Work Text:
I guess space, and time
Takes violent things, angry things
And makes them kind
Let there be light, let there be light
Let me be right
It was one of those days again.
He was in the pit, his staff in hand, facing a robot twice as tall as him. One of his knees was scraped bloody, and it gave him a limp he did his best to ignore, but two more of the hazmats were lying broken in the sand already - so all things considered, he was doing pretty well for himself.
Not well enough, though, he guessed with a brief glance at Cassandra, who was watching the fight with her usual sour expression. He was eight years old now, and for as long as he could remember, the woman had raised him just like this: by having him go up against her robots and letting him figure out all by himself what he had to do if he didn't want to spend the rest of the day in pain. It had taken a while - a long, long while -, but at this point, he was able to take down about four of them without receiving any notable hits himself.
Usually, anyway. Today, try as he might, it was impossible to stay focused, to think about anything other than what had happened the day before.
How could he not think about having killed somebody?
Again. About having killed somebody again.
The first time had been a few months ago, a man that had already been tied up, so all he had had to do was finish him off. The second and, now, the third time, they hadn't bothered with that anymore - he'd been sent into the person's cell, and the confined space had been the only restraint. Which meant these people had actually fought back, only for him to still end their lives within hardly a minute. Not because he'd hated them; he didn't even know their names. But Cassandra had ordered him to, and it wasn't like he could have refused.
It still didn't mean he'd had any sleep last night. Or food, feeling far too sick for it to stay in. And yet of course he still had to fight here in the pit today, because it didn't matter how he was feeling. He was weak, so he needed to get stronger, simple as that.
He was trying. He really was. But he had already been exhausted and starved before this match had begun, and now it was two hazmats later, and it was definitely starting to show.
I can do it, he fiercely tried to convince himself, because the truth wasn't really helping: I have to, or everything is just gonna get even worse. And so he dodged the remaining robot's attacks, attempted to break its legs or, better yet, the central technology in its chest -
He knew it was over the second it happened.
A millisecond too slow, and the hazmat got a hold of his staff, twisting it so abruptly that he was thrown to the ground, sand digging into his palms as he caught himself. It dug into the wound on his knee as well, and he bit back a cry of pain, not even trying to get back up anymore. He wouldn't have made it in time anyway, and so he simply braced himself for the inevitable.
The metal foot of the robot kicked him, hard, and he collapsed face first in the sand.
It hurt just as much as it always did.
Cassandra didn't say anything to comfort him, of course not. In fact, she said the exact opposite; words he was used to but that still hurt all the same. Then she made him drag himself back up, did a very brief check to see if anything was broken, and when it turned out it wasn't, she had him clean his wound and his sand-stained body before he had to limp the whole way back to his room without any support, all of it under her uncaring glare.
"There will be no training for the rest of the week", she told him once they had reached it, a tiny cold cell with gray metal walls, a plain sink and toilet, and a mattress so hard it might as well not be there at all. "I have more important matters to take care of. But I expect you back at peak performance by the time I return, understood?"
Or else, was the implication, he'd learned that long ago. "Yes, Cassandra."
A brisk nod, then she left him be. Would leave him be for four entire days, probably because she was returning to the mainland to spend time with her daughter or something. She'd never told him that, obviously, but he'd accompanied her to some meetings with other adults by now... and with how bleak his life typically was, he had always used the opportunity to take in all the information he possibly could. Maybe it would come in handy, someday, somehow.
A long time ago, he used to be relieved about any amount of time away from Cassandra, and in a way, he still was. Not having to fight in the pit was always a good thing, especially when he was already injured and still distraught by a recent mission, but that didn't mean these other days were nice. They were hours upon hours of being all alone with his pain and his thoughts, with nothing to do in his cold, gray room but make sure he'd be fit and ready for his next fight. Which Cassandra would make tougher on purpose, because he "needed a challenge" after his break.
So it wasn't a break at all, really. It was just a different kind of awful.
