A/N: Getting back to Oren's POV and… what's this?

  He's actually… thinking for himself for once?

  -x-X-x-

  Oren can't help but be wary of Tyranos. He doesn't doubt for a second that he's an Ancient God on the same level as Law. And he feels like most of what the God of Travelers and Roads has said so far is true. It all makes a sickening sort of sense, filling in the bnks and connecting the handful of disparate clues that he and Sophia had managed to collect so far.

  At the same time though, they've both been burned so many times before. When something is too good to be true, it probably isn't… right? Or is that just his paranoia talking?

  Still, he's been content to sit back and let Sophia and Tyranos speak for a while now. His pce isn't to do the talking after all. His pce is at Sophia's side, taking whatever form she needs of him. Only now he's been brought into the conversation and both Sophia and Tyranos are looking at him expectantly.

  The Ancient God's words about the Gods of the Void creating their own executioner hang in the air as they await his response. In the end, Oren feels he can only be honest with them in this moment.

  "I don't think I'm up for the task."

  Sophia frowns thoughtfully, while Tyranos raises an eyebrow in bemusement. The Ancient God lets out a derisive snort and shakes his head.

  "You were certainly up to the task that day in the Heavens, 'God Killer'. And you seem to still be up to the task even now if today's events are anything to go off of."

  That… Oren doesn't flinch at the mention of Aureo's death, but Sophia does. Brow furrowing, the Otherworlder shakes his head.

  "Today showed just how weak I truly am. Without Sophia's help, I could never have nded the killing blow on Aureo. If I were alone, I would have been forced to flee and let him destroy the city once he got serious. As for the Heavens… I was far better equipped for that than I am now. These… Void Gods made me a special set of armor and bde that… I suspect they were more than just Celestial Metal. There must have been something special about them both, because they let me rampage through the Heavens without pause."

  Oren shrugs.

  "It was the perfect blend of defense, offense, and endless Otherworlder stamina. Without the armor and bde, I just have the stamina. I might be capable of killing a god or two, but hundreds of them? As I am now, I doubt I can pull off the feats of the past."

  It pains him to be talking about such 'feats' in Sophia's presence. As Oren falls silent, he looks over to the goddess, hoping she won't be too upset by him talking in such a cavalier tone about his assault on the Heavens. To his surprise, she doesn't look angry or sad. Instead, she looks contemptive. Finally, Sophia raises her eyes to meet his and asks a question Oren has been dreading for some time now.

  "What happened to your armaments? What happened to the armor and bde you had on that day in the Heavens?"

  Letting out an explosive breath, Oren leans back heavily in his chair.

  "I got rid of them. The sword, the armor… I threw it away."

  Tyranos hums at that.

  "Curious. Such powerful artifacts… one wonders why you would abandon them."

  Oren grits his teeth at that, his mind going back to those days just after he'd unknowingly sughtered the Heavens. Truth was… he hadn't followed Law's final orders immediately. Initially, he'd simply fled. Making it from the Heavens down to the Mortal Pnes, he'd run the fuck away.

  Maybe he should have stayed behind. If he had, or if he'd gone back like he was supposed to, maybe he could have killed the Void Gods to the st just like he did the Deities of the Heavens. Of course, from the way Raythe had talked… there had been pns in pce for his return. The impression that Oren had gotten from the st conversation with his 'best friend' was that Raythe was angry Oren hadn't come back, that the bme for his desertion had fallen on Raythe.

  Could Oren have ended the Gods of the Void that day? Maybe. Or, just as likely, they would have been ready for him in their own way, ready to deal with him and end the threat he posed to them. Like Tyranos had said, Oren was a weapon of their own making. They would never let their weapon turn on them.

  Thinking about what could have been was pointless either way. Law had given Oren his st orders. With his dying breath, the King of the Gods had told Oren what he had to do and so Oren had fled and wandered the Mortal Pnes for a time, hiding from his summoners.

  … But he hadn't given up the God Killer's armor and bde immediately. He'd told himself at the time that he was looking for the right hiding spot. Lying to himself about his own motivations was so damn easy. The truth was though, the feeling of power that the armor and sword gave him… it was intoxicating.

  As an Otherworlder, Oren was pretty damn capable already, so it might surprise people to learn how quickly he came to covet the power of that magical suit of armor and bde. It made him so much more than he already was. He'd barely had a couple of weeks to get used to that power before he was sent on his 'holy mission' to 'defeat the Demon King' once and for all. And after everything, even knowing how badly he'd been hoodwinked, Oren had still not been entirely sure he could give it up.

  That is, until he finally ran into God Hunters… and they'd recognized him. Not as Oren, but as the God Killer. In hindsight, Oren now knew that the Gods of the Void must have spread the details of his armor's appearance around to their patsies once they realized he'd pulled a runner. They'd spread knowledge of him to all of the God Hunters but they'd been smart about it. After all, he was their propaganda piece.

  Those God Hunters had both recognized him as the God Killer and expected him to come with them. They'd had a certain amount of awe and reverence to their tones… until he'd refused. At that point, they'd become increasingly belligerent and hostile, demanding he hand over the armaments until eventually, they'd forced Oren to kill them both in self-defense and to silence them.

