Shout outs to:TheVoidHunter250 ZenTroxX34 KobsterHope07 LegendarySteel1 Gabriel443 FrontierBrony for the favorites/follows
In response to reviews:
FrontierBrony-Thank you for saying so, I really appreciate it.
IAmWhoIAm317-Chapter 48 I really wanted to flesh out the plain bloodlust that Rahim had for Wrath so I wanted to make it painful. I'm glad you approved and for 49 that space that Wrath was in was a little shaky to me. I was worried, I might've confused some readers with the initial narrative that it was actually Wrath in there and not Edward.
To the guest who reviewed June 20th- I truly appreciate the time you took to write your review. While I do agree and hate overly powerful protagonist, I also didn't want to create a really weak one who lost every single time. I'm still trying to find a balance for Edward since there have been times I've made him very strong to others where he has been less than effective. As for the beginning chapters, I am sorry to hear that they were confusing and might revisit them after I finish the story. Unfortunately with the way I write, small details in the early chapters become major ones later down the line so I'm hesitant to completely rewrite them and take out something that wal already there. You are correct in saying I do not have a beta reader, would like to get one but not much luck in that department. I also do appreciate you telling me to not let the numbers get to me because in all honesty they actually do. I am really grateful to the readers here who actually really like this story and have a higher opinion of it than I do at times since it started out as a project to get over some issues. I'm glad to see it has grown to the point that I'm at 30,000 views. Does it hurt that other Frozen fanfics have like hundreds or thousands of reviews/favorites/follows and yet the fanfic themselves cap out at like 80k words? Yes it does sting a bit but its nice to see the same familiar names in a review that stick with me and make it all worth it. Even if this fanfic doesn't get as much publicity as I would like it to have, I can pretty much guarantee that I will be finishing it in hopefully a way that the readers, my inspiration, will truly enjoy.
Also yes I have read 'For the First time in Never' and really suggest others read it. Its an amazing fic that I still read over again from time to time. I also enjoy 'The Frozen and Pierced Heart' those two fanfics are downright phenomenal and I have no problem being second to them because they to me are quite amazing.
Wrath stared down the intruder with murderous hunger as he kept his grip on both their hand and blade. He was aware of Elsa and Hector right behind him and was about to tell them to move back when his opponent made a move. The blade slit his palm as it was pulled out of his grip before it flicked over to his other arm and aimed to cut his forearm. Pulling the captured hand that was already in his grip, the demon watched the blade cut through the jacket arm freeing his opponent from his grip.
Rahim quickly backed away as Wrath held up the severed arm in his grip before opening his large jaw and sucked in the black dust that constituted it. Leaving just a cut sleeve which he threw away before getting into his stance. He bent his knees while putting one foot behind the other and leaned forward with one claw on the ground. It looked like he was about to sprint but his opponent knew better.
The demon pushed off the ground and closed the distance between the two almost instantaneously and had a claw primed for attack. Rahim ducked under the swipe that was aimed at his head as the blur zoomed past him. Quickly turning to face the demon that dug its claws and talons in the ground to stop himself, he was able to predict the next dash that came after. This time, when Wrath zoomed, he managed to leave a cut on the armor's chest and more black dust started to leak out.
Rahim struggled to stay on his feet as he dodged the attacks that blurred past him. His arm was not reforming so he assumed that if the demon had 'killed' him now, he would stay dead so he had to be more careful. As he sidestepped and rolled away from the attacks, he timed a few strikes with when he thought Wrath would pass him and felt his blade make contact with the claws. The force knocked away his arm but slowed down the attack so he had more time to dodge.
The Sin on the other hand had no intention of stopping his attacks as he ramped up their number and ferocity. Each one got his claws closer and closer to his opponent's body, it wouldn't be long until he'd get a grip on them and that would be the end of it. He covered the distance between them and went for Rahim's legs but was slightly dismayed when the intruder jumped over the sweep.
The avenger must've thought he had an opening because while he was in the air he aimed a swing at Wrath's head, hoping to decapitate him once again. Unfortunately his blade swung harmlessly under the crouched form of his opponent who saw the move coming. The Sin tried to grab a leg as Rahim was still coming down but the avenger kicked off his arm and landed a few meters away.
A beat passed between the two of them as Wrath stood to his full height and tilted his head. "I forgot how much of a slippery bastard he was. Always dancing just out of reach of everyone's attack, I can now see how infuriating that is."
The soul echo got into his stance with his one arm holding his katana in front of him. "No one has ever told me that before."
"No one has ever told Rahim that before since he generally killed them. You. Aren't. Him."
"Why is it so hard for you to believe I am him, you came back from the dead, why can't I?"