The first day, he did nothing but lie on the hard mattress that was his bed, giving his body a chance to heal and his thoughts the perfect opportunity to dwell on his recent mission again. At least now he had all the time in the world to cry without anyone but the hazmats bringing him food to judge him for it.
The second day, he was feeling a little bit better, at least physically speaking. Was it enough to take down the robot that would soon show up with his lunch? It might be, and for a moment, he toyed with the idea of escaping. He had seen some parts of the building by now, at the very least; finding the exit couldn't be that hard, right? And as for where to go afterwards, well, he'd figure something out.
But Coral Grove was an island, as he'd learned some time ago. He didn't know much about what that meant, just that making it all the way to the mainland was probably incredibly difficult, and that at this point in time, it wasn't really worth the risk. Previous escape attempts from a few years ago had taught him the hard way what a bad idea they'd been, and although he would likely get farther now than he had then, he knew he had to have a foolproof plan before committing to it. If he didn't, he'd get caught, and he didn't even want to imagine how Cassandra would decide to punish him.
So he did nothing, and spent the rest of the day in uneventful isolation.
The third day, something happened.
He was immediately on alert when he heard the approaching footsteps, and even more so when he realized they were new. Not Cassandra, not one of her robots - these were slow, and heavy, and accompanied by a rhythmic clicking sound. An intruder?, he wondered. And, traitorously, Someone to get me out of here?
One of Cassandra's acquaintances, more likely. Either way, it was best not to risk anything, so he hurriedly got up from his bed and stood at attention, head bowed and not letting on about his still aching pains.
His visitor unlocked the door to his room; he could tell from the whirring noise as it slid open. Then a shadow fell over him, and with his head still low, all he could see was the other's lower body, as well as their hands resting on a walking stick.
Leathery, yellow hands.
Despite his training, he simply couldn't help looking up, only to find his visitor being just as tall as the hazmats, if not taller, and with a broader frame. They were wearing regular clothing, but instead of a human, he found himself staring at something he, with his limited knowledge of the world, couldn't put into words. Some sort of animal with slit pupils and dry, wrinkled skin, and teeth he didn't need to see to guess how sharp they were.
And I'm supposed to fight it, he realized. Maybe Cassandra wasn't here, but this creature looked like it could very well judge his performance on its own. Was it stronger than the robots?
It looked smarter, at least, which absolutely didn't bode well for him. Yet he knew what was expected of him, so he assumed a battle-ready stance that, he hoped, hid all of his fear and his injuries.
His visitor made a noise that, at the very least, didn't come across like a threatening growl, although he wasn't entirely sure what it really was. But it made no move to attack him either.
"Don't worry, little one", it - no, it sounded like a he - said instead, in a low and guttural voice that was somehow still more gentle than Cassandra's had ever been. "I did not come to hurt you."
He didn't dare relax, not yet. "Who are you?"
"Someone who wants to help you."
The words set off something unfamiliar in him. "You're getting me out of here?", he blurted - he'd thought of it himself, of course, but he hadn't considered it an actual possibility. Then he realized he'd said it out loud, and he immediately braced himself. If Cassandra had heard him just now...
Mercifully, his visitor didn't punish him for his insolence. But he did shake his head. "I'm afraid that is not within my power. Miss Mann is the person in charge of this company, and I cannot risk going directly against her. However, I can at least attempt to make your situation more bearable. Have you ever been outside?"
"Outside the building?"
The creature hummed in affirmation, and he frowned in a mix of frustration and fear.
"I'm not ready yet. I have to be perfect before I can go on real missions."
"And end people's lives, yes. I've heard." His visitor's face remained grim, but his voice was so full of sympathy, maybe he just couldn't make different expressions at all. "Though I was not referring to the mainland. This island is big enough beyond the architecture, and Miss Mann should allow you to engage with it. Come on."