  It was then that he'd realized Law was right. He couldn't keep gallivanting around in the regalia of the God Killer. Not unless he wanted to be increasingly hunted day and night. The next day, he'd hidden the armor and weapon away and left them behind, putting as much distance between them and him as he could before finally settling down in that forest where he'd intended to live out the rest of his days… and where Sophia had run into him and turned those pns on their head.

  Oren doesn't regret helping Sophia, nor swearing himself to her service. But even now he can't quite bring himself to tell her of his tardiness, especially not in front of Tyranos. Instead, Oren keeps the details to himself and keeps things simple. Straightening up, he looks the Ancient God sitting across from him in the eye.

  "Law's final instructions as he y dying at my feet were to hide them away so that his enemies could not get their hands on them."

  Tyranos raises an eyebrow at that, but before the Ancient God can respond, Sophia beats him to it.

  "Then… you know where they are. You didn't just toss them away, you hid them somewhere. You could… we could retrieve them."

  Oren grimaces at the fervor in Sophia's voice.

  "I could but… Goddess, if such artifacts were to fall into the hands of these Void Gods, it would spell the end would it not? What if… what if that was what Raythe was after back at the refuge? He could have killed us at any time, but instead he drew it out and seemed intent on demanding information from me. What other information could I possibly have that he would want? They're hunting for the God Killer's armaments. I fear we might py right into their hands if we have me retrieve them."

  Sophia hesitates, looking like she hadn't thought of it that way. Slumping back in her chair, the beautiful goddess frowns. Silence reigns for a moment before Tyranos cuts through it with his own two cents.

  "Hm. The boy might have a point, niece."

  Oren blinks, surprised that the Ancient God was siding with him. Sophia is simirly surprised, Tyranos' words causing them both to look over at him in shock. Snorting derisively, the 'old man' shrugs.

  "Your father, my brother, was not one to mince words. He wouldn't have wasted his dying breath on mindless drivel or meaningless nonsense. That he focused on convincing the boy to flee and hide his armaments above all else… it speaks to the power of such artifacts. And if that power were to fall into the wrong hands… well then, we might all be doomed."

  Finding himself nodding along to Tyranos' words, Oren is surprised when Sophia throws her hands into the air all of the sudden.

  "But aren't we already doomed?! The Heavens either lie empty or have been taken over by these 'Gods of the Void. The Mortal Pnes are swarming with God Hunters who have hunted and tortured and sughtered every divine being they could find! If we don't do SOMETHING, then everything is lost anyways! This might be our only hope!"

  Tyranos chuckles, shaking his head.

  "I appreciate your fire, dear nice… but I wouldn't be so sure that things are as dire as you think. Yes, the Gods of the Heavens have been sin. Their loss is keenly felt, don't get me wrong. But the only gods and goddesses to die here on the Mortal Pnes are the minor and young. In all my travels, I have not heard of the God Hunters successfully hunting down a single Ancient God. We're made of sterner stuff than that, you see."

  Gesturing, Tyranos continues on.

  "Eventually, the Void Gods and their God Hunter Pets are going to hit a wall, Sophia. They cannot enter the oceans to fight and kill the Sea Gods there. They cannot climb to the sky to face off with the Ancient Gods of Wind and Sun. They cannot even climb into the volcanoes to fight the Gods of Fire and Earth found deep beneath the magma there. They are limited in just how much damage they can cause right now. The Otherworlder could be correct that retrieving the God Killer's armor and bde might be exactly what they're hoping will let them take the next step in their conquest of Creation."

  Again, Oren finds himself rgely agreeing with Tyranos. It wasn't good for the younger divinities of course… in fact, it was downright awful. But from the sound of things, it wasn't the end of the world… yet.

  However, when he looks to Sophia, he doesn't find her defeated. Instead, she looks more determined than ever.

  "So you want me to put my head in the sand and ignore what's happening? Let me guess, you would offer me your protection to… weather the storm?"

  Tyranos nods.

  "I would. You and your companion both."

  "Well I appreciate the offer Uncle, but I can't accept it! I can't just sit idly by while the God Hunters sughter more of our kin, no matter what age they are. And I can't just let the Void Gods get away with what they did to Oren and me either!"

  Oren blinks, a little caught off guard by Sophia including him at the end there. Tyranos looks a little taken aback as well, though he smiles after a moment.

  "I would not be opposed to taking the fight to the Void Gods, my dear niece, blood of my brother. But without the God Killer's armor and weapon, the fight is hopeless. It is not I that you have to convince…"

  He trails off meaningfully here, while gncing in Oren's direction. Oren stiffens up because at the end of the day, all Sophia has to do is say the word and he'll probably capitute. He's still sworn to her service, after all. He owes her a blood debt that can never be repaid so-

  "Uncle… please give us a moment alone if you would."

  Confusion fills Oren as Tyranos frowns for a moment before slowly nodding.

  "Of course. I shall be nearby… once you have decided to travel, wherever you intend those travels to take you, I will know and rejoin you."

  With that, the Ancient God rises from the table, walking stick still in hand, and makes his way out of the empty tavern. In his absence, Oren feels nothing but confusion as Sophia looks to him. All she has to do is say the word and he'll bow his head and accept it.

  "I owe you an apology, Oren."

  Wait, what?

  -x-X-x-

  A/N: Omfg Sophia, you can't just say things like that to poor vulnerable boys like Oren. Smh.

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