↳ underground tunnels

　　　↳ ᴇɴᴅ ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ ᴏɴᴇ. ↰

@✧　Zale Cirillo @☼　Kairos Raptis ↳ ᴊᴜɴᴇ 14, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: the way (instrumental) - zack hemsey

The water was against Eden's thighs, now. The hero was steadily pulling water into the tunnels, and Eden knew that it was his fatal mistake to choose this as their battleground—but he was doing what he could to protect the Dream Guard and even the citizens of the city. Setting himself up for certain failure hadn't been intentional, but it was a sacrifice. One he had to make.

It was hard to move in the water, which had to be Perseus' intentions; the playing field was leveled in the hero's favor and all Eden could do was try his hardest not to slip or fall in the water. That would mean the certain end for him—he would be submerged in Perseus' element, where there would be no true hope of reclaiming the upper hand.

Eden forced himself back a few steps as a sword sliced into the water he'd just been standing in. He could hear a soft growl of frustration, and the water continued to rise—but that wasn't alarming. What alarmed the captain was what he could hear in the distance, the concerning sound of...

Water poured into the tunnel, a powerful wave crashing over the antihero.

Eden barely caught a breath before he was taken under, and a hand caught him by the throat. It was dark and murky beneath the water, but Eden released the spear he had held onto for the duration of their battle back and forth. Now that he was held under the water, it was time to take more /desperate/ measures. He wasn't at the end of his arsenal yet, and there was only one weapon that he could think was useful in such an instance, when he wasn't far enough from Zale to wield his longer weapons like dorata and xiphos.

It was a knife that appeared in his hand, long enough to be useful but still short enough that the closeness between himself and Perseus wouldn't prevent Eden from being able to strike. He lashed out, stabbing viciously at the body above him, striking at whatever he could make out in the murk.

It was like he was trying to stab at the water itself. Perseus was in the water, where he was the strongest, where even if Eden's blows could have had a chance to land the water would never allow any harm to come to the elemental that held him beneath the surface. Through the murky water, Eden thought he could make out a smile, one that was dark with triumph.

Yet again Perseus' blade cut through the water. Eden tried to move to evade it, but it was like he was moving in molasses, and pain exploded on the left side of his head.

The left side.

The left ear.

Panic bubbled in Eden's throat, his lungs screaming for oxygen as his blood darkened the contaminated water that surrounded him, burning in the wound that was already searing with pain, a steady burn that spread from the left side of his head further into his body. As the blood seeped into the water, he could feel the grip on his throat loosening, his attacker retreating before blood that could kill.

He felt the water release him, beginning to recede, seeping away all at once and the gorgon hit the stone with a wet thump and a cry of pain.

@✠　Eden Zale could tell what he was doing worked to his advantage. No matter how disgusting, the water was his - his spirit, his core, it’s power resonated throughout his body. The water was little credited at times for how fierce its anger could be. He’d help the world to understand it though, of course.

Of course, the hero knew that in this story, if ever repeated, he would be the villain. But if they saw him to be the villain, he’d proudly fall into the role. So long as his revenge was fulfilled, he didn’t care what the world made of him. He could be seen as the lowest rat, a waste of a rebirth, and he would still be ecstatic when his goals were seized.

His teeth gripped the inside of his mouth again, blocking out the foul smells, his attention trained on his enemy, and the water fighting him with Perseus. With how vividly it moved, it was almost as though the liquid was a creature by its own right, swirling and convulsing. It was probably his greatest defence, as well as his greatest weapon. The Dream Guard’s Captain had made a mistake in coming to the tunnels, but both of them knew a final stand had to come.

Perseus’ eyes narrowed as he watched the light.

He’d take the fight underwater if he had to, if there was enough water in the surrounding area for him to draw to him. The power from it alone made his head throb unpleasantly, but Enyo didn’t need to know that. He raised his blade, hoping to strike before the man could throw. The javelin nicked Zale’s arm, before his defence of water could guide it off course. The elemental could feel something over than water on his sleeve, but the stinging hadn’t kicked in as the weapon was ed into the water away from him. He could taste blood from his biting on his tongue still.

His lip curled with distaste for the shallow wound he’d received. There was no time to complain over something small and pesky however - Zale was quick to turn on Eden again. He had no more words for the gorgon as he fought to push him back further, attempting to strike again with the curved blade. The water was still attempting to rise past the knees, though the hero struggled to bring more closer. As he threw an attack at the man, the wave came from behind the second time, once again attempting to shove him into a position to be disarmed, or better, wounded.

