Ares slides down the hill leading to the Convergance with a slowly dying Midas in his arms. He takes note of the guards surrounding the area and carefully sneaks around them. He worked with Shadow for a long time so he could remember some tactics when sneaking into enemy territory.

Midas flinches with a quiet groan, sweat forming on his face as he clutches his chest with both hands. His chest hurt so much and it was getting hard to breathe. He was afraid he'd close his eyes and they wouldn't open again.

"Try to stay quiet M. These guards could spot us if you're not careful." Ares shushes him as they take cover behind a wall.

"Well I apologize that it hurts. Ngh! Then again, I don't know why you're concerned about me." He mutters. "You wouldn't understand the feeling of getting your power, something that's keeping you alive, stripped away..."

Ares sighs.

"No. I don't know that feeling. I wasn't born with a power unlike you." He says. "But..."

He pauses, his words disappearing. Midas looks up at his father, wondering what glorious insult he has for him.

With a groan Ares says...

"But it makes you who you are. I mean... It's the main reason Agatha gave you your name..." He mumbles. "It...it suits you..."

Midas' eyes widen slightly at the remark. For once, Ares' remark wasn't a cruel bitter one. It was...a relatively nice one...

"Haha...t-that's true..."

Ares hides a small smile on his face before coughing violently into his hands yet again.

"Ares? A-Are you... okay?"

He nods, wiping his hand against his shirt.

"I'm fine. It's not the time to worry about me."

Midas shivers slightly before noticing an entryway to under the golden cube that had turned into the tip of a pyramid that manifested overnight. A voice could be heard in the distance.

"Let's go that way. I hear something.." Midas whispers meekly, short of breath.

The two of them head in said direction.

--------

Peeking around the corner Ares and Midas notice the Cube Queen not too far away surrounded by all their possessed friends. The Queen herself was holding two jars containing their souls. One was a gleaming gold, seemingly Midas' power and soul merged into one.

"That's it there, right?"

Midas nods, his breath wavering. Ares notices the cracks on his hands growing in numbers. He puts an ear near his chest and hums. Midas' faint heartbeat was getting slower and slower. He didn't have long left.

"A-Ares...it... it's getting hard to... b-breathe..." He whimpers slightly, shaking in his father's arms. "I...I don't want to die..."

He sighs, hesitantly holding him closer.

"Don't worry.... I-I won't let you die..." He mutters. "I can't let it happen...or else that goddess will kill me... and this whole island will die along with it..."

"Mmph. Y-You mean...Orelia? She set you up?"

Ares nods with a huff. His own legs were starting to give way. Midas was becoming too heavy for him to carry.

"Question is though. How we supposed to get your power with her keeping a hold of it?"

Midas shuffles with a small intake of breath, reaching into his pockets and pulling out a pair of revolvers with gold accents. He passes them to Ares.

"Put me down and try to fight your way through."

"What?! I can't just leave you alone! What if one of your possessed friends find you?"

"Does it matter all that much to you?" Midas challenges him with a somewhat confident smirk.

Ares sighs. But before he can take the weapons, he feels something sharp run up his back. He swivels around and sees a being that's familiar to Midas. The Cube Queen's loyal henchman.

"Going somewhere Oro and his little human pet?"

Slamming the bottom of his spear on the ground, he sends both men flying away and separates them. Ares groans, getting up and grabbing one of Midas' revolvers that had landed near him. He tussles with the guard, shooting bullet after bullet and dodging his spear.

"So you thought you could sneak to this place and take back your power with the help of a human Oro?" The Cube Queen chuckles. "How touching. Unfortunately, you won't get the chance. Kill him and his pet."

The Cube Queen's trusted guard chuckles darkly as he pins Ares to the floor, his foot pushing down on his stomach.

"With pleasure my dear Queen."

Ares growls, turning to where Midas was. He wasn't moving on the floor, didn't seem like he was breathing either.

"M! You've gotta get up!! We need your help!!"

Silence...

"I....I need your help!! Please...!"

More silence...

Ares stretches out his hand with tears forming in his eyes slightly and calls his son by his full first name for the first time.

"MIDAS PLEASE GET UP!! DON'T DIE ON ME NOW!!"

Unknown to everyone else, the jar containing Midas' power was slowly begining to crack...

----------

Midas groans, clutching his chest as he awakens in a black empty void. It was devoid of any life, making him panic.

"Am...Am I dead? I-Is it too late?"

Tears begin to fall down his face at the meer thought of dying now when they were so close. He strains to get up, but it's no use. He couldn't move, not with his power gone. His blackened hands were cracking more and more to the point that he was struggling to even move a finger.

As he fails to get up again Midas slowly begins to accept his fate, his eyes closing. His breathing hitches as he continues to shed tears.

But then, in the silence... he hears another person in tears.

He glances up and notices a child sat not to far away from him, crying into their hands.

Not just any child...

It was Midas himself as a kid.

Despite his weakening state, he manages to crawl his way over to the crying child. He puts a hand on his shoulder gently. The child spins around, covering their face in terror.

"WAIT! I'M SORRY! DON'T HURT...me..?"

