Perhaps the greatest faculty our minds possess is the ability to cope with pain. Classic thinking teaches us of the four doors of the mind, which everyone moves through according to their need.
It was over.
The war was over.
The great tree was dead, however, a seed, The Great Seed, remained.
They couldn't believe…that it truly was all over.
What was harder to believe was that Martel had died.
Martel…she had been killed.
This brought upon Mithos a great grief… but it could be that it was only, if not surpassed, by Yuan's, his sister's fiancée.
Mithos, a fourteen year-old half-elf…who had fought hard to be able to restore the Great Tree along with his sister, another half-elf, and a human, to save the warring world of Aselia…but Martel…she had been killed in the last of their battles by a human.
What should he do now?
First is the door of sleep. Sleep offers us a retreat from all the world and its pain. Sleep marks passing time, giving us distance from the things that have hurt us. When a person is wounded they will often fall unconscious. Similarly, someone who hears traumatic news will often swoon or faint. This is the mind's way of protecting itself from pain by stepping through the first door.
"Martel's last wish…" he whispered. Yes… he would follow Martel's dying wish.
He would make a world with no discrimination. He would make everyone the same.
If everyone was the same…then there would be no reason for discrimination.
There would be no reason to…
His grief was astounding and great.
And with such grief came madness.
But his determination was stronger than that grief. And with such determination, his madness would continue to grow as years and centuries, even millennia passed.
And because of this madness…the last words of Martel Yggdrasil were misunderstood and twisted to her own brother's desire.
Yes…he would turn everyone into lifeless beings using Exspheres… but they would be different, they would not only grant strength, they would also take away that which made them different… that which brought about discrimination…it would take time, he knew, but he had time. Or rather…They had time. With their Cruxis Crystals, they had all the time in the world.
Second is the door of forgetting. Some wounds are too deep to heal, or too deep to heal quickly. In addition, many memories are simply painful, and there is no healing to be done. The saying "time heals all wounds" is false. Time heals most wounds. The rest are hidden behind this door.
That wasn't his only plan. What sense would it make for him to fulfill his sister's wish, if she wasn't there? He would also bring her back. Bring her dormant soul back from within her Exsphere. But he would need a mana signature most like hers… it did not matter. Once again, he had time. Time to make preparations. To assemble the correct pieces in his great scheme. His own great chess game.
In the meantime…he would have to make sure he had that time he so thought of, didn't he?
How would he keep them, humans, from using the mana that was left from their scavenging and war? He could separate both countries… that was it.
Two countries. Two different worlds. It made sense… he only needed the Eternal Sword made by Origin for that purpose. But first, he wished to gain both Kratos' and Yuan's approval. He, after all, wouldn't have gotten as far without them…the older swordsman and the sarcastic half-elf were his only friends left in this world.
"Kratos, Yuan." The boy turned around, his blue eyes determined…but with a strange expression hidden behind that determination that neither could quite place. "I wish to grant my sister's wish. To make a world without discrimination…but that will take time, though we have all the time we could want, the world doesn't. I think…that with the help of the Eternal Sword, I might be able to separate both countries…and make them into two different worlds, parallel to one another. I hope to get your approval…that, and I want you to help me revive Martel, sure, I'll have to find a vessel for her, but I'll look into that later." While saying the last sentence, Mithos smiled. It wasn't the sort of smile a child would make when happy. No. This was the smile of a grief-stricken child.
"Mithos…" Kratos disregarding his own feelings, as always, said "I understand your grief, however, you must not make any rash decisions. And I believe that this counts as one, so please…let us try to find a different solution to our current predicament…and about Martel…do you believe she would be happy knowing that the body you would use…would mean someone giving up their own life?"
"I am sorry, Mithos… but regardless to my feelings for Martel, even though I wished she were still here, that is no excuse to take away a life for her own to be once more, nothing would be worse for her."
"And about separating the two worlds, have you analyzed the situation enough, Mithos?" Kratos' face was as emotionless as ever, but even so, he was worried to say the least, but that would be an understatement. Separate both countries? Even if he did not voice it as such, it was obvious he believed that was nonsense. Even so, did he not think the same of the goal the Yggdrasil siblings had set for themselves before? "Even though it would seem you have thought things through enough to have an understandable course of action and actually have the tools required… it still doesn't seem like the right solution."
"I am sorry, but I must agree with Kratos." said Yuan.
Third is the door of madness. There are times when the mind is dealt such a blow it hides itself in insanity. While this may not seem beneficial, it is. There are times when reality is nothing but pain and to escape that pain the mind must leave reality behind.
"Why! Why won't you listen to me! Why won't you look at me! Why won't you help me! Kratos! Yuan! Don't you want Martel to come back! Answer me! Please! Please! Please… I beg of you! Please…" What began as a desperate plea to his companions ended in cries and sobs, with his hands cupped over his eyes, Mithos cried. As he fell to the floor, he cried.
As he cried, the two other companions felt their grief taking over them as well, but because of their current positions, they dare not allow that to be seen…for what willpower that was left would break. In Kratos' mind, turmoil reigned, for he knew what Mithos was going through… and yet, something told him that what Mithos wished to do was wrong, but seeing him in such a state seemed wrong all the more to him. Yuan was in a similar state, not for what Mithos wished to do… but what would Martel think of it? He would aid Mithos as long as it was something Martel would have done...
And so, overtaken with grief, the two companions agreed. Agreed to aid they're young friend in this…
"Mithos…as we have until now, we shall stay by your side and create this world… or worlds." Yuan said, face solemn.
As those words were said, Mithos smile became cold, his eyes no longer showing any emotion…at this time, the leader of Cruxis, Yggdrasil, was born.
Last is the door of death. The final resort. Nothing can hurt us once were dead, or so we have been told.
Uhm… a little one-shot… I sorta noticed how there weren't all that many fics out there that actually put a bit of an emphasis on the feelings of this particular trio at the end of the Kharlan War… or at least I didn't find any. And believe me, I tend to go veeery deep into the archives.
So yeah, it's angsty and hammy when it comes to Mithos, but hey, wouldn't you act like that or just completely break?
The quotes right there aren't mine, they are from "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss, which is a book I really enjoyed, and heartily recommend… and TOS is owned by NAMCO, in other words, this is a disclaimer.
It was originally a prologue to something else but I twisted it around a bit so it would fit.
Thanks for reading, CrazyD
And please, please, review. Pretty Please? *insert puppy eyes here*