All he needed was a single slip.

The very thought of victory made Zale struggle to compose himself. He couldn’t allow himself to underestimate Eden, to believe he’d won so soon. He wasn’t looking for a second death. Giddiness at the thought of drawing blood would have to wait for the aftermath of the battle. With any luck, there would be no more weapons for his adversary to draw, the shirt rubbing against his nicked arm made the skin prickle with discomfort each time he moved. He just hoped it wasn’t worse than he’d first observed - if he left the situation alive, a clean water source would be the first thing he tried to find.

[post deleted by owner]

@✧　Zale Cirillo ᴊᴜɴᴇ 14, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: villain of my own story - unlike pluto

Perseus approached, and Eden's body tensed in preparation. The water was churning strong around the hero, pulling against the antihero's ankles as the current that washed around Perseus strengthened. Current that was created by the elemental, since it shouldn't have existed in the tunnels, where the water was filthy runoff from storms and whatever else.

Eden would have to be careful of how he stepped. The last thing he would want was to fall in front of this adversary. A single slip of his footing could prove to be fatal, providing enough of an opening for Perseus to overpower him. And, well.

What was to stop Perseus from slicing at him until he found the gorgon's weakness?

(Nothing, if Eden were to lose his footing and Zale to overpower him.)

His sharp ears picked up the rushing of water moments before Perseus struck, the water following the motion of his blade. As Eden used his spear to defend himself from the hero's blade, the water crashed down around him, drenching the Dream Guard. The scales over his eyes protected them from the contaminated water, but his vision was still blurry for a moment, stumbling backward to get out of the range of the hero's sword until he could properly see again. His forearm burned, where he had opened a cut to wet his xiphos with fresh blood—there was filthy water in the wound.

The water came up to Eden's knees, now that the hero had brought more into the tunnel that they were fighting in. His blood had been washed away, to seep somewhere in the tunnels where it would kill any life that tried to grow, any rats or other pestilent animals that touched the water. It provided resistance against his body as he maneuvered to avoid Perseus' sword; the stench was stronger now, almost overpowering. Eden had a sensitive nose, and it was burning as he deflected the hero's sword once again. It was growing hard to move, like he was trying to walk through molasses—the water grabbed at his body like it was trying to hold him still, to keep him in place for its master.

Eden was not a water snake.

As the water continued to rise, light shimmered in Eden's right hand, the gorgon settling into a throwing stance. The light solidified into a javelin, and Eden launched the ranged weapon at his adversary, his accuracy deadly but Perseus' defenses the wild card.

@✠　Eden The movement of the spear led the hero to be forced back, his eyes narrowing. It was a few steps, keeping him from the spear’s threatening tip. He would prefer not to die so swiftly from his own eagerness to get the fight over with. Quite frankly he had no idea if it was possible for him to be brought into life once again - nor did he want to find out. He allowed himself to fall back into the tunnel, not quite slipped around the bend, in a position where he could defend against the next attack before he landed his own.

Around his ankles, the water continued shifting, a precautionary measure. If the venom in the water came towards him, the steady churning would keep it from contact with him. Hence giving him more time to focus on the conscious attacks being made towards him.

Zale’s jaw was set like stone with his teeth grinding together. As the shower of blades came, the hero was forced to use his elements to his advantage. To prevent nicks to his body, a brisk flick of his fingers had a few streams of water rising to misguide a few of the blades that were of risk. The streams landed with an audible splash, and soaked his legs, but the damp was nothing but a comfort as his clothes hugged his skin. The second barrage had him using a similar tactic, though with the speed at which they came had him staggering back a few more paces. Wasting precious seconds gathering himself was the last thing he needed.

Damn the snake and his weapons.

His white-knuckle grip around the kopis in hand tightened, if it were possible. He would not make the mistake of underestimating Enyo a second time. Zale sensed more than swinging a blade was required to bring about the end of the gorgon. His lips pulled tight with concentration, Perseus stepped to regain his fallen ground, while the water churned with more intensity around his ankles. Taking the battle further into the water was a legitimate possibility. It would offer him a constant upper hand. If only he’d dragged the gorgon to a beach for their final conflict.

Nonetheless, he could work comfortably with what he had. The water’s gathering around their feet was of no hinderance to the taller man, though he was hoping to successfully slow down Eden. Even if it was only by moments, it could offer him a chance to land a real attack on the creature.

