https://www.scribblehub.com/series/717374/masamune-crimson-silver/
“Why?” That was the only word Davis could mutter out. He met Prometheus’s eyes, his milky white irises gazing into his mind.
“Why?” Prometheus closed his eyes and exhaled. “Because I committed an unforgivable crime.”
“Oh right!” His closed eyelids seemed to glow. “I also taught you, humans, how to wield magic!” His thin lips curled into a grin, as his eyes opened, colored milky white tinged with flecks of blue and purple. “And look at how you’ve grown! From barely cognitive savages to refined societies built after us-”
The golden flames coalesced into several indistinguishable humanoids, who began clapping their hands. “I truly am proud. Though…” His brow wrinkled, as Davis felt his entire life being laid bare in front of Prometheus. His birth, his life, his experiences… “Ah. That explains it. You have the strings of my dear aunt- no, my great grand-niece, attached to you.”
“Death underneath a Blood moon, am I correct?” Davis could not respond. His entire life, he thought that what happened on the scrolls, stayed on the scrolls. What the scrolls told him, no one else could see. Even if he wanted them to.
Except, now there was an entity that broke every single rule that was engraved at a young age to him. “How-”
The flames waved their hands as if signaling annoyance. “Blah blah, can’t see the scrolls bullshit. The scrolls were forged from my uncle’s brain, so of course I would get some special privileges. Besides, once any mortal reaches a certain realm they’ll be able to snoop on other's statuses. From what I’ve seen, it's just because your rulers want to keep that fact hidden. Of course, some artifacts can hide it, but I’m getting ahead of myself.” The chains sizzled and flared as Prometheus inched forward.
“But you are interesting. To think a Soulcraft would end up in mortal's hands.” Prometheus squinted his eyes. “And a newborn one too. It seems my Uncle is still yet alive.” He chuckled. “That old man… holding out even after everything…? How very like him…” Prometheus muttered, so low that Davis couldn’t hear him.
Davis couldn't help but clutch Masamune tighter. The ivory-white scabbard felt cold in his touch. He had his curiosity piqued. Nothing in his human books had ever mentioned these weapons, so he too was interested in their origin. “What is a Soulcraft?”
Prometheus’s eyes flickered happily as if he was glad that Davis had asked the question. “Ahhh-” His pretty mouth twisted into a grin. His face, now scarred by the constant streams of acid tearing, winced in pain. “A weapon forged from the remains of my family members. My dear Uncle forged these weapons under request from his family, as a weapon that would be just like us, unbreakable, immortal, and conscious. We used these weapons in our battles, and I fondly remember one of my siblings thrusting a Soulcraft through my stomach back when everything-”
Prometheus’s voice was caught in his throat. “-when everything was alright.”
“But you aren't dead?” Davis remarked, glancing at Masamune. A weapon made from the powerful remains of long dead deities that he had never even heard of. Wasn’t he insanely fortunate then?
“Of course! We Primals are immortal. True immortality, unlike the fake version your gods have.” He clicked his tongue, annoyed. “Let me finish, boy.”
A few moments of silence passed, with Davis unable to speak and Prometheus pondering something, as if he had forgotten what he had wanted to say. A spark lit in his eye, his eyes once again meeting Davis. “Right! Before I had sealed myself in this accursed prison, my brother, inflicted with madness, stabbed his most beloved weapon into my chest.”
Davis stared at the sword, plunged so deep that only the hilt had remained sticking out, the remainder of the blade either inside his body or out on the other end. The golden liquid seemed to constantly drip out from the wound.
“Amaterasu. A beautiful name, no?” Prometheus looked at Davis, willing him to agree.
He nodded.
“He split his female counterpart and sealed it within this Sword. Maybe because it was out of spite. Or pity. Or some hidden reason I wasn’t privy to. But now, he is dead and all that remains is this part of himself.”
Prometheus smiled, as his form warped, a beautiful goddess kneeling where Prometheus once stood. “We get along quite well. A shame he couldn’t.”
“...If you can’t die… how did your brother-”
The female version of Prometheus clicked her tongue. “It’s always that question. You humans… can’t you think of better questions to ask an eons-old primal?” Her form warped once again, the female form disappearing like an illusion. “To answer your question, Davis Fellwater.” Prometheus’s white eyes sparked dangerously red.
