Work Text:
Elias couldn't be happier.
The world has ended, all thanks to his archivist, and now he is what he dreamed of being for so, so long.
The pupil of the eye.
Endless information, endless knowledge, being able to see everything.
Except, well… one place.
It must be a cruel trick of fate, to have a door to the lonely at the panopticon, right across from his throne, but he supposed that's a small price to pay…
Although, sometimes, when he disconnects from the eye, he goes towards it. Never opens it, just gets as close as he can before touching it.
He hasn't seen Peter since the archivist went into the lonely, but it's wrong to assume he was still alive, right?
Weeks have passed. The door nagging at Elias' mind.
He had to know. He had to find out if Peter was truly gone.
He opened the door and went into the lonely, letting the fog consume him as he did.
"Peter?" he called into the void, the only sounds coming back being the waves crashing against the beach.
"Peter, are you there? I want to see you again." he said, and then heard it.
The Tundra's roar.
His captain was still alive.
He looked around and saw that the Tundra wasn't too far away, currently unmoving on the shore a few kilometers away.
Elias began running.
He didn't care that he wasn't as young anymore, and that his muscles ached as he ran, he had to see Peter again.
Just one more time.
He found him on the deck of the Tundra, almost as invisible as the fog.
"Peter." he said, trying to hide the relief in his voice.
"Elias?..." the captain answered, his voice echoing around the domain.
Peter turned to look at Elias, but then shook his head.
"... No. You are not Elias."
"What?" replied Elias. "Peter, please stop with the ridiculous joke, I'm right here."
"... No. The person I'm seeing right now is Jonah Magnus. How much of the Elias I knew is left?" the captain asked.
Elias stood in silence for a long time before finding the words.
"... I'm still me. I've changed, but I'm still me. Elias bouchard. "
"... You're not my Eli. You're the eye. Nothing more."
The last piece of Elias' heart broke. He ran away.
He knew Peter was right. He knew that it was a matter of time until he was gone and Jonah would take complete control.
He closed the door behind him with a click, and then heard his archivist behind him.
"Jonah Magnus."