"Because if you were him, then we wouldn't be talking right now, you would be rushing me relentlessly instead of running from my attacks."
"I've had time to reflect on my mistakes."
Faster than an average person could react, the katana cut through the air as it had been thrown by the intruder. Wrath having long enough arms, was able to catch it by the hilt before it could lodge itself in his throat. He was about to say something when he felt a sudden burst of force at the end of the hilt that pushed the blade into his throat. His eyes widened as he felt his vocal cords were cut and he took a step back as his opponent rushed forward and grasped the hilt while balancing themselves on his shoulders.
"And one thing I've noticed is that your reflexes are still human!"
Wrath could already see what the soul echo's plan was and grasped the hilt with one hand while reaching for their head with his other hand. His left hand was keeping the katana from removing his head from his shoulders while his right hand was blindly grabbing for his opponent's head which kept moving to avoid being caught.
After another failed attempt at grabbing the head, Wrath decided to change targets and grab one of the legs on his shoulders. With a silent roar, he pulled the blade out of his throat and lifted his opponent in the air before slamming him down into the ground causing it to crack from the force. The soul echo kept a tight grasp on the hilt of his weapon and tried to use it to cut off one the demon's arms to escape but it was too late.
Wrath had him now, and he had no intention of letting him go.
The demon lifted the avenger above his head and began to pull. The soul echo tried to free himself but the Sin's grip was absolute. The frock coat began to tear as Wrath's arms slowly and slowly got further apart, had he been a regular person, they would've already been torn apart but the avenger was trying to fight it as much as possible. It still didn't matter as the armor tore in half and the black dust that constituted his body began to stretch.
Elsa and Hector watched as the intruder continued to stretch until finally the large predator's arms jerked apart and had two separate parts in his hands. In his left hand was the avenger's remaining arm that still held on tightly to the hilt of the katana while in his right hand was the rest. Wrath tossed away the arm then grabbed the intruder by the neck and dragged him toward the two people that were watching. When they were close, the predator forced the intruder to his knees while keeping a grip on the back of his neck and continued applying pressure so they couldn't move.
The blonde said nothing and looked confused at the display but Hector seemed to understand as he strode forward and crouched down so that he was eye level with the intruder. "I think he wants you to apologize."
The soul echo struggled to look up and chuckled. "Apologize? For what?"
The noble took on a thoughtful expression before he started to count off reasons on his fingers. "Well you attacked the castle, killed a number of our guards, threatened the Queen, attacked a foreign Prince, the list just goes on. I guess he feels that you should be given the opportunity to apologize for it."
"If he thinks I'm going to apologize to my mother's killer then-"
"You're not apologizing to him. You're apologizing to her."
Hector gestured to Elsa who actually looked touched by the predator's gesture. The avenger looked at her and laughed. "If any of you believe an apology is coming out of my mouth then you're all fools. I'll make you a promise instead. One day, I will get out and when I do, I'll kill every single last person in Arendelle, and you Elsa will be the last person I kill so you will feel the weight of your failure to protect your people. Your own council thinks you're a danger and seek to control you, how sweet it will be when they find out that you are weak and can't protect anyone."
The blonde looked at the avenger with a neutral expression before taking a regal composure. "It is truly sad that all you feel is the desire for revenge and that you never attempted to move on with your life. It is regretful but does not justify your lust for bloodshed, so if that day comes, we will be ready and you will fail just as you have today."
"We'll see about that."
Wrath apparently had enough and opened his jaw and with one bite took the avenger's head then sucked up the rest of the black dust until only the armor remained. Hector bent down to retrieve the sheathe and armor then walked over to the nearby arm and returned the weapon to its sheathe. He then rose to his feet and sighed before heading back into the castle.
"I will return to infirmary and inform the Captain what has transpired here as well as deliver this to Prince Ahimoth. Hopefully this and the remains of the armor will be enough to convince his people back home that the traitor has been dealt with."
Elsa nodded and took a step toward the guard and raised a hand to stop him. "Hector…" Judging by her facial expression, he knew what she wanted to speak about but he continued on his way into the castle.
"That's a conversation for another day, for now, you should figure out what to do with tall, red, and ugly over there. I may be able to accept Edward was a nine foot tall reptile that can't move his mouth and talk like a regular person, but the other guards may have an issue with that. I'll tell them that everything is ok and the priority is the wounded" Wrath only blinked at the insult as Hector walked through the castle doors and left the two of them alone.
The blonde let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in then she turned back to the large predator that continued to look down at her. "You really had me worried you know." Wrath just blinked at her and remained silent while shifting his weight from one foot to another and wringing his claws awkwardly. She waited for him to say something, anything but when nothing came, she raised an eyebrow to convey her question.
