When Eli returned to his senses he was laying on a stretch of cold, featureless ground. As his eyes slowly opened he saw swirling grey mists surrounding him, preventing him from being able to see more than a few feet in front of him. The pain in his body slowly receded as he recalled both the flash of bright light from the ring as well as earlier memories of being surrounded by the strange grey fog.

Not this shit again. He thought to himself, groaning as he pushed himself to his feet.

“You awaken.” A voice said.

Great. Eli thought as he recognized the voice. This just gets even fucking better.

He slowly turned to see a figure clad in black armour from head to toe. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror-shined plate before his eyes flicked upwards to the creature’s black, featureless face mask. Even though the other occupant of the mists was human-sized, he could see the glowing white mana between cracks in its armour and behind its eye slits.

“Prometheus.”

“Yes.” The rogue Titan said, the sound of its voice seeming to come from everywhere except for behind the mask.

“This isn’t possible.” Eli started, recalling the events on Olympus. “You died. Ares killed you.”

“So it would seem.” Prometheus replied, wholly unconcerned with his own mortality. “I saw some fleeting visions in your mind while you were unconscious. An unfortunate – though not unplanned for - eventuality.”

Ignoring the fact that Prometheus could apparently read Eli’s mind, he forged on. “How are you astrally projecting yourself to me if you’re dead?”

“It’s simple. I am not.” Prometheus said.

“Care to elaborate?”

The Titan paused before answering. “I can see that you will not cease this line of inquiry until I’ve answered your questions. Very well.” He pointed to the ring on Eli’s hand. “I was only able to catch flashes of your memory before you awoke. How much was I able to tell you about the weapon before my untimely demise?”

“Not much.” Eli admitted. “Only that it’s a weapon that can kill Titans.”

“I see.” The rogue Titan replied. “Then let me elucidate for you: the enchanted item you wear is not some cudgel to be used to beat the Titans into submission. It is a much more refined tool, and thus requires someone to explain how it is used. I planned to give this explanation in person, but I also created a contingency plan in the event that I may not get the chance.”

“I still don’t get how it’s possible that you’re talking to me now.” Eli said. “Are you an…after-image of some sort? A memory?”

“In a manner of speaking.” Prometheus replied. “This is a temporary facsimile of my personality with all the relevant knowledge required for this explanation.”

“That’s… possible?” Eli asked slowly.

“For a Titan such as myself, many things are possible.”

“Except for avoiding an untimely death at the hands of Ares.” Eli muttered before furrowing his brow. “And the fact that this looks like the same place that I see when someone astrally projects themselves to me – or I to them?”

“I wished to provide a familiar environment. Now, did your simian brain register the part about this being temporary? Because we don’t have much time before this enchantment fades.”

“I didn’t realize we were that tight on time.” Eli said, ignoring the insult. “How do I use the ring to kill the Titans without losing my mind like Ares did?”

“That is the simple part – absorb their mana as you would any other magic. You are now the perfect predator, with Titans as your prey. The enchantments on this ring will channel that mana into a storage compartment, diverting it away from your main mana reserves and keeping your sanity intact. It will only activate when you absorb a Titan though, so you may use the rest of your abilities as you normally would.” He paused for a moment. “I believe you humans called such a concept a ‘battery’, though you must never use the mana stored within the ring itself or else you will risk losing your sanity.”

A grin spread across Eli’s face as he recalled one of his first magical items – a ring filled with mana that he used as his own personal magical battery. “I get it.” His grin fell somewhat. “But that would require several enchantments. I thought most magical items could only handle a couple.”

“An incorrect notion, but unimportant. However, you bring up an important side note: you should know that the ring is also enchanted to shapeshift with your body, so that you can use it in any of your forms. It will transform to fit you.”

“Great.” Eli nodded.

“And by putting it on, it is now permanently bonded to your skin. You will be unable to remove it.”

“I…what?” Eli sputtered as he looked down at his hand. “Why?”

“I did not wish to risk you losing it, or for it to fall into another’s hands.”

“Can I reverse that part of the enchantment if I want to take it off?” Eli asked.

“Not without destroying the ring entirely.” Prometheus warned.

