Chapter 52
Standing atop the castle's rooftop Tyson watched the people below. The wind blowing his hair all about. Whether it was a current survivor or a wandering soul that wished to aid them they were all working hard to prepare for the days ahead. They could not allow their worry to let up because the moment they did there was no telling what could happen.
Slowly raising his hand in front of him Tyson repeatedly balled his hand into a fist a few times. Every day he could feel himself getting stronger. It was like a strange heavy weight was being put over him as he tried to understand it more.
"How does it feel?" A calm question was tossed at him by King Sobek as he came up from the stairs behind Tyson. His emerald eyes carefully studying the reaction of Tyson to his question. Being dead himself he had long ago noticed the souls attaching themselves to Tyson and could see the man changing as time passed.
"You noticed?" Tyson simply asked back while ignoring the question.
"I might have a solid form, but this king is still a soul. I noticed it from the moment you fell out of the mirror." King Sobek slowly paced himself over to the edge of the roof and stood beside Tyson. Glancing down at the people below made a warm smile come to his face. As a king who had long lost his kingdom the sight of people once again around his castle only gave him a joyous feeling. He longed for the days of his past that he knew he could never again have.
"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Tyson asked him as he carefully watched how King Sobek was acting. It felt as if the king was in a daze as he thought about something.
"Your path is your own. I had no intention on bringing it up in front of others." Pausing for a moment King Sobek slowly raised his finger up to point at Tyson's chest. "What I am curious about is who was the first one who started that."
"Started what?" Tyson could not stop himself from looking down at King Sobek's hand as it got close to him. Trying to understand what the man was pointing at him for.
"Ah.. you have not noticed it.. There are souls who have attached themselves to your own. As a god Numen has something similar but for him it was a forced bond.. Those souls attached to you are more pure because I can see they bound themselves to your own at will." King Sobek watched Tyson's face curl up in a faint smirk as if he'd realized something.
"Continue to keep this from the others." Tyson said to him as he pushed the king's hand away casually. He did not want to seem rude to King Sobek. However, Tyson did not care for others getting in his personal space.
"Of course, but you know there will be no coming back once you get to that point, correct? Do you intend to not let the others in on your choice?" King Sobek had seen many people over the centuries make foolish decisions only to regret them. He could not help but worry that Tyson was making a choice that he would too regret just as they had. Knowing what he was keeping from the others he could only try to warn Tyson before it was too late for him.
"Nobody else needs to know until its already to that point. They are all from different worlds anyways.. Once everything is over and they go home they wont even have a reason to think of me. Why would I waste my breath explaining things that have nothing to do with them?" Tyson could not see a reason why he had to involve others in choices that would only affect himself. If that effect was good or bad when the time came was entirely his own choice.
King Sobek did not have words to respond to the man. He could only silently let him accept his fate he'd chosen. Tyson however could only remember Loe as they stood there.
Seven years ago back at Loe's mansion he had been sitting in the living room with the man as he explained things about the dimension to Tyson. Loe had his wine firm in his hand as he'd sip away in between his words. Those red eyes of his pinned on Tyson as he made sure the boy took in everything he said.
"Balance of the realm?" Tyson remembered asking him. He had always made sure to take everything to heart to ensure he learned the best ways to stay alive.
"Yes, everything in existence must have balance in order to exist.." Loe began as he leaned in closer to Tyson in order to lower his voice as he spoke further. "All gods began somewhere as something smaller."
"As something smaller?" Tyson pondered this idea hard when he had heard it.
"Yes, there is no such thing as true immortality.. If a god is stripped of his followers who have faith in him what would be left? Of course, everything needs balance." Loe smiled slightly after speaking his words. A glint of something hidden behind his gaze that Tyson was able to see meant there was something hidden deeper behind what he'd meant.
As Tyson came back to reality from his memory of Loe he thought long and hard. He did not need to be told the meaning behind Loe's words because he had figured it out long ago. The way that Loe had taught him how to survive and the things he had taught him in a round about way. Loe had surely wanted Tyson to keep himself alive because he cared about him. Though Loe had also been teaching him in a round about way without directly speaking the words himself, how to bring about Numen's downfall.
"Everything needs balance in order to exist, King Sobek." Tyson said to him as he glanced down at his hand once more to take in the changes to himself that he could feel from within.
"Indeed." King Sobek simply said as he knew what Tyson was trying to tell him. The man's determination to stop Numen was something he found admirable yet he felt almost sorry for the man. He could see Tyson was willing to throw everything away as long as it meant bringing down Numen. It was obvious to King Sobek that Tyson was so blinded by that determination that he could not even realize how much he still had around him that he was not able to see.