The demon simply raised his chin and pointed to the hole that was in his throat. The message was clear as Elsa made an 'O' shape with her mouth when she realized that he couldn't speak for the moment. She had remembered Edward explaining that it was one or the other with his strength or regenerative abilities but when he was actually Wrath then there was no healing at all. She was happy he was alive of course but somewhat confused as she understood that there was no healing but reasoned that he should have died with the gaping hole in his throat.
Tallying that conversation for later, she let the matter drop as she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his midsection. The predator looked down at the woman as she held him for a few moments before he could feel something wet running down his waist. Gently grabbing her by the shoulders, he moved out of her embrace to see that there were tears running down her cheeks.
Seeing this, prompted him to kneel down so that he was eye level with her and he raised a hand and with the utmost precision and care wiped away her tears with one of his claws. Elsa took his hand in two of hers as she nuzzled the large hand with her cheek. Even now, he still treated her like a flower when he was very capable of destroying anything in his grasp. "I-i kept telling myself that you would be fine…"
Wrath could see her shoulders begin to shake again as even more tears started to leak from her eyes as she tightened her grip on his hand. He knew that even though things turned out for the best, so many things happened and she needed a moment to vent. So all he did was carefully tightened his grip on her hands to give her a firm supporting feeling to hold on to.
"T-that you'd come here and take care of everything and be fine...then I saw you in trouble and all I could think about was rushing to your side to help...then when you died…" The blonde felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and bring her into a hug that had her cheek against his strong neck. She could feel the calm breaths that went down her back somewhat similar to a horse. It was easy to tell that he seemed awkward in trying to comfort her with his larger form but she appreciated it and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I'm really glad you're ok…"
Wrath stayed still for a moment and enjoyed the embrace while breathing in her winter peppermint scent before closing his eyes. The blonde felt a slight weight come down on her as the predator's body relaxed into hers and she could see black dust swirl around his form. They started from the tips of his limbs and worked inward to his body. The claws and talons were all replaced with fingers and toes as human limbs formed. It continued until the body of a young man was holding her to his chest with a hand on her cheek and his nose in her hair.
The weight began to increase as the body before her began to give out and she managed to catch him before he fell to the ground. The first thing she noticed with a blush was that he was completely naked, understandable given Wrath wasn't wearing clothes. The blonde eased him to the ground before waving a hand and giving him a simple pair of ice pants to cover him. She did a quick scan of his body for any wounds and was happy to see there weren't any and that he looked exactly the same the last time she'd seen him bare.
Even the scars that he obtained were still on his body, the newer ones he got while he was in Arendelle were there as well. Even though he could heal, it seemed that some injuries were too grievous. She checked his neck for a scar and was pleasantly surprised to not see one and laid his head in her lap while gently running her fingers through his hair.
It was a relief he was ok but her mind still wouldn't relax. She had just learned that she killed four people and her own council had covered up their deaths. What made it even more a headache was her personal guard was friends with all of them and was likely blamed for their deaths. No wonder he decided to spy on her for the council, she had already hurt him and gave him a reason.
She would fix this.
The blonde promised herself to be accountable for her actions and she meant them. She looked out to the horizon and could see the smallest rays of sunlight beginning to shine signalling a new day. Elsa had been up all night and had her heart pumping for the most of it, yet she wasn't tired. She was ready to hit the new day running and deal with her council. The young man in her lap would've likely asked that she rest but that wouldn't do right now, she had some work to do and nothing was going to stop her.
Edward found himself sitting in Wrath's courtyard again as the predator was once again going over the row and rows of weapons. As usual the demon was quiet and meticulously checking over each weapon, a chore that the young man found to be pointless but with recent events in mind, he'd probably do the same himself.
"So...how'd it feel? Dying, I mean?"
The predator stopped and turned around with his ever present fanged smile and took a few steps until the two of them were next to one another and sat down. Edward stifled a chuckle when he looked how the demon sat on steps. His knees were pulled to his chest and his arms were on top of them, making him look quite large and awkward.
"Why are you asking me? You've died before as well."
The young man knew what the Sin meant but this was something entirely different. Ever since he fell asleep at the Valley of the Hidden Rock and that soul echo of Rahim attacked, his world had turned upside down. He was aware of everything that happened, yet he was also unconscious for it. He remembered feeling the fear of being killed by Rahim before Sven saved him then chasing the echo down and running into Elsa before going after the avenger.
It wasn't like when Wrath had taken over and he was just a backseat driver, no, this time he had input in what their body did and could think yet somehow he felt that he wasn't all there. The only time things returned to normal was when Wrath was killed and Edward had to keep him from going into that white void. He remembered waking up in Wrath's soul on the reflective surface outside the courtyard and feeling everything shaking like an earthquake.
