Athena held her breath as she stared at Mors, her mind racing with countless thoughts. His condition wasn’t a normal sickness.
It wasn’t even sothing as simple as a poison or a hidden injury from battle. It was sothing far worse, sothing beyond the realm of dicine or science.
Sothing deeply supernatural.
And it terrified her.
Mors had always been strong, a force to be reckoned with. In her past life, he had been nearly invincible, a war hero who had never wavered.
But now, as she looked at him pale and trembling, dark blood staining his lips, she realized he had been hiding sothing far more sinister than just an illness.
She reached out, her fingers brushing against his damp forehead. His skin was cold, yet there was an underlying heat beneath, as if his body was caught between two extres.
Mors’ breathing was erratic, and his body tensed under her touch, as if he was barely holding himself together.
"Athena…" His voice was hoarse, and strained, but there was sothing else hidden in it. A warning.
But Athena didn’t move away.
"Mors, tell the truth," she whispered. "What’s happening to you?"
He closed his eyes briefly, his jaw clenching as though he was fighting an unseen battle. Then, with a shaky breath, he finally spoke.
"…I rember."
Athena stiffened. "You rember?"
Mors nodded weakly. "Not everything. But fragnts… dreams… flashes of another life."
His silver eyes flickered open again, this ti swirling with sothing darker, sothing unstable. "I know that you were there… and I know that I lost you."
Athena’s heart pounded. He had mories of their past life.
"How much do you rember?" she asked cautiously.
Mors’ eyes darkened, and his fingers curled into fists. "I rember the war. The battle against the demon gods. The mont I held you in my arms as you…"
His voice faltered, as if saying it aloud would make the mory more real. "I rember Severina."
Athena sucked in a sharp breath.
Severina.
The demon goddess who had slain her in the last life. The one whose existence had driven Mors into madness and destruction.
"I killed her," Mors murmured. "I destroyed her, but… sothing changed after that." His hands trembled as he lifted them slightly.
"The blessing of the Saintess’ sword, Elsienflora, it should have purified everything. But instead… it was tainted."
Athena’s stomach twisted in dread.
She had read countless historical texts about Saintess swords, divine weapons forged with holy light to purge darkness.
But to hear that a sword as pure as Elsienflora had been tainted? It was nearly unthinkable.
Mors took a ragged breath, his entire body tense. "Ever since that battle, my soul… it’s been unstable. The power within , it’s not just mine anymore."
His silver eyes locked onto hers, filled with sothing raw and pained. "There’s darkness inside , Athena. A darkness that doesn’t belong to ."
Athena’s blood ran cold.
The eruption of dark energies, his sudden collapse, the black blood, it all made sense now. The power of a demon goddess had tainted him.
"What happens when it takes over?" she asked hesitantly.
Mors hesitated.
And then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he said, "I lose control."
Athena’s hands clenched at her sides.
"I don’t just lose control," he continued, his voice hollow.
"I kill. Without thought, without reason. It’s like a curse. When the darkness consus , I forget who I am. I only know destruction."
Athena inhaled sharply.
In her past life, she had heard whispers of Mors’ unrestrained massacres after her death. But she had never been there to see it. Now, the reality of it sent shivers down her spine.
"You… you’ve been enduring this all alone?" she asked.
Mors let out a small, humorless chuckle. "Who else could I tell?"
Athena’s heart ached.
He had been suffering. Carrying this burden alone, afraid to let anyone see the monster clawing beneath his skin.
She reached for his hand. His fingers twitched slightly, but he didn’t pull away.
"How do you fight it?" she asked softly.
Mors was silent for a long mont. Then, his grip on her hand tightened slightly. "You."
Athena’s breath hitched.
"When you’re near, it’s easier to hold it back," Mors admitted. "Your presence… it keeps grounded."
He closed his eyes for a brief mont, as if drawing strength from her touch. "That’s why I don’t want you to see like this. I don’t want you to be afraid."
Athena swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Mors," she said firmly. "I’m not afraid of you."
He opened his eyes, surprised.
"I’ve seen who you are," she continued. "I’ve seen your strength, your kindness, your loyalty. You are not the darkness trying to consu you."
Her grip on his hand tightened. "And you are not alone."
For a mont, Mors simply stared at her.
Then, sothing inside him seed to ease. His shoulders relaxed slightly, and the tension in his body lessened. The raging storm in his eyes dimd, if only by a fraction.
Athena exhaled in relief.
But she knew this wasn’t over.
Mors’ condition wasn’t sothing that could be solved overnight. The darkness inside him wouldn’t just disappear. If anything, it was growing stronger.
She needed to find a way to help him.
But for now, she would do the only thing she could, stay by his side.
She leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss against his forehead. "Rest," she whispered. "I’ll be here."
Mors let out a slow breath. And this ti, when he closed his eyes, he didn’t look as burdened.
Athena watched over him, her resolve hardening.
No matter what happened, she would not let the darkness take him.
Athena sat beside Mors, refusing to let go of his hand.
His breathing had steadied, and though his body was still weak, he no longer looked like he was on the verge of breaking apart.
She gently brushed away the strands of hair sticking to his damp forehead, her heart aching at the sight of him like this.
She had been given a second chance, and now she knew why. It wasn’t just to change her fate, it was to save him.
Mors wasn’t beyond saving.
And no matter what, she would fight for him, just as he had always fought for her.
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