In a similar manner to before, the text changed and expanded upon the details of Leonidas's Epithet.
Name: [Faithfully Faithless]
Description: [The most dangerous lies are the ones the liar believes. You are a man who honors every oath he breaks and breaks every oath he honors.]
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
Huh...?
If Leonidas had to say, it was definitely...unique. He didn't know what in the good name of honor he had done to deserve such harsh treatment from an entity that was supposed to be impartial, but oh well.
He rubbed his temple, then shrugged without a care in the world. If this was his fate, then so be it. He had learned long ago that everything moved according to the winds of destiny.
A small cloud of cold mist escaped Leonidas's mouth, and he turned around, walking towards the golden part of his phosphene space.
There was no point in trying to decipher the meanings of his powers; no amount of rereading would change what he had read. It was simply better to go back and test it out with his body instead of his mind.
With each step, the platinum of the world behind him disappeared into darkness, and the radiant landscape in front came closer. A dozen steps later, Leonidas was standing at the meeting points between the two distinct worlds.
A phosphene space was a reflection of a person's soul. Which meant that the reason Leonidas's phosphene space was different was that he wasn't one whole. He was two-thirds Leonidas, and the rest Art.
He was both and none. He was from his own world, and he was from Earth.
Did he even deserve to live in this world? What would Reis say if he met her again? Would she be happy, or maybe sad? How about disgusted?
In the time Leonidas took a dozen steps, hundreds of thoughts cycled through his mind, like a broken polygraph machine incapable of answering questions, only hearing them. He had no answers, only a boatload of hypotheticals.
Slap—!
Leonidas shook from the force behind his slap, face turned, and eyes wide open. A red mark bloomed on his cheek, hot blood rushing underneath his skin.
It stings...
And he was glad that it did; pain was a useful stimulant. By making himself focus only on the pain, he could get rid of the junk that plagued his mind.
I need to fix this, and quickly.
Since his hand was still on his cheek, Leonidas couldn't wave his hand dramatically, which was a problem. Thankfully, he had a solution.
He stomped on the cloudy ground, planting both his feet firmly in the ground, and then rolled his eyes...dramatically.
The still water above him shook violently, both gold and silver flowing into a rough triangular arch. A cold wind blew through the world, violently blowing Leonidas's blonde hair.
The howling wind gathered around the arch, forming a miniature cyclone, with the water at its eye. Leonidas watched the process with mild interest. He might have found it much more amusing had he not been in such a shitty mood.
A few seconds passed, and the tempest subsided. Leonidas's phosphene space reverted to its previous appearance, except that a massive gate now stood at the boundaries of the two seas.
It was easily 15 feet tall, with a massive silver arch making up the main frame. The words 'Exit' were engraved in golden writing all along its edges. The gates themselves were made of a strange golden metal, pulsing slightly as if beckoning Leonidas forward.
And he listened. Leonidas grabbed the silver handles and pulled them towards himself. Despite their massive size, the gates opened with no effort. Beyond lay nothing but a swirling black void.
Leonidas glanced back at the world behind him, steeled his expression, and stepped inwards, towards the void.
It had to be said, walking with one arm missing was a hard thing to do. You had to relearn how to balance your body, how to move without opening the wound, and how not to put too much force on your right foot.
But that was just the beginning of Leonidas's problems. He couldn't wield the massive weapon with a single hand, and his own sword was also a two-handed blade—one he could probably manage with his one arm... only that he was predominantly right-handed.
Then there was the third and most pressing issue. Blood.
While he had torn off the sleeve from his left arm and wrapped it in a makeshift bandage to stop blood flow, it was still soaked. He could feel the sticky liquid clinging to the black fabric.
Pilgrims would be able to smell him miles before he saw them, which was a disadvantage to say the least.
His face darkened as he stared at the crackling fire burning without a care in the world.
This is gonna hurt.
He was not looking forward to it, but it had to be done. Leonidas stood and took his sword out of its scabbard. A cutting sound followed the arrival of the blade.
Blush itself was nothing special, just a pink long-sword that was slightly denser than normal. But for his newfound strength, it was barely heavier than a wooden stick.
Leonidas raised the blade and gently put it in the fire pit. Blush slid between the burning wood without resistance. While the blade heated up, Leonidas pulled the fabric from his injured arm. His fingers fumbled, failing to open the knots.
He tried again, this time managing to untie the first knot, but failing when he had to grab two points and pull simultaneously.
So he tried once more. Leonidas grabbed both ends of the knot, one by his thumb and index finger and the other by his...teeth. The metallic taste of blood spread through his mouth, but Leonidas ignored it.
He moved his head to one side and fingers to the other, finally opening the stupid knot.
After that...cauterizing myself doesn't seem like a bad idea.
He spat into the fire and grabbed Blush, whose blade had turned red, more like an actual blush.
Leonidas grabbed a spare piece of wood from his pile and put it in his mouth, careful to avoid biting his tongue.
Blush's glowing edge met Leonidas's bloody skin with a soft sizzle, burning the wounds shut.
"Arhhh."
The pain was minimal compared to what Red had made him feel, but the fact that he was inflicting it upon himself made it feel much worse than it actually was.
Fire was swiftly added to Leonidas's Things not to touch list. So was hot metal.
I swear I'm gonna make Red beg for death.
Leonidas was sweating buckets, water pouring from every gland. The smell of rotting flesh entered Leonidas's nostrils, and he took it as his cue to stop.
Blush fell from his hands as his body lost all its strength. Leonidas collapsed onto his own sweat with a dull thud. He was so tired that he didn't even try fighting the darkness that came to claim him as he fell into the lovely embrace of sleep.
Peace...