He didn't know how he knew but something made him look at the usual reflective surface and this time he could see through it. He could see the countless copies of himself all writhing in pain and was somehow able to discern Wrath from them who looked indistinguishable from the others. He could see the predator just laying in the void and felt a sense of foreboding that was too powerful to ignore.
So he called for the demon and hoped that he would get up, unfortunately the first few times yielded no success. It was the third time when Wrath's soul doubled its shaking did he really put his heart into calling. When Wrath woke up and fell into the space in between the reflective surfaces, Edward could see the demon writhe in pain along with the other copies. His calls then fell on deaf ears as Wrath tried to return to the peaceful void but was stopped by surprisingly, Mr. Jorgen.
He didn't know if it was a hallucination like Elsa appearing to be in pain but he was glad for it since it helped bring Wrath over here. Edward watched the predator endure so much pain to make it back to this side and as soon as he broke through the barrier and crossed over, that same feeling as before came back. It was like he knew so much more and that he wasn't all there but still present. He told Wrath that he was the King and pointed him in the right direction then…
Poof…
He was gone.
He didn't know where he went, it felt like he was still with Wrath but he didn't feel like himself. He was aware of the brief battle between Wrath and the soul echo as well as the predator's interactions in the real world, yet they felt like they were both happening to him and weren't happening to him. In those brief moments he felt just detached yet tethered to Wrath that it made his head spin trying to describe it so he thought he would probe it out of the predator for his opinion.
"You're right, I have, but I've never seen that space before."
The air around Wrath changed as he curled in on himself and made himself smaller. Such a response was odd coming from the predator but Edward couldn't really blame him. That space that the demon had gone through was total Hell. He didn't feel it but he could just sense all the pain that Wrath had felt being in there. It was a wonder how the predator didn't go insane, anyone else would've.
Edward didn't expect an answer, if Wrath didn't want to talk about it then that was alright. Yet he really wanted to know what all of it meant; The white void, all those copies, Mr. Jorgen, them breaking through the barrier, all of it.
"...I haven't either...and I never want to ever again…"
Wrath's voice was timid and afraid, two adjectives that did not usually describe the large predator but it did today. Edward didn't know what to do but he hesitantly placed his hand on the muscled shoulder next to him. While the two of them weren't enemies anymore, they weren't exactly friends; yet today they both faced off against a rather symbolic enemy.
Plus they were able to actually become Wrath the Furious in all his demonic glory.
Never before since becoming one with Wrath was Edward able to actually become the predator. All he could do was imitate a portion of the demon's power but tonight they were a lot closer to the real thing. As fast and strong as Wrath was, he wasn't at full strength and his instincts were a little dull. In the past, he'd moved much faster and his instincts kept him from being touched.
While getting their vocal cords cut wasn't a huge deal, it did pose a risk to losing his head which would've completely undone the transformation.
Perhaps we should practice…
While that thought did occur to him, the young man tallied it for another day. Right now, it looked like Wrath was done speaking and since he didn't shake off the hand on his shoulder, Edward kept it there while patting it a few times awkwardly.
Greed stepped out of his shroud of black dust to find Sloth once again reading her book. He just spent the night watching that Rahim phantom wreak havoc on the castle and fight Wrath. When it succeeded in killing Wrath, the Avaricious Sin almost teleported down there to hastily retrieve the stone when a small bird like phantom from Sloth stopped him.
It gave him just enough pause to watch Wrath recreate himself using the black dust from the phantom. Greed's eyes widened when he saw that as it should've been impossible in the first place. The thing about black dust was each Sin could only control their respective aspects of the soul echo, which meant if Sloth made that phantom, only she could devour it.
Yet Wrath was able to.
Perhaps it was because the soul echo in question came from Wrath in the first place. Watching it happen made Greed come to the conclusion that the only thing that the phantom accomplished was giving Wrath more black dust. That in itself was a terrible idea since it could make him more of an issue but in the end, he was still alive and Sloth said that the Avaricious Sin would get his chance.
The two men that he sent to slow down Rahim made it perfectly clear that they were no match for a Sin. they would likely be effective against regular guards but how much so would be proven in the field of battle. For now, he was satisfied that they were obedient and could at least slow down a Sin for a period of time.
"Your phantom has been defeated and Wrath is now resting fitfully in the castle. I assume things are going according to your plan?"
Sloth didn't even waste the effort to look up from her book when she spoke. "You could say that, I expected Wrath to win much quicker than he did but he still did what I planned for him to do."
"Which is what exactly?"
Sloth chose then to put down her book and fix the man in front of her with a bored stare. "Not your concern, I've held up my end of the deal and gave you an opening for your revenge when the time has come. You should return to that puppet and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
Greed gave her an intense stare to see if she would give anything up but when she didn't he decided to call it a day. Before he left however, he wanted to say one last thing.