Zale could feel the tug in his chest as he drew upon the water in the tunnels, drawing more towards him, welcoming it to assist him in his quest. The hero ed forward to attack with his blade one again, as the water behind him moved in unison, his own attempt to unbalance his enemy as he tried to strike.

@✧　Zale Cirillo @☼　Kairos Raptis ↳ ᴊᴜɴᴇ 14, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: the fall - banks

Perseus attacked again, and Eden moved, their swords locking at the hilt. The gorgon's magic funneled into the hero's blade, causing the sword to follow the motion of the captain's weapon with less resistance than if Eden had moved it with only his strength. The antihero followed the motion up with another jab of his spear, forcing Perseus to back further down the tunnels, to give him ground if he didn't want to meet certain doom.

Eden's biggest concern was the water. There was no getting out of it, since they were locking weapons in the tunnels beneath the city, and that gave Zale enough of an upper hand to make the presence of Eden's blood less of an ace in his hand.

/"You'll never escape me."/

Hearing him say it sent an unpleasant chill down Eden's spine, but the guard captain did not shiver, did not reveal that it had affected him. Instead, he smiled—a venomous, cold little affair. "Did you think I would just lay down and die for you, Perseus? You know me better than that." For he had hunted Zale before, much like the hero had hunted him now. He had hunted Zale throughout Greece and put an end to his life, though he had only come back to life to seek his revenge in the long run.

Such was fate, Eden supposed.

"You can hunt me to the ends of the earth and back again but each time I will only aim to destroy you."

Taking a deep breath, the antihero reached into the arsenal of weapons kept pocketed away in other places and began to pull. The glowing silhouettes of daggers and swords began to appear in an arc around him, pointed at Zale as they made the transition into their space and time. Each blade was tipped with Eden's blood, though it was old and not as fresh as that on the sword and spear that he had in hand.

With a downward motion of his dory, the first barrage of the blades flew, splashing as they landed in the water around Zale. He didn't give the hero any time to gather himself and sets the rest of the blades into motion, one after another after another hurtling toward the hero's face, body, hands—Eden watched as none of them landed a blow, but it was enough to hopefully set Perseus' balance a little off-kilter.

The last time they had met, Eden had been young and had not quite grown into his power. He had been the enraged one, the one who sought vengeance and managed to fell Perseus because the hero wasn't prepared for him and hadn't taken him seriously as an opponent.

The Dream Guard captain's eyes were narrowed in concentration again, the xiphos he had been holding gone and his spear switched into his front hand. Pointing it at his opponent, Eden lifted his chin a little higher and glared into Zale's eyes.

"Do your worst."

@✠　Eden The gorgon’s blood was a weapon the hero had to always be cautious of. He’d experienced such destroying agony before, knew the affects it could have. Under no circumstances could he let the poisoned weapons touch him, if he hoped to emerge victorious. The water creature had only his bond to his element, the power he held over the water in terms of naturally brought weapons. But it was an incredible asset compared to the difficulties he would face if he’d still been a mere human. He’d marvelled in his new form, what it brought him. He’d even further learned to manipulate the water in the form of ice - though that did come with its weaknesses.

Of course, his attack was deflected, but Zale did not let himself move with the blade enough to leave his side open. His enemy’s summoning earned a cautious eye from the hero but wasted no time in attempting to land another blow while he was busy, useless against the barrier. His teeth seized the inside of his lip until it drew his own blood as he watched Eden’s trickle into his precious water source. If that was overwhelmed with enough drops of blood, he’d have to back further down the tunnels. The metallic tang in his mouth was of no hinderance to him as he continued.

Allowing his opponent more ground would show Eden how cautious Zale was of the blood.

With a heart racing clang the metal crashed as the swords met, Zale being swift to deflect the sword’s blow. With the stray drops of blood flying from the contact, Perseus took a conscious step back, though was ready with another attack. He had the upper hand of height, but Eden had the agility and stamina to fight back each blow. Their battle would be a lengthy one, until one of them came out victorious.

Already, Zale could tell - this was not a battle of strength, but rather of wits.

Whoever made the first mistake would be the one to fall. If even a second was misplaced, their battle could crumble. Of course, the hero knew not where the right spot to end the creature would be; nor did he know of Eden’s bathing in the Underworld’s river. However - he hadn’t reached this point through impatience. If it meant tearing every limb from the gorgon, that was what he would do.

