Hel: Since the favor I owed is now complete, I don't need you helping the other kids out.
Fidi fell forward and collapsed to the ground. Lykos' eyes shot open, scanning the scene in confusion. As if in response to some unseen force, his hair darkened, strands turning pitch black, and his clothes shifted in kind. The air around him grew heavier, more foreboding—Argos had taken over.
With a sharp inhale, Argos pushed himself upright, his fingers already curling around the hilt of Crescent Moon. His gaze flickered downward, locking onto the orb that had slipped from Fidi's grasp the moment he vanished. Without hesitation, he snatched it up. Hel barely had time to react before Argos snapped his fingers, and in an instant—everything stopped. The world around him, even a shadowed figure lurking behind, was caught in a frozen stillness.
Argos: Huh, so that's how it works...
He turned his head slightly, taking in the eerie silence.
Argos: Where am I?
Before he could make sense of his surroundings, a presence made itself known. A voice, disembodied yet rich with authority, resonated through the air.
Arakhis: Welcome to my pocket dimension. Now, cease and return our lady's power.
Argos smirked, tightening his grip on his weapon.
Argos: As if.
With a swift motion, he hurled Crescent Moon forward, aiming straight for the source of the voice. But before it could land, a translucent wall materialized out of nowhere, halting its path. Arakhis emerged from the ground behind Argos, his polearm already swinging down. Sensing the attack, Argos teleported backward, his hand instinctively reaching out—his axe returned to him in an instant.
Argos: With this power... I can do anything. What makes you think you can stop me?
Arakhis: Simple. You're not in your domain anymore. I control everything here.
Argos chuckled, rolling his shoulders.
Argos: Too bad you can't control your fate.
He leaped high into the air, testing Arakhis' reaction. In response, Arakhis conjured a massive stone pillar from below, slamming into Argos mid-air and sending him plummeting down. But as he fell, Argos flipped, planting his feet against his axe, and propelled himself forward, using it as a makeshift glider.
Arakhis scowled and summoned more pillars, attempting to knock him off balance, but Argos only grew faster. As he closed in, Arakhis vanished into the ground, resurfacing at a distance, keeping his evasive rhythm. But Argos was already catching on.
Tightening his grip, he suddenly shot upward, twisting his body mid-air. He yanked his axe behind him, channeling his strength, then hurled it down with devastating force.
Arakhis barely had time to react. He conjured wall after wall, but the axe tore through them like paper. The closer it got, the more it ignited, flames licking at its edges before it slammed into Arakhis' head. The impact sent a violent ripple through the pocket dimension, causing it to crack and unravel. As Arakhis crumbled, two orbs slipped from his grasp, and an orange glow flared briefly where he had stood.
Argos barely spared it a glance. He reached down, snatched up the orbs, and activated them.
In a blink, he was back in the darkened chamber he had started in. His eyes immediately found Hel—and the other presence that had been lurking there. A wicked grin curled on his lips as he raised his hand.
With a snap, time resumed.
Argos: Now to find a way out of this place... and back to everyone.
A slow, unsettling chuckle escaped him, growing into something more sinister.
Argos: What fun it'll be to relive the past...
His laughter echoed through the room, his gaze piercing through the darkness—looking directly at... Y̷̗̹͠Ọ̵͂U̶̧͓̇.
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