"I may not know what you're planning Sloth but remember, my job is to collect all of our cores in the event we die. So if you decide to make too many moves that disrupt Father's plan or get in my way again, I'll be coming for that stone of yours."
Sloth didn't look worried as she looked back down at her book and flipped the page. "It's adorable that you think that I'll disrupt Father's plan when you don't even know the true scope of it."
Greed said nothing as he faded away and left Sloth alone.
Or the true scope of Talib's plan…
Garret had been confined to a guest room during the visit of the foreign parties and was placed under guard until they all left. He was aware of the attack on the castle and who participated in the battle. His guards remained at their posts but with the very few tricks up his sleeves, he was in the room that the Queen had ordered Wrath to be put into after he collapsed.
As he stood over the monster that looked just like his son, the thought of killing it crossed his mind but he stayed his hand. He was curious after all, and what he learned here could open many doors for him later. Fortunately for him, Wrath had been totally exhausted after being attacked and was completely unconscious which gave him the opportunity to do what he was about to do.
Raising his hand, he closed his eyes and focused for a moment until his hand turned into black dust and very carefully pushed his hand into the prone body in front of him. He could feel his black dust be absorbed into Wrath's soul and it wasn't long until he felt a piece of his consciousness form in a courtyard of some kind.
Taking a look around at the empty courtyard filled with weapons, the alchemist hurried to the one in particular he was looking for. Wrath would not sense the intrusion if Sobel didn't make any fast or strong moves. So when he reached Rahim's katana, instead of grabbing it, he raised a hand and focused on it as he closed his eyes.
While the castle was being attacked, he sensed a very familiar soul that made his heart leap into his throat.
He could feel a small trace of his son's soul moving about the castle.
The alchemist wanted to right then bust out of his room to see if it was his son but held himself back. He didn't know if it was really his son or Wrath so he decided to wait until the Sin was completely unconscious.
It made what he was about to do easier.
With a grunt of exertion, his entire body turned into black dust before flowing into the weapon and once again he felt his body falling into a new space. Unlike last time, he could feel an overwhelming deluge of emotions rushing over him. Anger and regret being the two most prominent emotions. When the alchemist finally felt himself stop falling, he opened his eyes to find himself in a dense dark forest of some kind.
The densely populated forest had trees appearing every five meters and as he tried to look past them only darkness greeted him. Garret remained silent as he worried that Wrath would awaken if he made any disturbing moves. Slowly taking a step forward, he could hear the sound of his boot crunching leaves rather loudly as the crunch bounced off each tree and echoed. Coming to a complete stop, Sobel remained as still as possible as he tried to quiet his breathing and opened himself to any signs that Wrath was disturbed.
It seemed like an eternity passed until he felt confident that the Sin wasn't awakening. Looking down at the forest floor that was littered with leaves, he tiptoed in between them trying to avoid making anymore noise. Slowly but surely he made his way through the forest searching for any sign of his son but was only greeted with darkness wherever he went.
The earlier emotions that weighed on him were now all around him and made it impossible to get his bearings. If they belonged to his son then he was obligated to keep searching until he found his wayward son. So he continued forward slowly, always on the lookout for some kind of sign besides the ever present darkness that blanketed the forest.
A loud crunch of leaves had him halt as he looked down at his feet and could see that his boot wasn't touching the ground yet. The sound echoed off the tree next to him before continuing away from him which meant that he wasn't the one who made the sound. Garret thought he heard it coming from the northwest and was about to turn that way when he heard something behind him.
Powerful breathing as well as distant footsteps approached his position rapidly.
Somehow he could feel it coming closer, the simple murderous aura that made his knees shake was heading right toward him. He wanted to move out the way and hide before it got to his position but his legs wouldn't move. He was frozen in place as the aura closed the distance and finally showed itself.
If he wasn't facing in the direction of the sound, he wouldn't have seen it but since he was, he could see it for a moment.
Wrath was taller than he remembered and he moved so much faster than he remembered as well. The demon had blood trailing from his claws as well as his jaws as he dashed forward. His eyes were pupiless yet seemed to be focused on something, likely its prey. The Sin's footsteps were now earth shaking as he rushed past the alchemist without a glance toward the northwest where the sound earlier came from.
Sobel felt his heart leap into his throat when he saw the demon and for a moment thought he was discovered. Fortunately, that wasn't the case and he took a moment to calm himself as he looked in the direction the demon went. The sound earlier that came from ahead resembled someone stepping on some leaves, that meant that someone was ahead of him. It couldn't have been Wrath who game from a different direction and given where the alchemist was, he started to run in that direction.