Another blow from the water element’s blade arched towards his enemy, the hero’s eyes glinting as he threw yet another attempt at disarming the man, or better landing a firm blow. If he did - Zale would even have to take caution with his own blade, of dripping deadly blood onto himself with it as he manoeuvred and attacked.

“You try too hard, Enyo. I won’t let you be victorious this time. Even if you somehow killed me - I’ll just be back again. Again and again, I’ll never let you escape me.”

He spat as he attacked, his voice dropping below the temperature of ice as he attempted to advance.

“You’ll never escape me.”

@✧　Zale Cirillo ↳ ᴊᴜɴᴇ 14, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: misdiagnosed - unlike pluto

Eden's attack was deflected as anticipated. The gorgon pulled the spear back into a defensive posture in front of his body, prepared for any attacks that Perseus—Zale—might throw. His eyes were narrowed, pools of green poison vibrant against an ashy face. "I would not expose the identities of any of the Guard to the likes of you, Perseus," he responded. He blew black hair out of his eye and didn't bother to respond to the rest of Zale's statement. Both of them already knew they were meeting for what could be the final time. Eden had made his choice. He was not going to run from death.

Weeks without him had prepared the Dream Guard for what their lives would be like after his death. If Eden died here, he could die knowing that he had left them at least somewhat prepared.

He wouldn't call them here to fight, wouldn't put any of them in that kind of danger. For now, the enemy didn't know the identities of the Dream Guard. Eden was going to keep it that way for as long as he could, would protect them until he took his last breath.

Eden moved swiftly, bringing the dory up to deflect Zale's blow. Light gathered in his empty left hand, taking the shape of a sword before solidifying into metal and wood and leather. The Guard captain didn't have enough weight behind him to press Zale back, but he had the strength of stone to remain steadfast and keep Zale's sword from bearing down on him with the spear between himself and the weapon. While maintaining that barrier, Eden ran the sword along his forearm, letting his blood spill over the blade.

The fresher the blood, the more potent it was.

Sweeping aside Zale's sword, Eden stepped forward, his own sword arcing down toward the water elemental's shoulder. When his blade was stopped, Eden drew back, settling into a fighting stance with his sword hand forward and his spear hand behind him. Beneath him, his shadow rippled and darkened, like oil settling on the surface of the water.

Eden didn't want to use his innate magic, but if push came to shove, he knew that the darkness was there, lying just beneath the surface of his skin and waiting for him to unleash it.

The tip of his xiphos lifted, pointing accusingly at Zale's nose. The blood coating the blade shimmered in a rainbow of colors in the dim light, dripping slowly into the water that pooled around their feet. It was of no consequence to Eden, for his own blood couldn't harm him.

But if it touched Zale, that would be a different story.

Even if Eden was bound to die here, he was going to put up a fight, and his blood was one weapon that he would always have at his disposal. It was a weapon that couldn't be fought, only avoided, and the smallest of nicks with one of his blades would send an enemy into agony.

But, of course, the problem was landing such a blow.

Just as Eden was a powerful warrior, so was Zale. The hero was skilled, and Eden may have been an antihero but Zale was a man driven by a desire for revenge. Eden's greatest strength at this moment was his mother's protection, how she had bathed him in the River Styx. Zale wasn't aware of where Eden's weakness lay, and that was what was currently keeping the gorgon alive.

@✠　Eden @☼　Kairos Raptis Enyo.

Even death would not save the monster from his wrath. If he’d had the ability, he would rise the gorgon a hundred times if it meant the satisfaction of watching the warmth seep from his body over and over. He’d taste that victory soon. Even if it would just be once - it would make all those years worth it. He could feel it in the way the water thrummed with energy around his ankles, fuelling him with a fury no man should ever face.

Eden would not win again.

The snake would not escape him this time.

How long had it been, since he’d been granted life again? Since he’d begun his journey anew - a tale that felt like a lucid dream of mercilessly training his new body, of learning every whisper the water brought him, never to be told to anyone. Attachments in his daily life would only hinder his progress. He was there to kill, or be killed. To slay the monster, or be slain.

With the new strength coursing through his bones since after his rebirth, the ancient hero was confident in his ability. Down in the city’s intestines, the contaminated water still granted him the upper hand. However, Eden was no easy foe. For weeks he’d been evaded - their inevitable final confrontation held back in the past weeks. What had Enyo been waiting for? For Zale to slow? Weaken? Grow bored of pursuit? This was his passion, his reason. He would obliterate the beast who had killed him. As Perseus had done the gorgon’s mother, in his new skin Zale would murder her spawn. It was a circle of hatred, a long loop finally drawing to a smooth close. The final act of a play, to draw the last shadows of the story to light.

