felt unwilling to accept such a fate, one more humiliating than death itself. He was even more unwilling to face a destiny where he couldn't even self-destruct against his captors.
Powerlessness and despair clung to Tolzna, like a drowning man grasping for anything, even a useless straw that couldn't save him.
"Honestly, my ship might be a bit shady, but it's hardly a straw!"
A slightly indignant voice broke through, causing Tolzna's body to tremble instinctively. His foggy mind cleared slightly, and memories flooded back, reminding him of things he'd forgotten.
Like how that nightmare was real, and he had indeed endured a fate worse than death.
And how, at the end of that nightmare, when all seemed lost, he encountered a strange being. Like a great ship on the sea, that being had tossed him a plank to keep him afloat and promised to pull him aboard.
"I… this, you…" Tolzna opened his mouth, his voice weak and his thoughts still muddled, unsure of what to say.
"Easy now. Your surgery's only half-done... phase one, to be precise. Your condition's unique, so we had to wake your consciousness first, or balancing the corruption later would've been a pain," Alaric said, noting Tolzna's eager, searching gaze. After a moment's thought, he added, "Oh, and I snatched you back from the Mother Tree of Desire. So, alive, you're my worker; dead, you're my ghost. Excited yet?"
In that moment, Tolzna's expression was indescribable... a mix of laughter and tears, joy and sorrow.
"Calm down, calm down! Don't you know how weak you are right now?" Alaric shot him an exasperated look, patting him lightly. Then, with mock indignation, he said, "What's that look? Not thrilled to work for me? I might just get mad."
"…No, it's not that," Tolzna said, struggling to shake his head, his voice faint and dazed. He looked up at Alaric, his eyes seeming to focus on him yet not quite. "I'm… free, right?"
"Strictly speaking, not really, since you'll be working for me," Alaric said, shaking his head before a grin tugged at his lips. "But if you mean free from being a puppet for the Outer Deities, then yes, you're free."
"Tolzna, welcome back to the human world I promised!"
…
Tolzna was in rough shape, even worse than Bethel. While Bethel had been tainted by the Outer Deities, his timely self-sealing had spared him from fully falling into the Mother Goddess of Depravity's grasp.
Tolzna, however, had truly been in the Mother Tree of Desire's clutches, enduring unimaginable torment.
So, when Alaric finally completed the surgery, balancing the corruption within Tolzna's body, the King of Angel looked utterly drained, as if some monster had sapped his vitality.
"You okay, Lil' Tolz?" Alaric waved a hand in front of Tolzna, who seemed lost in a daze. "I didn't fix you just to break your brain, did I?"
"…I'm fine," Tolzna replied, snapping out of it. He shook his head and looked at Alaric. "Sorry, I'm just… exhausted. I might need some rest."
Tolzna was genuinely exhausted, in every sense. His body had just endured a battle under the Mother Tree of Desire's control, depleting both his physical strength and spirituality. He needed rest to recover.
Mentally, the years of torment had left him fragile. Though Alaric had been careful during the treatment, the nature of Nyarlathotep's power made the process another form of ordeal. While Tolzna was relieved to be free, he could barely muster any energy.
What he needed now was uninterrupted sleep to restore his body and mind.
"Good, not brain-dead then," Alaric said with a nod. Looking at the listless Tolzna, he thought for a moment before adding, "Amanises side took down Suah. She just contacted me to ask what to do next."
***
Hey, everyone! I'm currently working on a new Marvel project, and I'm really excited about it. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, feel free to give it a read:
[Marvel Apex Predator]
Synopsis:
What would happen if you were born into a world filled with bizarre races wielding even stranger powers, as a species whose sole purpose is to evolve by devouring every other race?
Chaos.
That's exactly what happens when the universe's one and only true Apex Predator is born into Marvel.
This is the story of how Xenomorph tears apart the cosmic food chain and reshapes the hierarchy of life itself.