Without waiting for his reaction, the creature turned and walked off. He followed almost mechanically, although he still couldn't believe this was actually happening. "Does Cassandra know you're here?"
"No. And what I am about to show you will remain between you and me. I will have a word with her, however, and if all goes well, your situation should improve tremendously. Even if Miss Mann herself is still unwilling to treat you better."
That was okay, he thought. Just anything at all improving was already like a dream come true. "Why do you call her Miss Mann?", he asked his savior - he'd only ever heard Cassandra be addressed as Mrs McAdams before.
The other stayed quiet for a moment, calling and entering an elevator before he replied. "It was her name before she got married, but I still consider it more appropriate. Mann is part of the company name, after all, and she is the head of it, just like her grandmother used to be."
All this talk about family only reminded him that he didn't have any of his own. Just Cassandra, but she clearly didn't consider him family, and he himself also had a vague understanding of how actual relatives would have treated him much, much better. Except for his parents, probably... they really had to hate him to let all of this happen to him, unless he didn't even have parents at all and had just been created in the company's labs or something. They could have done that, probably; they could do pretty much everything.
"It's kind of unfair", he muttered, which was still louder than he'd have dared to say it around Cassandra. "She gets like three different things to call her, and I don't even have one."
The creature regarded him thoughtfully. "You'll earn it, I'm sure. If not a name, then a title, at least. Just like I did, a long time ago."
He listened, intrigued. "What's your title?"
"His Eminence."
"What does that mean?"
"It was the designation borne by the leaders of my species, many thousand years ago. Of course, now that I am the only reptilian left, it is hardly of relevance anymore... but perhaps that will change again someday. I hope it does."
There was something to his tone that he couldn't quite place, maybe the same sadness he himself was feeling for the other right now. He wanted to know more, so much more, but before he could have said anything at all, the elevator came to a stop.
And moments later, they were outside.
He had caught a few glimpses of the island before; through windows during the times he had accompanied Cassandra to meetings. But from all the way up there on the higher floors of the building, everything had seemed so small - the rocky hills, the forest, and somehow, even the water around them. Now he was actually on ground level, and the trees weren't just greenish dots, they were pillars as tall as five hazmats at least. The beach wasn't just a yellow-gray mass, it was made of tiny grains very similar to the sand in the pit. And the endless blue of the ocean only felt all the more vast now that it was right in front of him.
Not scary, though, he had to admit. The push and pull of the waves was the most calming sound he'd heard in years, if not ever, and he could have kept standing here for hours and more. Or he followed his urge to run around and explore the island, for as long as he still had the chance.
His Eminence, however, seemed to have a clear destination in mind. The reptilian headed straight for the edge of the water, and so he followed... not because he would get punished if he didn't, something he was strangely confident wasn't going to happen. Just because he wanted to see what came next.
It was a wooden path leading quite a long way out into the open ocean, which seemed a little bit strange to him. He knew that everyone used submarines and helicopters to get on or off the island, so what could this thing be for?
His Eminence didn't stop before it, he led him further and further, all the way until the very end of the path. Only then did he actually cast a glance back to him. "This might appear frightening to you at first. But it is safe, I assure you. It is merely something I believe you should see."
With that, he knelt down, running one of his clawed fingers across the palm of his other hand. It wasn't a deep cut, but still, there was blood now - very human-like, dark red blood -, and he held the hand down into the water, where the blood promptly dispersed. It must have hurt with all the salt, but His Eminence showed no reaction. He just... waited.
He didn't dare ask about what was going on, and so he waited as well, confused but also undeniably curious. His senses were on high alert just like during his pit fights, and only about a minute later, his eyes caught a glimpse of ripples in the water far off to the right. "Something's happening!"
His Eminence only nodded, rising back to his feet. Just then, a creature emerged from the water, some sort of predator with dark greenish skin and dangerous-looking teeth that were visible even with its maw closed. Its head alone was over twice as large as His Eminence's entire body, and he could tell that the rest of its silhouette went on for much, much longer below.