Wrath was focused solely on the sound ahead of him and ignored Garret, which pointed to his prey was more important. Then there was the fact that this forest had a faint trace of Rahim's soul everywhere, so somewhere, his son was roaming around. The alchemist hurried in the direction that the demon went, he failed Rahim once before and wanted to make it right and be there now.
As he ran, the darkness of the forest began to lift as moonlight broke through the canopy of leaves above him. A strong burst of it illuminated a clearing in front of him which made him throw himself into it hopefully to see his son. Garret cleared the trees with a huff and looked up in time to see his heart shatter once again.
He had found his son, but once again he was too late.
Wrath had Rahim impaled on his claws, the Mystic Guard uniform was in tatters and the katana was sticking out of the ground.
With a snarl, the demon threw the body harshly to the ground and opened his jaws and roared toward the moon. The entire forest shook as the Sin continued to roar before rushing off again into the dark forest leaving his victim's body on the ground.
With slow heartbreaking steps, Garret walked until his legs gave out at the sight of his bleeding son. He crawled until he was next to his boy and reached out to the lifeless face that stared above. It was like Dawn all over again, he was too late and could only see the face of someone he cares about after they had been killed. For a moment, he forgot that he was in a soul rather than a real world, he let the tears that gathered in his eyes leak out as he brought his son's body closer to him.
"Rahim...I'm so so sorry. There were so many things that I wish were different. I wanted to be there for you, to be a family with you and your mother. The four of us would've been so happy, I know it but because of me...your life was taken from you. I was supposed to protect you as any father should but I failed…"
The alchemist fantasized on coming home to his two little boys and his wife and spending time with them, far away from any violence. He would bring home more books to homeschool his two boys while he had them help their mother with the garden and crops. Maybe they could've gone into the market and picked up some delectable treats for the children. Then return home and have a family dinner.
They could've been happy for years as he watched his boys grow up and be respectable young men who would have children of their own and he would be a grandfather. He wanted to watch them grow, to live a life that he himself never had a chance to but because of him they never got the chance.
He had to take Shahbaz with him while sending away Dawn who was pregnant with Rahim. He had only met his youngest son once. Rahim was so young that he probably didn't even remember anything except the fact that Garret was his father.
It's what made it so easy for Talib to replace him as their father.
That damn bastard corrupted his children and killed his wife, Garret wished for his death more than anything else but knew better than to confront the man. It was smarter to hide and hopefully stay out of his way. When he first arrived in Arendelle and established himself, he told himself to not get too attached and would've left at the first sign of trouble. However once again he found himself with a family and it made him afraid.
He didn't want to lose another family.
So he told Elsa everything, hopefully she would be able to stop Talib and Father, if not, she would give him time to move his family. His wife knew and was always ready to leave at a moment's notice with their daughter. He wouldn't let anyone harm them, he wasn't strong enough to lose them like he lost his first family.
"Please forgive me, I wish you could've met your little sister. She's so bright and happy and would be ecstatic to have a big brother…"
"I don't have a sister."
Garret eyes widened as he whirled around to see Rahim standing right behind him with a blank expression on his face. He was wearing a rather expensive looking grey double buttoned coat that was open which revealed a black vest with a white dress shirt under it with a tie around his collar. His black slacks and shoes didn't have a speck of dirt on them. In fact, his whole ensemble was immaculate, there wasn't a trace of a wrinkle anywhere on his body.
The alchemist looked back to the body in his arms and watched it disintegrate into black dust before blowing away leaving him holding nothing.
Sobel's face was still stuck in shock as he wearily got to his feet and turned to his son who still had a blank expression on his face. The alchemist opened his mouth and closed it over and over trying to form words but they were stuck in his throat as Rahim turned to look at the treeline on his right and spoke in a monotone voice.
"Three. Two. One."
Another copy of Rahim in his Mystic Guard uniform burst through the trees and got into stance as he waited for his opponent to reveal himself. Garret eyes zipped between the two Rahims and was about to speak when Wrath burst through the treeline and beared down on his opponent. His son fought valiantly, always advancing and never retreating or letting himself be weighed down by fear but it was all for naught as he was once again impaled by the demon's claws.
With a last gasp of life, the Rahim copy let go of his weapon and was thrown against the ground harshly by his opponent who roared at the moon then vanished back into the forest. Garret was tempted to go to the corpse of his son but he turned back to the other one who gazed dispassionately at the dead body that mirrored his. No emotion crossed his face nor any sign that the sight bothered him in the slightest, it was as if what he saw didn't matter to him.
Like he had seen it over and over before finally becoming cold with indifference toward his death.
