ioche

iv

Dolis appeared in his father's throne room, his head pounding. "This is getting out of hand."

Before Xiros could respond, the two of them felt the massive presence of souls appearing before them. It had been like this for weeks, the realm seeing a large intake of the dead. Xiros had predicted this would happen, but not at this alarming rate.

Xiros held a hand out, letting each soul rest in his hand as he judged the course of action for each soul to take in the afterlife. "This is concerning," he told Dolis.

"How did the mortals hear about this? Surely the gods and the council wouldn't have wished for this."

Xiros took care of the remaining five souls before turning to his son. "The gods must've told their followers. Answered their prayers and offered this opportunity to them as well."

Dolis scoffed. "And spark this? Death and wreckage to Estruela?"

Xiros frowned. "It is rather outrageous."

"It's putting a strain on you and the others. It'll be like the Great War all over again. Surely you can feel Dulo's blood stirring?"

Though he knew his father felt the thrumming, he asked to confirm it. Xiros had always been more keen and able to manage the subtle changes in Dulo's curse; Dolis, however, had lost the ability during the war. One simple bout of rage could make Dolis snap, chaos wreaking havoc on whatever was around him.

"Yes," Xiros said meekly. "It is troubling, but we must endure, Dolis."

"Your realm will be overrun." They watched as a dozen more souls appeared. "It's only been a couple of weeks."

Xiros took the souls in haste, acting his judgment over them, before sending them off accordingly. Most were sent off to a peaceful end, signifying that most had been innocent and faced needless deaths. The weight of that information was heavy on both of their shoulders.

Once they had been dealt with, Xiros peeled himself away from the throne, approaching the pacing Dolis, ignoring the incoming souls momentarily to address his son's concerns. "We will endure as we always have, son. This is nothing new for us."

Dolis shook his head. "You know it's different. This is far too much for us to deal with—for me to deal with. I cannot control Dulo's curse like you; you know this. If this continues and intensifies—"

Xiros took Dolis' shaky hands in his, squeezing them tightly before pressing his forehead against his. It had been a gesture Xiros had often done when Dolis was a young god, a cold and calming feeling spread down to his toes. "We will endure," he repeated. "I will not allow the curse to take you again."

"No," Dolis muttered. "Don't..."

He wasn't sure what he could say, but Dolis knew that promises were never either of their fortes. It was impossible with the curse they shared.

"If I were to lose myself," Dolis added with a shudder. "If I were to become like Dulo himself...All I ask is you put a stop to it before I ruin everything."

"Dolis—"

"I swear, father." Dolis gripped his arms, pulling their foreheads apart to stare into his father's obsidian eyes. "If it means facing an eternity of punishment or reliving these events of my past crimes in one of your perpetual time loops, I'd gladly take that over, letting everything burn at Dulo's cursed blood. You are the only one I can trust to stop me—possibly the only one that can."

Xiros, who prided himself in being stoic and steadfast, let out a shaky breath. "It will not come to that, I swear it."

It was an empty promise that Dolis knew neither of them could actualize; Dulo's curse was far more powerful than both combined.