Chapter 6

  I'm standing in a large coliseum with boys of all ages standing around looking just as confused as I am. Where did we come from? I can't remember anything before I woke up here.

  A voice booms from above. "Welcome to the Ego arena the rules here are very simple. Be the last one standing and win."

  Weapons appear on the ground around us. Everyone rushes for a weapon and I grab a sword and shield. I don't know if I know how to use these but they feel kind of natural.

  One of the men starts shooting fire blasts at people. A kid is among us! He's just standing there without a weapon. I toss down my sword and rush at him as a ball of fire comes his way.

  I'm able to block it at the last second but it sends us flipping through the air crashing into the ground. I groan looking down at the boy. "Are you alright?"

  He nods with a smile. "yes! Thank you for saving me mister."

  I smile. "No problem, just stick with me and we will get through this."

  The flame guy floats off the ground creating a tornado of fire that expands outwards. I grab the boys shield it's way heavier than mine and big enough to cover most of my body. I stab it into the ground slanted so the fire will just roll over the top of us.

  I grit my teeth as the flames burn my legs. "M-Mister are you alright?"

   I nod trying to stay calm. "Y-Yeah I'll be fine."

   I shove the shield off of us seeing most of the men are dead. I try to get up but can't move... "Your legs..."

   The boy stands up blue lightning arcing down his body burning the ground around him. "I'll protect you mister!"

  I try to get to my feet. "N-No wait."

   He vanishes cutting apart the two remaining men. "You did it..."

  He turns smiling. "I did it! I was actually useful right?"

  I get to my feet making my way over to him. "y-"

  A voice echoes from behind him. "You were very useful boy."

   A white haired guy becomes visible shoving a golden light sword through his back. "You made this really easy."

  I rush over catching his body. "Stay with me!"

  He coughs up blood. "W-Was I useful mister?"

   I move his hair out of his face. "Of course you were! You're incredibly useful. I still need you so stay with me."

  Tears well up in my eyes. "Crying over a random kid? You must really be the sensitive type."

  His voice fades away replaced by a ringing that won't go away. The next time I come to my body is covered in a black crystal armor. Rage is overwhelming me. I can't control myself anymore.

  I vanish appearing behind him he forms a barrier but it's useless against my crystal tail that shatters the barrier instantly. I spin kicking him in the chin sending him flying across the arena. Before he reaches the wall I catch him with chains yanking him back towards me at incredible speeds.

  He forms another barrier in an instant but it's not enough I power stomp it into a billion pieces hitting him in the stomach sending him through the coliseum hitting the barrier around it.

  I appear in front of him punching him into the barrier over and over again I use my tail to throw him back into the arena. I appear above him slapping him into the ground sending cracks all through the colosseum.

  He weakly tried to form another barrier but I drop down landing on his shoulders stabbing him through the heart. The rage doesn't subside and I roar loudly sensing someone watching me.

  I look around and focus on it's location. I crawl over opening my mouth showing my razor sharp teeth. "I'll kill you all."

   A blue light comes at me and I get ready to attack. "Mister! Please calm down! It's okay... You don't have to keep fighting."

  I reach for him and the armor shatters off my body. "Kid?"

   He smiles up at me. "You won, I knew you were a hero."

  I glance down at my hands. "I don't feel like one. I'm sorry I couldn't activate my powers sooner if I did-"

  He hugs me tighter. "It's okay, I'm glad you were the one who won. Just please come find me as soon as you can I don't like the dark very much."

  I look down at him a little confused. "The dark?"

  A massive door appears and a chain comes from it pulling him into the darkness before shutting. I rush over trying to open it with all my strength. "Come on! Open it! Open it up! Take me! Let the kid be the hero! I'll die! Please..."

  I drop to my knees tears rolling down my face. "I-Im not a hero..."

  The old man from the speaker speaks from behind me. "Congratulations."

   I turn my armor appearing and the tail shatters the moment it touches his hand. "I understand your frustration but this is how things work."

  I grab the door. "I'm not letting this go your way old man!"

  My arms bulge and blood shoots from different areas while I roar with all my might the door is ripped open wide. On the other side is endless darkness with thousands of eyes staring at me. They're laughing and cackling. It's an orchestra of horror and death.

  The old man touches my shoulder. "I commend you for opening this door but you aren't ready to face your demons just yet."