The child looks up in confusion and fear, their right eye covered in bloodstained bandages. Midas raises his hands and smiles a little, showing he wasn't a threat.

"Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt you."

Midas holds out a hand, his child self hesitantly taking it with his little golden ones.

"Your hands are different..." He sniffles. "You're like me..."

"Well...I am you. I'm your future self. Only, things right now aren't good as my powers were taken from me." Midas explains, flinching as his chest aches again. "Without it, I won't be able to live anymore..."

His younger self retracts his hands and puts them in his lap.

"If you're my older self...then you'll know what'll happen to me in the future won't you?"

Midas nods.

"In that case, before you go... Can you answer me one question.."

He hears the child out.

"Does life ever get better for us? Do... we ever recover from what dad put us through?"

Midas thinks to himself, watching his memories of the past fly by showcasing the good and bad. The bad ones mostly came from his childhood, but the good ones...

All those times he spent with Oro, Jules, his agents, the kid and of course Jones...

A warm feeling bubbles in his gut as he smiles a little and turns back to the little boy in front of him.

"Well, our story may not have had a happy beginning...but it doesn't make who you are." He explains, softly brushing a hand against his cheek. "Things do eventually get better for us... I promise. You have a bright future ahead of you and lots of good memories and friends to make."

The boy smiles with tears rolling down his face and hugs his older self tightly.

"We'll be okay kid. Just hang in there."

The two of them slowly disappear in the darkness in a flash of light.

------

"NO. WHAT IS THIS?!"

The mastermind gasps in a mouthful of air, coughing as he regains consciousness. Ares had somehow broken free from the guard's grasp and dashes towards his son.

"Midas, wake up!"

As Ares begins to help him stand, something was happening up above. The jar containing Midas' power had suddenly shattered into pieces. The Cube Queen plus her servant, Ares, Midas and their possessed friends watch in shock as the orb of light suddenly begins taking a form.

Whatever form it would take would determine who Midas truly is. Either himself, or Oro.

The orb takes a form and in a flash of light, is revealed to be a glowing gold version of Midas. It lands slowly on the ground before turning its head to Midas and Ares.

"What is this?! Where is Oro?! You're not him!" The Cube Queen yells at the being of light.

"He's..gone..." It mutters.

"What did you say?! Answer me!!"

"I SAID... HE'S GONE!!!"

The spirit's yell reverberates around the room and even causes cracks in the ground to form and send the Cube Queen off balance. It turns back to Ares and Midas.

"I-I...I need to- A-Ahh!!"

Midas lets go of Ares and tries walking towards his other half, but his legs immediately give way. He was still slowly dying and couldn't move, and as a result he falls on to his stomach.

"Midas!"

"Ugh, enough of this! Guard, take care of this!"

Just before he can respond or do anything, the spirit stretches out a hand and fires a powerful beam of energy at the Cube Queen's servant. It's so strong that it completely obliterates him in one shot. The light half of Midas then slowly begins to approach the boys.

"Where'd you think you're going?!" The Queen yells.

Midas groans in pain, tears streaming down his face. His chest ached more than ever before, so much so that the only thing he can tell Ares is a small coarse...

"...h-help..."

Ares quickly strains to pick Midas up.

"Hold on."

Ares slowly makes his way towards the light.

"No!! That's enough!!"

Suddenly, the Cube Queen fires a purple beam at the spirit. However it puts up a barrier to defend itself, gazing back with an emotionless stare. She's obviously surprised, but tries again.

"Agh! You little nuisance!!"

Once again it puts up a barrier to defend itself, only it encases itself inside the barrier this time round. That's when the Queen loses it.

"UGH!! DON'T WASTE YOUR SHIELD ON ME!! IF I CAN'T KEEP YOU CONTAINED, I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!!"

All at once purple beams fires from not only the Cube Queen's eyes, but from everyone she's mind controlling, all showing the same furious expression.

However, it isn't even phased as the barrier surrounding it is too powerful even for the Queen. It stretches out its arms and sends a shockwave of energy across the room, knocking down the possessed people, the Cube Queen and nearly Ares.

"..w-wait!- stop... you'll h-hurt my friends..." Is Midas' weak plea.

Thankfully, Ares manages to regain his composure and make his way towards Midas' light half. It does the same, walking over to them. As they reach each other the father pauses briefly, before putting Midas in his light half's arms.

"Here you go..."

Midas smiles, holding his other half tight as tears of joy go down his face. He finally had the answer he always hoped was true.

He could finally internalise the idea that he wasn't Oro, or a God...

He's always just been himself.

Midas. A mastermind with the golden touch.

As the two halfs embrace each other a flash of golden light fills the room, making Ares shield his eyes. When it fades away, Midas could be seen standing tall with his golden hands, with tears and a smile on his face as he returns to his former self.

"Midas!"

Ares runs over towards him, a sense of relief in his expression. He's looks as though he's about to hug him but quickly stops himself, instead folding his arms.

"Are you back together? Are you... you again?"

"Yes, of course I'm me. I've... I've always been me.."

And for the first time, Ares chuckles a little with a smile, which surprises Midas.

"That's good..."

--------