Mind in utter turmoil, Senzard’s eyes lost focus, his jaw hanging a bit open. His predicament too much to decide on without being more informed. Feeling a tug in his soul, he refocused back to the waiting titan before him. Above, where Agnitum was trapped, the prison was slowly breaking down to the enraged titans constant struggle against it. Peteious on the other hand was clearly taking his time, giving as much to Senzard as he desired. To either buy time for his brother or for him to come to a decision.

Senzard, on the other hand, needed to find an escape from this situation. It would do him no good to rush this important choice. The mist that had been creeping closer, had stopped in its tracks fighting an invisible darkness he had set with his first usage of mana. No obvious pathway was clear as his eyes surreptitiously studied the surroundings. He couldn’t take any direction of freedom that had even an ounce of fog in the way. That would just warn them of his position before he was already long gone. Coming to this decision, he would need to delay the inevitable confrontation. There was no way he could fight either titan with full sanity to augment their already monstrous skills.

“Tell me more about this mortal,” Senzard said as his eyes continued to scan the area. Trying his best to buy as much time as possible.

“What else is there to say? Your life would be guaranteed, or do you wish to steal what is not yours again?” Peteious said.

“No, no, Peteious. It confuses me on what would entail your loyalty? Sanity? What does that mean, materially?” Senzard said with dubious intent.

Having created a persona of materialism and greed, Senzard planned to play on that very note. While the titans were some of the strongest, if not the most powerful he had come across, they were not the most perceptive. The ability to make out another’s true character was a skill he was proud of. The Hecatonchires were honest buffoons that spoke exactly what was on their mind, they were utterly incapable of deceit.

Yet, instead of the frown he expected, Peteious’s smile, partially hidden by the tower shield, had him on edge. Did he miscalculate? Or had he missed a tidbit of knowledge that changed everything? Any small mistake could lead to a horrific death, so this had him more than anxious.

“He accomplished what we could only dream of. Not only did he walk in our path towards the edges of the world, he had done so twice. A feat that even we find most improbable,” Peteious said as he raised his right hand, carrying the sword, to the sky. “He had two Dragon Spirit Stones, two Lineage of the Deep Abyss, and two Phoenix Remnants. With nothing but a smile, he gave to us some of the most precious resources this world has to offer,”

Features morphing into a frown, a thought popped into his head. He had learned of noble families, royalty especially, and their dragon-esque need to hoard gold and treasures. Maybe this was nothing more than that, just another greedy human with too much wealth for their own good. That would be the worst scenario possible, a spoiled brat with two titans that can challenge any except the most formidable.

“Peteious, do you not agree that I am far superior to both of you in matters of deception?” Senzard asked suddenly.

“Yes,” Peteious said slowly, drawing out his single word.

Peteious’s eyebrows knitted and mouth pursed into a massive frown. He did not like what Senzard alluded too or at least that was what he got from the hidden meaning behind the question. His king was not a thief, that was clear when he so readily gave up six of an extremely scarce resource. Then again, how would someone as untrained as their king be able to steal from beings powerful enough to hold such things.

“What if your King was nothing but a child born into human royalty? Or a lineage that has been gathering such resources for ages?” Senzard said as his eyes caught the smallest break in the mist.

Lowering himself, he prepared to escape at the best moment. But, he would have to somehow distract Peteious, a challenge even for his abilities. Smiling, even though his words drew no response from the titan before him, he misdirected their attention by looking away towards the mist; the opposite side of where the opening was. As he did so, he let mana slowly tail down his tail – hidden by the stone outcropping he was on – and around towards the opening. He only needed a second of Peteious not focused on him and he would be long gone.

“Then he has the bloodline to achieve what his ancestors had done, and even more with our help,” Peteious said unwavering.

That somehow got a rise from Senzard as incredulity lined his words.

“You would follow a spoiled child onto the battlefield? Only death would be the outcome, how do you not see that?”

“He is young and has time to learn,”

Barring his fangs at him, Senzard felt his blood boil at the foolish words spoken by beings that had lived for millennia. It also was a reminder of how little time everyone actually had, the Kin of The EverFlame were coming and with their arrival death will be the only result to all who stands in their way.

“Time? There is no more time left!” Senzard said in an uncharacteristic outburst.

“What do you mean by those cryptic words?” Peteious asked with narrowed eyes.

“The EverFlam-” Before Senzard could finish his statement, Peteious cut him off.

“EverFlame? Didn’t that monster die before even our time?”

“Its has been foretold that its kin would challenge the world in its entirety,” Senzard replied.

Noticing the far off look in Peteious’s eyes, a devious smile covered his face. He didn’t plan for that, but it was far more effective to have him dazed as he made his escape. Releasing the mana from its tenuous hold, first dropping his entrapment on Agnitum and secondly blasting a wave of dark energy, it crashed into Peteious who somehow still had the mind to cover himself with his tower shield before the darkness consumed him. Taking the opportunity, Senzard rushed to get to the crack in the mist he had found.

In learning that the mortal king he would have to be subservient too was nothing more than a child, his choice was clear. He would rather be found dead and desecrated before he swore allegiance to an incompetent human that had no time to learn anything. That more than anything influenced his desire to escape this situation. Maybe the Oracle had missed of forgotten something, she was pretty old when she told him of his future.

Just as he reached the very edge of the mist, a massive boulder suddenly appeared before him. With his and the boulders momentum, he crashed head on to it. It knocking him out cold, his arrogance was too blinding to imagine any possible way he could have not found himself already a few miles out.

Dragging the boulder away from the scene, Agnitum threw it back into the mist. Guess the stone he used to throw at Senzard in the beginning wasn’t useless after all. Walking back towards the giant serpentine beast, he wrapped a metal choker, completely black and with a mana stone at the top, right at the base of the skull. Imbuing it with a bit of mana, he placed a ring on the mana stone. Glowing a faint purple and red color, it dimmed as it accepted the matching sequence.

“I told you that it would be a waste of time,” Agnitum grumbled to his brother.

“I had to try, it would be better for us all to have him make the choice to follow,” Peteious replied with a sigh. This was not the best trail of events anyone could have hoped, it never was to do something like that to any living being.

“We should have just come in swords blazing with righteous flames and simply beat him into submission. We have full sanity, brother. What could a Serpent have done against our might?” Agnitum said, but before Peteious could reply, he continued to speak. “Nothing, that’s what!”

Frowning, Peteious shook his head as he grabbed Senzard’s head with his floating hands. All the while, Agnitum carried the rest of the bulk back into the mist following him. This was not the most successful day, but it was good enough for the both of them.