Rahim then turned his sights to Garret who still remained and finally an emotion crossed the young man's face. The raised eyebrow and cocked head showed confusion as he took a step forward and raised a hand toward the alchemist. Sobel dared not to move as the hand got closer until it was resting against his chest and he heard the young man whisper in stunned surprise.
"I can touch you…"
Rahim dropped his hand before walking over to his corpse and without a shred of empathy, kicked at it and watched his foot pass right through it like mist. The corpse destabilized at the intrusion and black dust erupted from it before it reformed into the corpse as the foot left it. Garret understood when he saw it as he looked around.
This entire space was just black dust.
The alchemist crouched down and picked up a leaf before crushing it in his hand and noticed black dust burst in a small cloud before reforming the same leaf back on the ground. It made sense, he was in the soul of a Sin so black dust would roam freely here. He just didn't expect that it would recreate a scene such as this.
He had known his son was killed by Wrath but from what he had read, the two of them had mutual strikes against one another that left them both dying. Here it showed that Rahim was the only loser and Wrath was clearly the victor who searched for more prey.
Was the report wrong, and this was what really happened?
"Since you are the only thing here that doesn't erupt into black dust, I can assume you're real."
Garret was about to answer when a hand tightly grabbed his neck and hoisted him in the air. His air supply was instantly cut off and he could feel the bones in his neck begin to groan as he struggled to move his eyes to the person choking him. Rahim had no emotion on his face as he held his father suspended in the air. One might think after everything he had been through, anger would be his primary emotion but in that moment, he still had the face of cold indifference. Nevertheless the tightness of his grip suggested that he didn't want to kill the alchemist, only make him suffer in his grasp.
"It's been too long father, last time I saw you, I was waking up on one of your tables you use for your projects."
Sobel opened his mouth and tried to form words but the grip on his neck tightened making it impossible to speak which gave the young man a chance to continue uninterrupted.
"It's odd, I can remember every aspect of my life up until the moment of my death. This scene here that plays over and over isn't what happened. I fought Wrath and gave my life to make sure that he didn't have too much longer to live, yet here it shows me that I was utterly defeated…" Rahim walked over to his corpse with his father still in hand and thrusted him to the ground and made him get a closer look at the dead body.
"Do you have any idea how infuriating it is to see yourself be killed over and over by the thing you hate most? The first few times made me so angry that I tried to kill Wrath only to realize that I couldn't touch him."
He then gestured to their surroundings.
"I can't touch anything here."
The young man simply pointed to the treeline and made the alchemist face that direction.
"I can only sit here and watch over and over that I lost."
The moment he finished that sentence, another copy of himself burst through the treeline and stood ready to face his opponent. Once again Wrath came out of the darkness and the two fought. Exchanging savage blows and dancing around one another until the demon scored his winning blow and impaled the copy. Garret was clawing at the hand around his throat so he could loosen its grip that would allow him to speak but found himself being hurled at the scene in front of him.
His body disrupted the image of Wrath holding the impaled warrior before the black dust reconstituted the image and continued the scene. The demon harshly threw away his victim before roaring again and taking off into the forest. The alchemist coughed as he allowed air to rush back into his lungs, all the while aware of the impending sounds of footsteps heading in his direction.
Rahim wordlessly walked in front of him while brushing away some imaginary dust that was on his coat. When he was satisfied that he looked presentable, he crouched down so he could be eye level with his father and leaned in to give him a cold stare that held back a supernova of rage.
"You've already made my life hell, did you really have to make the afterlife the same as well?"
"Please, my son I didn't-"
A savage kick to his jaw knocked Garret to the ground as Rahim continued to fiddle with his coat to make sure he was still immaculate. "I am not your son. You didn't raise me, you turned me into a weapon. A father looks out for his children and helps guide them, you've done neither so you don't get to call me that. The only reason I haven't killed you is because you are the only thing here that is real. Given the fact that not even you could travel into the true afterlife and mess with me, I can assume that I'm not fully dead…"
The young man walked over then bent at the waist while putting his arms behind him so he could tower over the crumpled figure of his father in a way that mirrored Talib. "Which means, it might be possible for me to escape this space."
Garret cradled his jaw as he looked up at the cold eyes that didn't belong to his son. He began to think that coming here was a mistake but the fact remained that this is his son who had been wronged by the alchemist's failures. The least his father could do was try to help him after everything that has happened.
"There might be a way but it's a long shot. First, I have to explain that I'm not the man who you thought was your father for the majority of your life."
"Explain. Quickly."
