The crimson figure stared at him for a long moment, then spoke in a hesitant tone:
"Who...are you still drunk, Leo?"
Leonidas didn't respond, still disoriented from the sudden... enlightening experience. His mind felt like it was trying to break itself apart, maybe because of the flood of memories he was being forced to witness.
He had witnessed the unimaginable sight of his soul being held in the grasp of some invisible entity; not only that, but he had also witnessed another soul, one much brighter and purer than his own.
Is there even any distinction between me and Art?
An involuntary chill ran through his body; losing one's sense of self was never a light matter. The fusion had happened mostly because Leonidas had shoved his soul into Art's in an attempt to break free from the entity's clutches.
It seems to have worked...but was it truly the best choice?
He was in doubt, simply because in the process of freeing himself from who knows what, he had forced himself to become another.
Leonidas took a deep breath, not trusting himself wasn't going to help; if anything, it made the situation worse.
He decided to review what he knew, hoping to form a coherent path forward.
I fused with Art, a soul from another world. His memories are slowly becoming mine, and seem to be influencing my thoughts and personality.
The first point was fairly self-explanatory; the second, however, was based completely on instinct and understanding of himself. Leonidas had always been a rational person who wouldn't panic even if his life was on the line.
Yet here he was, trying to bring his spiraling thoughts and emotions under control. The fact that he had spoken of Reis after waking up spoke loud enough.
As if remembering something, Leonidas looked at the man standing over him. He had been ignoring him, trapped in his own thoughts.
"I'm fine, Seridius. Just a little hungover, that's all."
Seridius grabbed his arm and pulled. Leonidas stood on both feet, trying to steady himself. His body and mind felt oddly disconnected, as if some sort of glass barrier stood between the two.
"Thanks, wait 10 minutes. I'll come out after freshening up."
His red-haired friend simply nodded before walking out.
Left alone with his thoughts once more, a sharp gasp escaped his mouth. The speed at which the memories were being transferred had increased tremendously. If before he was seeing a single day every second, now he was easily seeing 30.
Ahh, goddammit!
Leonidas had felt pain before, but this was something else. Mere 'pain' failed to measure the suffering he was going through. Leonidas couldn't even use words to describe it...mostly because of the unbearable agony.
His feet wobbled, his legs trembling, cold sweat pouring down his face and back in a torrent. He fell, legs unable to balance his body.
The sound echoed in the empty bathroom, but Leonidas felt no pain in his body. His mind had already given up, focusing solely on maintaining his sanity.
Was pain truly pain if you didn't acknowledge it?
Leonidas's cerulean eyes stung with sweat, but he didn't close them. He knew, with absolute clarity. If he blacked out now, it wouldn't be him who woke up.
Despite his foaming mouth and twitching body, Leonidas fought a silent battle in his mind, his soul fighting Art's in a war for dominance, or in this case, claim to his body.
His mind was split; one side, the one that remained rooted to his body, worked to keep him sane, while the other, the one in his soul, was currently standing in front of Art.
Leonidas glanced around him. Silver and gold trees hung upside down, seemingly levitating. A still body of water hovered above him, one side platinum, the other amber.
The ground beneath him was nothing more than a body of clouds, stuck in place, not daring to move. The black-haired boy in front of him spoke, done with sightseeing.
"So you are the silver soul, have to say you look better than I expected."
Leonidas wasn't in the mood; he knew what was at stake: morality and survival clashing against each other.
He forced himself to speak, voice quiet.
"You know what is at stake, right?"
Art's eyes dimmed at his words, the earlier humor nowhere to be found. It had to be said, both Leonidas and Art were taking the situation far too well for mere 17-year-olds.
With a heavy sigh, Art looked up, gaze traveling to the split sea and hanging trees.
"You know, never in my mundane life did I expect anything remotely similar to happen to me. My world was normal after all."
Leonidas didn't respond. It felt like Art was preparing himself for the inevitable. Both knew that even with his compromised mind, Art would never win a battle of domination against him.
"I was taking a nap when I came here, rude, ain't it?"
Art chuckled at his own words, the sound as hollow as it could be. He walked towards Leonidas, who was still silent.
"I don't want to die, dude...Things were going so well, my life...it was perfect."
Art's soft hands grabbed Leonidas's collar, fingers digging into his neck.
"WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS! I JUST WANT TO LIVE A NORMAL LIFE!"
Wet splatters of spit flew from his mouth, hitting Leonidas in the face.
I'm sorry.
Leonidas closed his eyes; he knew what came next wasn't something he would like.
"Ok...I'll give you my body, I have no affection for this life anyway."
"What...?"
"I mean exactly what I said. You must have seen my memories; you know what kind of hell I've lived through."
Art's trembling eyes stopped moving, his gaze fixed on Leonidas with chilling emptiness.
"Do you understand what you just said?"
He didn't hesitate.
"I do. Art Williams, I give my body to you. Do you accept?"
I have no other choice.
The black-haired boy thought over Leonidas's proposal for a moment. It was exactly what he wanted, but was it really that easy? He had seen the hell his life was, but still...did he have no attachment to life?
"I can guess what you are thinking, Art, and know that I hate living with a passion. We were born without our consent, forced into constant suffering. In your world, people worked all their lives under shitty conditions. While the people in mine have it slightly harder."
"Why didn't you kill yourself? If you hat—"
Leonidas cut him off, "I might hate living, but I am no weakling. Killing myself is dishonorable and cowardly. And for a knight, that is a fate worse than death."
Leonidas looked directly into Art's eyes; his gaze, as boundless as the sea itself, bore into Art's own.
"Do you accept? Art Williams, give me permission, and I shall start."
With a hopeful look in his eyes, Art spoke. "I do."
A sorrowful smile appeared on Leonidas's face.
Goodbye Art.
The world around them began to change. Water rose without warning, silver coiling around Art like a living thing, gold pressing close to Leonidas. It swallowed them both, coiling around them until neither man could be seen.
Then, as suddenly as it had come, the water receded, flowing back into the endless sea from which it had been born.
Two bodies remained in its wake. One floated above the cloudy surface, while the other slowly disappeared into it.
Hopeful men are truly the most dangerous, but also the easiest to trick.
Leonidas gazed at the fading Art. The man had an incredulous expression, difficult to define, but something stood out instantly. Hate.
His face was twisted in hatred. Unfazed, Leonidas stepped forward, kneeling beside him.
"Didn't honor matter the most to a knight?" The words were full of venom, but Leonidas didn't let it bother him.
"But I am not yet a knight, am I? The Labyrinth hasn't even acknowledged my existence yet."
He patted Art's head. "Just rest now and forever hold your peace."
Before he could curse Leonidas, Art's body disappeared at last.
Be at peace, Art.
With a final look around the space, Leonidas closed his eyes. cutting off his connection to his mind, the body dissolving into nothing more than ash.