"The leviathan", His Eminence explained as it slowly approached them, although it was still quite some distance away. As he kept speaking, it sounded like he was just as far away with his thoughts. "It has dwelled in these waters for thousands of years, for so long that it has been revered even when my species was in its prime. My reptilian blood draws it in from a mile away, though not to eat me, of course. I assume it is merely glad to know it is not the only being of days long gone that is still around today; it understandably does not recognize me specifically from all that time ago."
"Then why is it coming so close?"
His Eminence's gaze focused again, and for a moment even his reptilian face looked surprised. The leviathan hadn't stopped; it was still swimming towards them, but did so slowly and calmly instead of a hunter thirsting for prey. Its yellow-green eyes were strangely intelligent, too, and despite the enormous and imposing sight that it was, they honestly looked... curious, more than anything. Maybe even intrigued.
He didn't know why, but now it was him who knelt down, surprised to realize he wasn't afraid at all. Somehow, he felt that he wasn't in any danger, and so he held out his hand, watching in awe as the leviathan came closer and closer. Until it had reached him and lifted its head even more above the water, where it let him rest his hand against its rough, dark skin.
And for the first time in all the years he could remember, he smiled.
Before long, the leviathan let out a very bestial snort, almost as if to say goodbye. Then it disappeared under the water again, only the ripples still indicating its path.
He didn't know what to say. What to feel, other than overwhelming amazement. "That... that was..."
"That was quite something indeed", His Eminence said. Even he sounded a little taken aback, but in a good way, and he quickly returned to a less affected tone. "Although I should not be surprised. After all, I was going to give you this regardless."
From a pocket of his coat, he retrieved something that looked like a sort of necklace, although it was much too small for the reptilian himself. Not for a human, however, and before he knew it, His Eminence had put it on him.
It really was a necklace - a red and a blue head of beasts that almost looked like the leviathan, attached to a simple cord. Somehow, he had the strange feeling that he'd seen them before, and the weight of the necklace itself also felt... familiar, in a way. As if around his neck was exactly where it was supposed to be.
"This is an ancient medallion", His Eminence explained, making him look back up from his gift. "Worn by the greatest warriors of my people and handed down for thousands of years. It has been a long time... a very long time... since the reptilians roamed this planet, and I have hoped I would find someone worthy of carrying on their legacy."
He was hit by a wave of sympathy again. Maybe he didn't know His Eminence's full story yet, and he didn't want to cause him any more pain by asking, but still - the two of them were just so similar, with no one who cared about them but each other, and he was incredibly honored to have been trusted with an item that was so important to his new friend.
"Miss Mann is far from done with her treatment of you", His Eminence went on. "It will continue to be hard, and painful, and she will force you to kill many more people. I cannot stop any of that. But I will do what I can to make it bearable." For just a second, his finger nudged the medallion again. "You may be human, yet there is also a dragon inside you. Never forget that, do you understand? It will carry you through whatever it is you need to do."
He clutched his new necklace tightly again, trying to believe that with all his heart. "I want to help you too", he blurted. "You've done so much for me already, there's gotta be something I can do for you."
"Not yet", the reptilian told him, still so gentle that it was hard to get used to. "Just holding on through your training will be enough. But should I ever require your skills in the future, will I be able to count on you?"
He squared his shoulders and lifted his head to at least try to properly meet the other's eyes. Determination filled him, but for once, it wasn't a grim necessity; it was there because he wanted it to be. "Yes, Your Eminence."
His Eminence stayed true to his word. He spoke with Cassandra, and over time, he helped him improve his situation in many more ways than one. For example, a significant part of his training soon took place in the nature outside, where he could practice running and climbing and swimming and, of course, sneaking up on his victims for missions in the field. He received an actual room, with a bed that was actually a bed, and a bunch of cloned men were sent to help him catch up on the education people his age were supposed to receive, along with some more deadly subjects specifically chosen for him. The men were nicer than Cassandra, but in His Eminence's words not entirely sane, and they honestly didn't treat him much like a person either. Only the reptilian ever did.
