Heavy Lies the Crown

As the two wolves, living and dead, embraced, Resin did her best to explain the shift in her demeanor. Emotions were diluted in this realm. He simply nuzzled into the side of her neck. "You don't need to explain anything," he reassured his mother. Artorias knew she had loved him in life, had memories of her smiling as she trained him and the pride she'd shown him when they fought together. Whatever death had done to Resin, he knew the truth of the matter. She was his mother—perhaps not in blood, but in every other sense of the word that leant it meaning. Again Resin reassured him that the right thing to do for Bowen was to let her go and to either thrive or perish. As much as Artorias wanted to resist or rebel against that perspective, he couldn't. What other alternative did he have? Protecting her and sheltering her had only seemed to exacerbate her struggles. It was difficult for him to be so detached and analytical like Resin was, but was that not why he had sought her wisdom? What else had he expected her to tell him?

On the topic of her blood son, Resin's gaze narrowed and her expression hardened. Artorias had expected some sort of emotional reaction from his mother's spirit, but it hadn't been this. Oxx had apparently been such a blight on the world that even his own mother saw value in his demise. It made the Aegis wonder what had happened in his adoptive brother's life to make him such a violent and malevolent being. Resin stated that her grave meant nothing, but that hadn't been the point. Artorias' eyes steeled, the righteous fire smoldering in those blazoned jewels. "It does to me." Perhaps a spirit had no concern for an earthly grave, but for the living, it was all that remained of their deceased loved one. It was a sacred place built on hallowed ground. Oxx had defiled it and shown wicked disregard for that sanctity, and for that, he would suffer the consequences. Resin explained what he already knew of Oxx, of the sociopath's violent and deranged behavior, and of his deadly prowess. She cautioned Artorias not to underestimate him and to be as crafty as he was. Then she advised him to bring a team and run the fucker down. Show him no quarter, give him no mercy. While that was not the ideal that Artorias would normally hold to, his prior run-in with the maniac had proven just how right Resin was. Oxx was a rabid dog who needed to be put down swiftly and without remorse. Any hesitation or mercy would only lead to more death, and honor meant nothing when war was unfair.

"I'll do my best, Mom," Artorias assured her with a resolute nod. He would not fail; he could not fail in this endeavor. He remembered what Resin and Ulric had told him about what being the Aegis meant. He was responsible for safeguarding his wolves and defending the pack from dangers and threats. Right now, there was no greater threat to his family's existence than Oxx. Artorias didn't know how much time he and Resin would have left before he would be pulled back from the spirit world and into the realm of the living. Every second counted. Before their time ran out, he needed to say one final thing. "I hope I've made you proud, Mom. I hope the Hallows became all that you dreamed it would be." Whether Resin could feel the emotions the same as the living or not, he just hoped she was proud of what her dream had become. All Artorias had done in life, he'd done to uphold those ideals set forth by his mother.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"