Tobi looked down; he had defeated the hydra, and his reward lay in a tomb that was shaped so strangely with stairs descending up, and he was walking on his side. The room looked like it changed every step. It was nauseating for him; even the god felt uncomfortable as they walked through the changing space.
The only thing still there was a tomb, and in it lay a creature unknown. It was uneven and unorganized; it drove him mad just looking at it. He took the mask and looked away.
He then looked at the mask in his hand. It felt nostalgic, a core piece of who he is. His finger came to it and examined it: a smile plastered on the mask and two hollow eyes. It felt familiar, even if it was alien.
As he held it to his face, it soothed him for some odd reason, and a cloak appeared with it, enshrouding his body in black.
"That is wicked, boy," the Lord of Flame said bluntly.
"It always was," Tobi replied candidly.
Tobi ascended the tree. A plethora of creatures fled from him as he ascended. Nothing had the gall to bother the lord who reside inside him.
As he walked, he stumbled upon an unexpected scene: a river of blood, thick and sluggish, filled with mutilated corpses.
"This is carnage," the Lord of Flame observed, a note of admiration in his voice.
Tobi nodded, unfazed. The bodies were defiled beyond recognition, their suffering evident even in death. But he and the god were indifferent to it. However, from the corner of his eye, Tobi noticed something where the river of blood ended, perched on a wall: it was...
"Amais," he murmured.
He reached the bloodied boy, who lay lifeless beside a vial. Tobi crouched beside him, eyes narrowing as he examined the scene.
He's dead, he thought bluntly, his gaze shifting around until he spotted something that surprised him: black blood.
A creature of divinity... I was careless.
He admitted to himself and turned his attention back to the vial.
"That vial, it's ichor," the Lord of Flame remarked.
Realization washed over Tobi.
A mortal had drunk the blood of gods.
"Amais," he murmured again, pressing his fingers against the boy's neck. No pulse.
"The blood of gods is said to have regenerative abilities. Look at his body; it's rather pristine, isn't it?" the Lord of Flame said.
Testing the god's theory, Tobi pricked Amais's skin with his fingernail. Even in death, it healed instantly. Unnatural. He had an idea of what he could do now.
Lifting the boy onto his shoulder, he considered if his idea possible. If Amais consumed the fruit that granted immortality while his body was capable of regeneration, maybe he would reawaken, but that also depended on if his brain activity lingered after death. If he could administer the Ambrosia while that window remained open, perhaps a miracle would happen.
"The boy is dead, hunter. Besides, even if he returns, he will be forced to live forever," the god warned.
Tobi didn't flinch or respond, simply going by his own accord.
He needed to reach the Ambrosia. Lifting his free hand, he concentrated, fire searing through his palm as he burned an opening in the tree. He jumped, using his other hand to dig into the bark and climb. Now that Amais was dead, he no longer had to worry about him attacking due to the tree's influence, and his regeneration meant even if the boy was injured, it wouldn't do anything major. The bigger issue was that the tree itself would retaliate. Higher up, the serpent-like branches would lash out to stop him.
Have you had the fruit before?
Yes, but I don't know how to tell if one is ripe, the god said bluntly.
Tobi nodded. He would have to go through trial and error.
Are you sure about this, Hunter? The boy, he's probably dead, the god said solemnly.
Tobi considered his options. The most efficient method was to fly, propelling himself with flames. He focused fire on his back, feeling it swell and shift. Then he propelled himself forward, the flames pushing him upward as he began running vertically along the tree.
The tree reacted, its serpent-like branches lunging at him. Tobi twisted midair, angling his flames for control as he wove through them. Two massive branches shot toward him, attempting to crush him.
Tobi clenched his teeth and leaped, igniting a more intense burst of fire beneath his feet. He shot into the air, but the manoeuvre threw off his stability.
He spiralled out of control.
He could hear the Lord of Flames laughing hysterically in the back of his head. None of it had mattered, though he was starting to understand.
His body had remembered the rhythm. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stabilize. Slowly, the chaotic spiralling evened out. His control returned.
He glanced at Amais, who was still burning and regenerating, before looking ahead once more.
The tree's defences weren't done. More branches slashed toward him. He manoeuvred around them, steadily ascending. He was fast. He couldn't afford to waste time clearing them away, and finally, he sped past them, outmanoeuvring the wicked wooden snakes.
This high up, the branches couldn't reach him since the fruits hung there; the problem was the fruits hung in clusters and rows, untouched; there weren't nearly as many as he had expected, but it was called a delicacy amongst the gods, so it made sense.
He would have to check one by one.
It was tedious. He would enter it, give it to Amais, feel his heart, then move to the next if it wasn't the right one. Amais was dead anyway, so it's not like he'd just die again. So, again and again, he searched. The process tedious.
But finally Amais had woken up without a heartbeat, and Tobi nodded now that the boy was somewhat alive. He was undead, really, yet still human after all.