His assassination missions only multiplied as the years went on, and they never stopped being difficult to bear. Nor did Cassandra stop hating him, so his life was still mostly pain and mistreatment - both mental and physical -, with the occasional kindness from His Eminence thrown in.
Such as Priscilla, a snake the reptilian had gifted him soon after their leviathan visit and that had bonded with him just as quickly. She never left his side in all the years that passed... well, until her untimely death not long ago.
It had now been twelve years since he had first met His Eminence, and for the most part, not much about his role in the company had changed in all this time. But very recently, revelations had virtually dropped at a breakneck pace, culminating in him meeting his actual biological family that, on top of that, didn't hate him after all. Cassandra had stolen him from them, allegedly, and when he had confronted her with it, she'd killed Priscilla in that fight. So he had set out to take his revenge once and for all... and learned that apparently, everything had been His Eminence's fault all along. Apparently, the reptilian had never actually cared about him, only manipulated him into being his blindly loyal pawn.
Right now, the only person to claim all of this was an old man who had never played a role in his life before then - at least not that he could remember, because Finnwich had allegedly raised him for several years before His Eminence had taken him. But was he really supposed to buy any of it?
He wouldn't, not until he'd spoken about it with the reptilian himself. Which was probably a bad idea - dangerous, in any case -, yet he knew there was no way around it. Whatever the truth about his past was, he had to hear it from him.
So here he was now, back in Coral Grove, on his way to His Eminence after just having made the momentous decision not to kill Cassandra for everything she had done to him. Not for her sake, of course, but for his own... killing her wouldn't have brought him peace, Finnwich had been right about that at least. But what if the man's claims about His Eminence turned out to be right as well? What would he do then?
He didn't know, and he hoped he didn't have to find out.
Where was the reptilian, anyway? At the wooden pier, that would be poetic. Everything started there, might as well also make it the place where everything ends.
Fate did not let him have this small pleasure, however. Because of course he first checked the other's private apartment, and of course it was also where His Eminence happened to be... which at least had the upside of Cassandra's robots not being able to follow him here. This loft had always been the reptilian's sole domain, so that was one less issue to worry about.
He found His Eminence slouched in an armchair, reading a book - who'd have thought he could slouch? -, and at the sound of his footsteps, he didn't even look up.
And why would he have? He knew from the sound who he was, and had no reason to suspect any sort of ill will. They had last parted on good terms, after all. And even on good terms, it had long become their custom for him to kneel for His Eminence and greet him respectfully before expecting any sort of reaction.
Not today, though. Today, this was a matter of serious personal business, and he would make that clear from the very beginning.
"Hello, Ištaran."
Now the reptilian looked up at him after all. Slowly, very slowly, he put his book down and sat up straight, which put the two of them at just about eye level. From there, he regarded him with an expression that, as usual, was impossible to read. "I must admit, I did not expect you back on the island this soon."
It was a statement that hardly meant anything at all, but it was also smart, in a way. Anything more substantial, something like "Li Ping." or "Where did you hear that name?", would only have escalated the conversation far too quickly, and now it also remained unclear whether he should expect a threat from the reptilian or not. He kind of wished there had been an open threat; the sooner he knew how to make up his emotions about His Eminence, the better.
"Oh, you know", he decided to say, his own tone just as unreadable. "Just some unfinished business."
"I can tell." The reptilian's eyes moved to the staff on his back. "Have you come to kill me?"
No accusations, no mockery like what Cassandra had given him. Only a neutral question. He could have done some taunting of his own now, to mess with His Eminence like he had apparently messed with him, but for once, it didn't feel like something he wanted to do.
"No", he said truthfully. "I'm just here to talk."
"About what?"