He took a deep breath. “Okay. I guess that’s…fine…for now. Wish I had a little warning before putting it on, but I can deal with it at least until the Titans are dead.” He paused, furrowing his brow. “Do you have any advice for me on that front? I need a way to track them, figure out what realm they’re on.”

“That is quite impossible.” Prometheus replied haughtily. “When I left there were eighteen Titans including myself. Each one of us had a different personality, different habits, and frequented different realms. Some often go years, decades even without visiting the same realm twice. You’d be chasing them across the cosmos, lucky if you caught a glimpse of one.” He paused. “Even if you did get lucky and find one, they’d open a portal and escape as soon as they were aware of your presence. Then they’d warn their fellow Titans, and you’d struggle to find another.”

“Unless I could kill them first.” Eli countered.

“Could you reliably do that at least 17 times?” Prometheus asked.

Eli grit his teeth. “Alright asshole. Fine. What’s your brilliant plan?”

“You need to draw them to you by attacking that which they treasure most – Origin.”

“And what is Origin?” Eli asked, his curiosity overriding his annoyance with the rogue Titan.

“Not what but where. Origin is the birthplace of the Titans, and the source of our power.”

“Tell me more.” Eli said.

Prometheus shuddered slightly before speaking. “We do not have much time before this enchantment fades but this requires context to understand properly so I will give you the abridged version. When a universe reaches a sufficient stage of maturity, the sapient beings inside it gradually learn to use their emotions as a form of energy to directly impact the physical world around them. You know this energy as ‘mana’, though it has been called many things over time.”

“Mana is emotional energy?” Eli asked, unable to help himself.

“Yes. Surely you have noticed by now that channeling your emotions into spells make them more powerful. That is a byproduct of this fact.” Prometheus said dismissively before speaking faster. “That is beside the point though. Eons ago in a very old universe, the sapient beings learned to harness the emotions – the energy – from an entire world of people, funneling it into a singular person. That person ascended into a higher plane of existence, becoming the first Titan – Oceanus.”

Prometheus shuddered again more violently, causing Eli to step forward. “Are you okay?”

“We must hurry.” Prometheus replied before continuing his story. “Oceanus was powerful enough to perform incredible feats, including visiting other worlds within his universe and meeting other sapient beings. Over and over he was hailed as an omnipotent being and more temples were established in his honor – each of which continually siphoned the world’s mana from its occupants, empowering him further at the cost of his followers’ magical abilities.”

“That explains why the Titans have such magically weak armies.” Eli said before recalling his first conversations with Athena on Olympus. “Now that I think about it, Athena did mention that Titans build temples on worlds that they conquer. I assumed it was just for show.”

“Not at all.” Prometheus replied before pausing to sit in the swirling mists. “I have not felt this unwell since I was a mortal.”

Sitting next to him, Eli felt a pang of sadness for the rogue Titan. “I can’t imagine how this feels right now, but I need you to keep going.”

“Yes.” Prometheus replied before picking up his story where he left off. “Eventually Oceanus became lonely and decided it was his role to create more Titans. He used his powers to tear a hole in reality, travelling to another universe. It was dangerous – doing so severed the connection between him and his followers, causing him to begin to wither and die. He stumbled across a new world with sapient people, and showed them how to harness their mana and channel it into him. The act of…convincing them was draining though. By the time the temples were complete and ready, he died.”

“But there are still Titans. How?” Eli replied, putting the pieces together.

“The people on that world used the temples they’d already set up to create a new Titan. Me.”

Eli blinked in surprise. “You?”

“Yes. I was the second Titan. I took up Oceanus’ mantle, righting wrongs as best as I could on my own world. I followed in his footsteps, setting up temples on new worlds and becoming more powerful as I did. Eventually I felt the same loneliness he did, and decided to create more Titans. However, with the benefit of his experience I was able to make one major change: I created a place that would exist across multiple universes simultaneously. This place would act as a receiver for the siphoned mana from my own universe, ensuring that no matter which universe I was visiting I would be empowered by my own followers.”

“Why not just create another Titan within your own universe?” Eli asked. “You could avoid all this.”

“To me… and to the Titans that followed…sharing a universe would be impossible. We would clash over followers.”

“A universe is a big place.” Eli rebutted. “Lots of space to share.”