Zale knew when the man approached. He stood at the bend of one of the tunnels, no longer running, merely waiting and listening. The Guard’s Captain would find him in no time. As the whistle of spear in the echoing system alerted him to the attack, the elemental spun to knock away the hit. Even if the landing was small, Eden’s blood would have him writhing with agony until death if he were to recover a wound from the spear.

“Enyo.”

He hissed, as though he was the snake beast between the both of them. “Are you brave enough to face me properly yet, or will you continue running for your pathetic life? Perhaps you should have invited your guard, I won’t be letting you leave this time.”

And so it had begun. The final confrontation, and Zale was determined to draw blood, ideally kill the man before him, or else die in the process. It was the water creature’s turn to attack. He moved with ease through the water, his ankles similarly making little sound as his bones coursed with energy. The blade in his hand cut through the air as he threw an attack of his own towards the gorgon. Similarly he knew; it was likely not to land. Even with the former hero’s strength from the years, Eden had more knowledge of the city. He had the years of life to discover things that Perseus could not hope to catch up on. However the politics of the City of Dreams were no concern of his.

As soon as his revenge had been granted to him, he’d destroy what remained of Eden’s work; after gloating of course to the Guard that he had slain their captain. He was expecting them to be like lost children without him. In their confusion, he’d destroy all that lingered of Eden, wipe him from the earth as though never existing. Then, the hero’s quest would be complete.

@✧　Zale Cirillo @☼　Kairos Raptis ↳ ᴊᴜɴᴇ 14, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: legion - tezatalks
↳ ᴇᴅᴇɴ: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/13/ba/a2/13baa2a1f2a1458a9294fe6b87acd7ff.jpg

The tunnels were dark, but Eden was not a mortal and had no issue seeing in the dark to navigate through the labyrinth of cold, damp stone. It had been silent for too long, no sign of the enemy that should have been hunting him through the water that came up to his ankles. The captain of the Dream Guard would have preferred to not be traveling through water, considering what he had learned about P—no, that wasn't what he was called anymore. He went by a different name.

Even so, he was the same person. He wore new skin, he had a new life—but he was still the same man. He'd stolen the life of Eden's mother, Eden had killed him, and now he had come back and was hunting Eden in his own city.

Eden knew how this ended—or, rather, that it wasn't going to end until one of them was dead. And Eden was already more than aware that he likely wouldn't be the one to emerge victorious; Perseus had been strong in a former life and Perseus was stronger now, when he wasn't just a human. Now he had the powers of a creature to back his quest for revenge, and Eden had already had a taste of what it felt like to be trapped under the hero's blade. The same trick he had used the last time wasn't going to work again. Perseus was no third-rate wannabe hunter like those that Eden had decimated in April. He was a hero. He was born to hunt monsters and now that he had the strength of one...

Well, he was very much a danger to Eden.

The cat and mouse game had lasted for too long. Eden's temple bled sluggishly as he rounded a corner, his dory in hand—prepared for the inevitable conflict. He'd led Perseus around for days on end, bleeding into weeks—how long had it been? Eden couldn't even say.

But he could feel that it was time for the chase to come to an end. He had prolonged this long enough. The Dream Guard had their instructions. Eden knew that they would be able to operate without him, even if they would be... clumsy for a time. He had faith in the abilities that Klahan and Demitri had to lead. He had faith in the rest of the Guard. They didn't need him—they only thought that they did.

They would be fine.

His blood had been the last gift he could give to them. If Daesung had followed his instructions, it should have been distributed to them by now—a fighting advantage, an edge against the war that he knew was coming.

The gorgon was not running. He'd stop running hours before. He had merely been walking through the labyrinth, no longer trying to escape and instead trying to find his enemy in the maze. His footfalls were quiet even in the dirty water that he moved through, eyes scanning the darkness for signs of Perseus—Zale—the man who hunted Eden even as Eden hunted him. They would find each other, and Eden knew that it would be the final encounter.

He could feel the impending darkness, the dread that weighed heavy on his shoulders, and he understood.

Eden had already come to terms with death.

Around another corner, and there he was. His back was to Eden, and the gorgon wasted no time in launching into motion, the tip of his spear that glistened with the gorgon's iridescent, deadly blood driving straight toward his enemy's spine. He knew the blow wouldn't land—it never did—but Eden would not stand dumbly and wait to be attacked.