He bit his lip. "About the truth. Finnwich told me some things today, and a lot of them don't line up with what you've taught me in the past. I want to know why. And I want to hear it from you."
"Of course it was Maxwell Finnwich", His Eminence more or less muttered to himself, though not without a hint of affection in his frustration. Addressing him again, he continued, "Very well. What would you like to have clarity on?"
Was it really going to be that easy - just ask for answers, and he'd get them? Either the reptilian had nothing to hide, or a way to get rid of him if he did. Whichever the case, it was best to take this chance while it lasted.
He decided to start at the beginning. "Finnwich said that he was the one who raised me for the first five years of my life, before you were the person giving the order to take me. He told me that you made Cassandra take care of me, and that you also could've made her stop her horrible treatment of me completely, but you didn't, because it was such a good way to make me loyal to you instead."
"Indeed it was", the reptilian agreed. But he didn't sound evil or triumphant, only neutral, and he soon followed it up with more. "Everything you just said is true. I do admit that, and I understand how it must have made you feel. For that, I apologize. But at the time, it was simply necessary."
"Necessary?", he repeated, raising his voice against His Eminence for the first time ever. "I was beaten up by robots on the daily, had to sleep in a prison cell, and wasn't allowed to see anyone but a woman who let me know how much she hated me every chance she got - and you're calling that necessary?"
"It was", His Eminence said again. "At the time."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I needed you to be loyal to me, and this was the most efficient way to achieve it."
Efficient? That was it? "You never cared about me, did you?", he asked. "You didn't help me because you wanted to make me feel better, you just did it so I could be a pawn in your plans. Because my name was Li Ping and my grandfather was oh so special, so I was supposed to be too. But other than that, I never actually meant anything to you."
He could tell he was on the verge of crying, so he averted his gaze, focusing on his breathing. He wasn't going to have a breakdown, not now, not here.
It felt like a long time until His Eminence spoke again. "No. Not when I first learned about you, or when I gave you to Miss Mann. Not when I first decided to visit you, either."
Now he could feel the tears spilling out of him after all, although he still did his best to keep it together. It wasn't exactly working. "I thought we were friends", he managed, his voice embarrassingly choked. "I thought you were the one person in my life who saw me as more than a sentient tool. Who treated me like - like a human."
"Humans are an inferior species that has never been worth my time", His Eminence said simply, still not having moved an inch. And, after a pause, "Come here."
He didn't know why he was still following the order so instinctively, but he was, mechanically taking some steps in the other's direction until they almost touched. Before he knew it, the reptilian had actually grabbed his arm; a grasp that wasn't tight, but could very well be if he attempted to fight it.
"Listen to me", His Eminence urged him, his gaze so intense that he couldn't look away either. "I did treat you like a human - at first, because that was what you were. A weak and useless monkey I could exploit for my plans, just like everyone else on this island. But what I told you on that very first day is true. You are not just a human, but a dragon as well."
"Yes, because of my tazelwurm essence", he hissed, trying his hardest to think of what to do next. If he attempted to free himself, the other might break his arm... but he'd survived worse, hadn't he? "All that ever did was make me even more useful to you. Even more exploitable, with the leviathan and Priscilla and..."
He trailed off, because the mention of his snake only made him more emotional, which was the last thing he needed right now.
His Eminence didn't address it anyway. "You were, but it was not all you were. Only at first. It did not take long for me to realize that I had, in fact, grown fond of you, and that our few and far between interactions had become just as important for me as they were for you."
The reptilian's body shuddered with what might have been a sigh, his grasp becoming a little more firm. It didn't feel intentional, however. "A few years ago, Maxwell Finnwich accused me of something. He claimed that the actual reason for me getting this close to you was that I was craving a semblance of family, after both losing my actual one and growing distant with him. And as you surely have noticed by now, that man has an infuriating tendency to be right.