  I turn my head slowly. "My demons?"

  He nods motioning inside. "This trial is meant to see what your strongest ego is. Every version of you is narrowed down in the past trials and the last 25 end up here. Among those, the last one standing controls your body and mind becoming your truest self. This is where the remains go."

  I can't rip my eyes away from the darkness. "Do they just stay in there forever?"

  He shakes his head. "You will absorb them one by one gaining their knowledge and experiences but doing so also means their deaths, rage, betrayal and so on. They hold no happiness inside them. Just resentment, I know you wanna find that young boy he overpowered the door and got out just as you did to open it. Finding him would be like finding a thin piece of hay in a stack of needles."

  In the endless darkness I finally see what I was looking for a shimmer of blue light and my armor shatters. "Good, come with me-"

  I take a step towards the door. "Thanks for the warning but I'm ready to face myself. I've done enough running."

  I step into the darkness and shades start diving into me as I walk. It takes all my concentration just to stay standing. Pain, cheating, beatings, stabbed, burned, buried, crushed, drowned, tortured. It's all so vivid I can remember the taste of blood.

  Scars form all over my body and I step in front of the little boy who's crying to himself. "Hey, a hero shouldn't cry."

  He looks up at me. "M-Mister?"

   I extend my hand out to him. "The one and only."

   He jumps up hugging me and a burst of blue and grey light changes the entire landscape. We are in a field of black grass with a blue moon in the sky it feels peaceful.

  The old man appears clapping. "I'm very impressed this has never once happened before and I couldn't have predicted a single thing today. It's the first time in a long time I've been wrong about something."

  I look over at him. "Thanks, I think? So now what?"

  He points at the kid. "Do you want to keep him?"

  I nod looking at the boy. "Is that okay?"

  He hugs my neck. "Of course!"

  He shows me what to do and I use the console in the center of the field to form him a body based off my own. "If you ever find him a mother figure just put her DNA in this right here."

  I nod and we exit the doorway. Apparently it's my own dimension which is super cool. I stand in front of a black mirror and he has me touch it. "Now then time to go back."

  When I touch it everything fades out and all my memories merge on the other side. I stumble back and Titan catches me. "Master are you okay?"

  I grab my head gathering my wits. "Y-Yeah."

  Gramps comes over. "Here take this it'll help with the spinning."

  I take the pills and gulp down the water. The kid hugs me. "I can't believe I have a father!"

  I glance down. "Father?"

  He looks up at me smiling. "Yeah, that's what you are right?"

  His eyes say it all. I smile gently resting my hand on his head. "Yeah, I'm your father now."

  Tears well up in his eyes. "I-I finally have a family..."

  I drop to one knee hugging him tightly. "We are family, you're not alone anymore."

  He sobs into my arms and once he settles down I motion to everyone. "This is Railjack, Titan, and your great grandfather."

  Titan sniffs him. "Master it's a mini you!"

  I nudge the kid towards him. "Titan I want you to protect him more than you would me."

  He shrinks down to his puppy form landing in the kids arms. "Understood!"

  Gramps comes over. "So what are you gonna name him?"

  I glance at him. "Does he not have a name already?"

  He shakes his head. "His existence was erased and absorbed by you. He's a nameless soul inside of a vessel we created. When you name him he'll change a little so be careful."

  The boy looks at me smiling. "I know you'll choose a awesome name."

  I look at him for a bit. "How about Atlas?"

  His eyes light up. "What kind of name is that?"

  I pull up an imagine on my display of atlas holding up the world. "Atlas was an incredibly powerful being who was tasked with holding up the sky. He keeps the world from crumbling and you seem to be just as resilient as he was."

His eyes glow blue for a moment slowly shifting to a mix of bright green and deep blue. His stats have doubled but he's still level 1. "Thank you so much for naming me father!"

  He hugs me tight and gramps shows us where we will be living from now on. We are going to be operating out of a cafe. We will live in the large apartment above the shop.

  I pass out right away and wake up the next morning to gramps knocking on my door. "I'm sorry to wake you I'm sure you're very exhausted."

  I yawn scratching my head. "It's fine, what did you need to discuss."

  He holds his hand up showing an image of a massive glowing crater in a forest. "This is the site of Fates cottage."

  I snap changing my clothes and instantly cleaning myself with the spell I learned for it. "Let's go! Are the girls okay?!"