“What would it feel like, to completely lose your mind? To suddenly comprehend the great complexity of immortality? To have Eons of life, replay over, and over, and over again? To have every little mistake, every… death weigh on you like never before?”
He leaned further towards Davis, the chains sizzling, the smell of burnt flesh searing his nostrils. “I did this. In my hubris, I caused the downfall of my family. I created you.”
“Wha-”
“I created humanity. And then, from there, I helped a few of my family members create other mortals to populate the Great Mother. We created every single race that walks the surface of the great mother. But whatever we did, we could not make you immortal like us. Unlike how the Great Mother made us. They were Immortal in name, but not in soul.”
The golden flames flared, and the room suddenly became extremely cold. “And as the first mortals died, the true weight of eternity settled on my family, who loved them, who cherished them, who sired with them. It swept through us like wildfire.”
“I killed them. It is only the pain of these chains that keeps me sane. I bear the sin of manslaughter, and I will never be able to atone for it. My sister was the first to fall. I remember her beautiful face as she was informed that her lover, Adonis, died. I remember as she killed herself, the moon weeping crimson tears as she died.” A tear fell down his eye.
“Now scattered across the Great Mother, it is nigh impossible to put enough of her together to reform her. In a sick, twisted way, the first ‘true’ immortal died. Her consciousness screamed as she dispersed into billions of little fragments.” A sad smile appeared on his face. “My brother fell next. Enraged by what I had done, he had sought to kill me, just as I had indirectly done to my sister. I-...”
Prometheus didn’t meet Davis’s eyes. “-I had to kill his lovers. I slaughtered them, alongside his cherished Sun-children too. I believed that it would, in my twisted, grief-stricken mind, snap him out of his madness.”
“He willed the Sun to devour him, and it could not disobey. I was tempted to join them. And I almost did. In the end, I was not brave enough. I was too afraid of dying. I fashioned this temple at the corners of the world, hiding away eternally with shame and guilt.” He sighed. Davis didn’t know if it was snake venom or tears that were dripping onto the ground.
“Why… why are you telling me this?”
“...Sorry, I don’t get to talk to anyone often…” He sighed and picked himself back up. “But now. I will offer you a choice. As I have for every other mortal that has chanced upon me.”
“...”
“Stay with me. The halls of this temple block all outside interference, even from the gods. Including fate.”
Davis’s heart fluttered. He had no reason to not believe one of the strongest deities in existence. But… everything came with a price. No matter how small.
“My great grand-niece simply isn’t as proficient in fate as Great grandmother. Here, you can survive off mana alone. You would live a long life, however long you may last with your core. To old age. I will teach you every secret, every piece of knowledge, and how to wield the Soulcraft to the best of your abilities. But you cannot leave. Keep me company. That is all I ask.” Prometheus looked at Davis, his face seemingly begging him to choose the first option.
“As for the second option…” Prometheus hesitated. “I will let you leave. To a safe spot from whence you came. Away from the guardians that seal the stones that anchor my temple to this realm. However, you will die, as Fate has ordained you to. The Blood moon will rise in less than 3 days-”
“3 days?! The New moon was 2 days ago!”
“I experience time differently than you do, and as a result, you being around me shifts your perspective as well. I will teleport you past the Forest of the Hallowed, as far away as my constricted powers allow. You could escape the jungle in 3 days. Maybe even survive this blood moon, and live until the next one in 7 years. Maybe you could grow strong enough to survive that too.”
“Your choice, Davis Fellwater.”
Davis gripped Masamune tightly. “I-” The offer was extremely tempting. The promise of boundless power. Unobtainable knowledge. The ability to wield Masamune to its full potential.
But… what good is power if you could not use it?
The other option was all a gamble. It was entirely up to him whether or not he would last the entirety of the blood moon. Either prove himself and prevail, or fall and join his comrades on the other side.
He thought of his friends. What Jonathan died for. What he promised.
Davis exhaled audibly, his grip tightening. “Sir Prometheus. I made my decision.”
Prometheus looked at Davis with sad, but understanding eyes as if he already knew what he was going to say. He nodded for him to continue.
“I'm sorry, but I will have to refuse the first option.”