"He is the only human who knows this, but I believe you should too. You see, when I volunteered to be sealed away in the Pyramid, I did not merely leave my people behind... I also arranged the death of my very own brother, who was supposed to go on this mission with me. All so I could carry out my own plans. At the time, I thought I had no choice if I wanted to ensure the survival of my species, and yet what I have done continues to haunt me to this day.
"I have abused your trust for a very long time as well. I understand you are angry, just as I understand any sort of revenge you might deem necessary now. Of course I am in no position to make requests, but still - whatever you intend to do, please leave me alive. At least until I've been assured of my people's safe return to this world, so that I know that Emesh's death has not been all for nothing."
His Eminence removed his hand from his arm again, but still regarded him with a gaze impossible to read. He could only keep staring right back, finding himself completely immobile.
Was he supposed to be touched by the reptilian's words, to go easy on him because of them? Even if it was a deeply personal story His Eminence never revealed to anyone, who was to say that it wasn't just a last attempt at manipulation, a final effort to make up for everything he'd done? He almost wanted to just straight up ask him these questions, but frankly, he already knew the truth, and that was the fact that the answers wouldn't have affected his reaction anyway.
After seconds that stretched on to feel like minutes, he finally managed to voice it. "You're the one person in my life that I never hated at any point", he admitted. "Cassandra, my parents, Finnwich... but never you. Even when I found out about what you did, I just -"
He stopped himself, not sure how to put it into words. Then he took a deep breath. "Before I came here, I went to kill Cassandra. She deserved it, more than anything, but I didn't do it in the end - because it only would've proven to her that she is right in calling me a monster and a murderer. But I'm not. Not anymore. I'm a person making my own decisions, and I've decided that my days of being an assassin are over.
"And even if they weren't", he added, relieved to hear the composure returning to his voice, "I don't want to hurt you, Your Eminence. Not after everything you've done for me, even if it was all your fault in the end. Without you, I'd never have had Priscilla... and that alone is a reason I can't bring myself to harm you, no matter how much you probably deserve it."
He wiped the remaining tears from his eyes in order to clear his vision, straightened his posture, and all in all hoped he looked like a respectable figure again. He had to get the meaning of his next words across.
"You still mean a lot to me, and I want to keep having you in my life. But I need you to promise me that you are never going to use me again. If I continue supporting you, it will be because I decide to do it, and not because of you tricking or forcing me into it. Do you understand?"
His Eminence hadn't moved, had hardly even reacted to everything he'd just announced to him, but now he was quick to incline his head. "It seems your time away from the company has done you good. I am truly honored you continue to hold me in such high regards despite my many shortcomings as your attachment figure, and of course I will support you in your future endeavors. I will never lie to you or mistreat you again, on that you have my word."
He couldn't believe how much lighter he suddenly felt. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."
"And to me." All of a sudden, His Eminence rose, so he had to take a step back to give him the proper space. The reptilian made his way over to one of his many shelves, retrieving a large sack from a closed-off section. "There is something I have been meaning to give you. It is good that we have resolved everything now, otherwise you might have considered this another attempt at manipulation to influence your judgment. I assure you, that is not what I am trying to do. I merely think you should have this."
The last time His Eminence had given him an allegedly special object had been his tazelwurm medallion, and everything he had claimed about it had been false. But this late into them knowing each other, what could he possibly still have for him?
Not without some skepticism, he took the sack he was handed, opened it - and dropped it immediately, drawing in a sharp breath. Then he was on his knees, properly pulling the cloth aside until its contents were fully visible.
It was Priscilla.
Or what was left of her body after multiple weeks, anyway.
"They threw her in the waste deposit", he faintly heard His Eminence's words as the sobs heaved his body, something he didn't even attempt to hold in this time. "I retrieved her as soon as I heard what happened. I know you would want to give her a proper burial."
"Thank you." His voice was hardly above a whisper, but at least he somehow managed to keep it together enough not to bury his head in Priscilla's long lifeless remains. "Thank you so much."