“Not enough space.” Prometheus shuddered again. “I must continue. I visited many universes after creating Origin, creating a new Titan in each one. Over the eons we’d often journey together, righting wrongs and basking in our own omnipotence. I thought we were beyond such mortal concerns as corruption.”

“You were wrong.”

“Yes.” Prometheus agreed. “Eventually my fellow Titans began to abuse their power. Their behaviour worsened when they discovered the Royal Bloods and learned that we were not as invincible as we once thought. The things they did in the name of self preservation were…unconscionable. Even for me.”

“I’ve seen that path before.” Eli said darkly. “Looks like you have more in common with humans than you’d care to admit.”

Prometheus shook for a full ten seconds before replying. “I tried to control them. I tried to educate them. I tried to prevent them from irreparable harm. In the end, I decided that I could not allow this to continue. I defected to the Royal Bloods.”

“They didn’t destroy your temples after that?” Eli asked. “I would have thought defecting is the sort of thing that would make some enemies.”

“They certainly tried. I lost almost all my power. I kept some well hidden though – ones they could never find. Eventually they stopped looking, believing that I was dead.”

“Can’t I try the same tactic to them then?”

“I expect it would take you several hundred lifetimes to find every temple and destroy them. Moreover, all you would succeed in doing is pushing the Titans whose temples you destroyed to expand their domain more aggressively.” The rogue Titan slumped onto his back before continuing. “The end is near. I say all that to say this: you must go to Origin. In the middle of the grand cathedral there is a focusing crystal – the only one of its kind. Destroy it, and the feedback loop will disable every temple that it’s linked to across every universe. This in turn will sever the link between the Titans and their followers, killing them like it did to Oceanus.”

“That’s it?” Eli asked. “Just…go and destroy the crystal, and this will all be over?”

“Yes. Be warned though: the crystal is protected by all manner of magical wards which will need to be drained. The crystal itself also absorbs mana in the same way you do, so you’ll need to destroy it using non-magical methods. It stands upright almost half a mile tall and a quarter mile wide around the middle, so it will not be easy. It is also defended by the largest army in any universe. In addition, have no doubt that when you attack the remainder of the Titans will return to defend Origin.”

“Ah. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be that simple.” He paused for a moment. “How do I get there?”

“By portal. The coordinates are inscribed on your ring – you need only use your mana vision to see it.”

“I don’t suppose the portal exit is next to the crystal, is it?”

“It is not. It is several miles away.” Prometheus confirmed. “There is no way to enter the realm closer. You should also know that this portal location is a secret known only to me, but I have no doubt that if you fail they will find a way to block it. You will only get one chance to attack, so you will need to ensure you are ready.”

“Fucking fantastic.” Eli replied sarcastically. “So let me make sure I’ve got this straight: you need me to follow the coordinates on the ring, open a portal to Origin, fight through the biggest fucking army in any universe and the Titans, and destroy the focusing crystal. Is that about right?”

“Yes.” Prometheus replied softly.

“I see why Athena wanted me to rally humanity now.” Eli said more to himself than to the Titan as he leaned back on his hands. “It sounds like I’m going to need an army.”

“You are worried.”

“You’re damn right I am.” Eli replied. “I’m good, but I’m pretty sure I can’t fight against a bunch of Titans and an army at the same time.”

“From what little I gleaned from your memories, you are as resourceful as you are tenacious. You will find a way to destroy my creations and end this war.”

The strange phrasing caught Eli’s attention. “Your creations.” He said before cracking a joke in an effort to lighten the mood. “You were the first of them. I guess that makes you their father.”

“Yes.” Prometheus responded, his voice barely more than a whisper.

His change in tone wiped the smile off Eli’s face immediately. “Oh shit. You… you really are like their father. You care about them.”

“Of course. As powerful as they’ve become…they are and will always be my precious creations.”

His head swam with the ramifications. “And you’re handing me the weapon that will kill them. I can’t even imagine how that feels.”

“And I hope that you never do.” Prometheus’ voice was barely more than a whisper. “I have done my duty. My time is almost up. It is up to you now.”

“Wait.” Eli said suddenly, questions bubbling to the surface. “Is there anything else you can tell me? Any last words of wisdom?”

“Win.” Prometheus’ voice echoed as the grey mists began to swirl more heavily once more. “Just win.”