Garret told him everything, the night his mother died, Talib taking him, the alchemist's flight to the Southern Isle's than Arendelle, and his new life to this day. All the while, Rahim remained silent as he took in the details and seemed to turn them over in his head as he remained silent after the older man finished speaking. Garret wouldn't be too surprised if the warrior didn't believe him, the whole story sounded like a lie to clear him of all the hate that his son most certainly had for him as a child. If Shahbaz was here then he could probably corroborate the alchemist's story with the sudden change that his father went through as well as the circumstances surrounding his own situation when he was growing up with Sobel.
"Your story is quite outlandish but I was killed by a mass of anger taking the form of a monster and there are people who can control the elements as well as create steel creatures so I'm willing to give you the benefit of doubt. But none of it explains how I can leave this space."
"It does. When Talib put Wrath's soul in your body, I thought that you were dead however it is possible that you survived long enough for the process to take place which resulted in your soul becoming dormant. This space we're in his inside Wrath's soul, part of his collection of weapons that belonged to all of his victims over the years. Recently Arendelle was attacked by an echo of your soul that somehow managed to get loose. It went after Wrath and nearly succeeded in killing him, it's what led me to feel a trace of your soul. I thought maybe it would be possible to restore your soul while removing Wrath's."
Rahim narrowed his eyes as he absorbed the information. An echo of his soul got out and went after Wrath? He wasn't too surprised with the intent but more focused on the how. How did a sliver of his soul get out while he was trapped in this hell? From the way the alchemist talked, he wasn't the one who did it which would mean that someone else was aware that he was in here. The young man had no perception of time in this space but with Sobel's quick rundown of his life, Wrath had been in his body for a significant amount of time and this attack happened just recently.
Why make so much fuss now?
Rahim had a feeling that someone else was pulling the strings behind these events and for some reason wanted him to return. He didn't like being treated like a pawn, that's what led to his current predicament but he did want out of here. Which meant that he had to play along with whoever was in charge and act carefully.
"Alright, so since you know I'm here, I'm assuming you can remove Wrath's soul and release mine right now?"
Garret grimaced as he spoke his next words. "Unfortunately, no I cannot. Such a procedure would require to either completely immobilize Wrath for an extended period or find him in a state where he could not fight off my power to tamper with his soul. He quite easily overpowered the sliver of your soul and I fear if I try to forcibly restore yours while he is aware, he will turn his sights on you."
"Is he aware that you are here right now?"
"No, the attack was last night and he is resting right now. If he remained in this state for two days I could do it but I can feel his consciousness, if I make an aggressive move he will know that I'm here."
"Thus destroying my chances to be released."
Rahim stalked away and turned his back on the alchemist before lowering his head. The older man could hear the deep breaths that the young one was taking and instantly started to feel bad. He wanted to go over and assure his son that he would get him out but there was very little trust between them at the moment. It could've been seen as a hollow gesture but Haruna had told him time and time again that it was the thought that counted.
Slowly he walked over before laying a soft hand on the warrior's shoulder. "Rahim, I failed you and I'm sorry. But I promise you that I am here now and will do whatever it takes to do right by you."
His son didn't brush off the hand as he predicted but remained facing away from him as he took another deep breath. "You can forgive me if I don't put too much hope into your words. If you cannot restore my soul at the time being then you can at least visit every so often so that I know you haven't forgotten me and are still planning on freeing me."
Garret felt his heart swell up a bit at the idea that his son wanted him to continue coming back. While the space may have been a Hell for him and anyone would probably do, it still meant a lot to the alchemist that his son asked him to come back. "Of course! I'll come back whenever I'll get the chance and tell you about all the things you've missed these last few years. When we get you out, you can meet my wife and daughter, they would be so pleased to meet you, I know it!"
Rahim continued to keep his back turned as he nodded slowly. "Then I suggest you leave right now, as you've said, Wrath cannot know you are here or my chance will disappear forever. There is no time in this space, so don't feel the need to rush. Take your time and do it right, we'll likely have only one chance at this."
The older man nodded as he focused for a moment and faded away, likely out of Wrath's soul leaving Rahim alone once again. Once he was sure he was gone, the warrior turned around to reveal a cold calculating expression on his face.
Looks like he was telling the truth. Talib is much too calculating to fall for such emotional baggage. Garret's guilt keeps him from seeing the big picture, so I doubt he's even considering the possibility that he is being used. Unfortunately my fate is ultimately tied to him succeeding in restoring my soul, at least he now has a vested interest in doing so since he wishes to reunite with his lost son.
"How pathetically human he is…"
Hey guys, sorry for the long update, I've been working for like two weeks straight and I'm still not sure if today is a day off. I already have an idea for the next chapter and if today is really a day off, I'll may be able to get off most of it and finish it by 4th of July. anyway I really hoped you enjoyed the chapter and continue to stay tuned for the next ones. Please drop a review or pm me if you wish to contact me have a nice one guys.