His Eminence didn't interrupt him and his grieving, another thing he was incredibly grateful about. And it was true, the reptilian could have told him about Priscilla much sooner to de-escalate their heated confrontation... but he hadn't. He had let them resolve it without taking the easy way out.
Because he meant something to His Eminence after all.
And so he made up his mind. He gathered himself and stood up again, wiping away his tears and turning back to the reptilian. "I'd like to bury her by the leviathan's pier. And... I'd like you to come along, too."
The other didn't hide his surprise. "Are you sure?"
"I am." Then he hesitated. Should he say what else had just crossed his mind? It was bold enough to get any other person killed, but with everything he had learned today... he felt like he could dare bring it up. "You never buried your brother, did you?"
His Eminence clutched his cane tightly, his entire body tense again all at once. For a moment, he thought he might not give him an answer, but then he did. "His body was gone after our time in the Pyramid."
That's only a flimsy excuse and you know it. "You could still do it. Symbolically."
"Do you think he would want me to?", the reptilian snarled, raising his voice in frustration. "I was the person who killed him! Doing this isn't going to make him forgive me."
"Probably not", he admitted. With so many victims of his own over the years, he knew that better than anyone. "But maybe it'll help you forgive yourself. I'm doing a lot of making peace with my past today... so, I don't know. Maybe we could do it together."
His Eminence was silent, yet their eyes met - and all at once, it was there again, that overwhelming sensation of kinship that had made their first interaction so special. For a moment, they let it happen, and then he said,
"I'd like that."
Cassandra seemed to have lost interest in hunting him down, because no reaper mats came after him and His Eminence as they walked to the pier together, between them a silence that was strangely comfortable. In that silence, they buried Priscilla and Emesh, one literally and the other in spirit... and as they did, they were both aware it was more than just that.
He wasn't just laying his snake to rest, after all. It was also the Serpent, as well as Li Ping, now that he finally knew for a fact that this name was never going to define him again.
"Thank you, Your Eminence."
He didn't know what he was thanking him for exactly - the words simply left his mouth when they had finished their work, both of them still kneeling before their respective grave. Maybe it was this liberating release of their pasts, or even just in general everything that had allowed for this moment to happen.
"You may call me Ištaran from now on", the reptilian said. His voice was just as gentle as all those years ago, ever so slightly trembling with tears his species wasn't able to cry. "In private, anyway. I know Maxwell Finnwich has already revealed it to you, but still, you deserve to hear it from me as well."
He nodded in response, feeling his expression slip into a smile. How long had it been since the last time that had happened all genuinely?
Ištaran, too, regarded him even more fondly now, and as it turned out, he wasn't finished yet. "So. What about you?"
"What?"
"You are not the Serpent anymore, and you are not Li Ping. What shall I call you, going forward?"
You want me to answer that now?, he almost snapped at him, but he didn't. Instead, his gaze landed on the nearby ocean, its waters as vast as the possibilities that lay ahead in his future. It landed on the pier where he had first met the leviathan, where - no matter what - his first truly good memory had taken place. And where, from the looks of it, everything was coming full circle after all.
He thought of his birth name, Li, again; the name his parents had also given his little brother, more or less. His father had explained it to him eventually, saying that li was the name of the symbol tattooed over his and Lee's mark, and that it represented fire, alluding to the red tazelwurm and its fur. From there, it had become even more obvious that Lee was indeed his replacement, because his hair really was red like the tazelwurm, while he himself only had a single blue streak.
He wasn't the fire his grandfather had meant for him to be. If anything, everything in his life was pointing to him being water instead.
The thought lingered inside him, festered, until he could only be amazed by how right it felt through and through. Luckily, he'd read up on the li symbol a while ago, as well as on its aquatic counterpart.
"Kan", he said, feeling more at peace with himself than he would ever have considered possible. He closed his eyes and embraced the sound of the waves, which had already brought him comfort so long ago. "From this day forward, my name is Kan."