Chapter Text
Veritas Ratio cleared his throat for the third time in ten minutes. His brows furrowed and he sipped his coffee, hoping it would flush away the mineral sedimentary taste in his mouth. Swallowing hurt, his throat irritated and scratchy. He coughed, more pain flaring in his throat, and he couldn’t stop. Tears brimmed his eyes from the coughing fit. “Damn it,” he gasped when the coughing finally stopped, stoney dust covered his desk where he had been hunched over.
Veritas grit his teeth and quickly swiped the dust away, eyes narrowed. He had work to do, and he promised his partners he’d be home at a reasonable hour. Ignoring the pain in his throat and the uneasy dread slowly growing, he went back to his research. Screwllum needed Ratio’s notes on the Divergent Universe’s upcoming updates, and Ratio didn’t have time to waste being ill. Even if he knew it wasn’t just an illness.
He finally finished reviewing his notes and turned off his laptop, pinching the bridge of his nose. Destiny was a cruel thing, and Veritas knew something like this would happen eventually. It was foolish to think he’d ever be truly human. He hated the deep ache in his chest that never went away. He swallowed thickly, grimacing at the horrible taste of stone. No, Veritas Ratio was not and never would be human.
Coming from the Eternal Land Amphoreus, Veritas was nothing more than a piece of stone carved to look human and brought to life by the power of the Strife Titan Nikador. He didn’t remember much about his creation, but he knew that he was created for someone. A bitter laugh threatened to erupt. He wasn’t even his own being. His creation was for the benefit of someone else. He was always a benefit for someone else.
Not that he minded. Veritas’ goal was to learn and share the knowledge he’d learned. After all, what use was knowledge if he didn’t share it with everyone? He’d always been more of a lover than a fighter. He cared too much about the things and people around him. Some saw it as a flaw, and others saw it as a strength. At this point, Veritas couldn’t tell which he thought it was. The deep ache only seemed to the more he thought about Amphoreus.
“I need to get home,” Veritas murmured to himself, ignoring how hoarse he sounded and shaking away those thoughts of the past. He gathered his things, gritting his teeth as his joints cracked and stiffened. Home used to be Amphoreus in Castrum Kremnos before he left with Mydei during the Kremnoan Detachment. When Nikador fell and Mydei went to Okhema, Veritas left Amphoreus. Now, home was with Kakavasha, Shilou, and their children.
“Dad’s home!” Veritas smiled when he heard Jasper shout from the living room. Needless to say, not even a minute later he was nearly trampled by the other three children. He laughed, wincing how hoarse he sounded, but it didn’t matter in the moment. “You made it on time!” Avana grinned up at him.
“I promised, didn’t I?” Veritas raised an eyebrow. “I do my best to keep my word.” He hung up his coat and put down his briefcase. He tried to ignore the looks of worry on their faces. “I’m fine,” he coughed, swallowing back dust. “Just feeling under the weather.” He couldn’t tell them. Not yet.
“Are you sick, Veri?” Aventurine asked, tilting his head as he peeked into the hallway. “You sound horrible and you look pale.” Concern etched itself across Aventurine’s face. “Go rest,” he urged, practically dragging his husband to the bedroom. If he felt that Veritas was a little heavier, he didn’t say anything.
Veritas could feel his body deteriorating. Nausea washed over him and he was suddenly very happy Aventurine was dragging him to bed. He wanted to curl up and sleep. Maybe he’d wake up feeling better. But, he knew it would take a miracle. His dreams were filled with screams, monsters, and cruel laughter. He tossed and turned, brows furrowing.
After a loud scream, Ratio jolted awake, panting heavily. His limbs felt heavy, his head pounding in his chest. Dust filled his mouth and he swore he heard a sickening crack when he tried to move. He groaned and pushed himself to sit up. He barely registered Shilou’s worried voice or the feeling of metal softly touching his arm.
“Shilou?” Ratio rasped, coughing. His voice was so raspy and faint.
“Lay back down, Veritas,” Shilou said firmly. “You’re clearly sick. I’ve already called the Guild and informed them you were taking a medical leave of absence.” Veritas hated the look of concern on Shilou’s face. He couldn’t do anything about the way he felt.
Veritas laid back down with a deep frown. “I’ll be fine in a couple days,” he lied to put his partner at ease. He used sign language to speak, his voice too hoarse to be comprehendable. If he was right, he’d crumble to dust by then for he was simply stone at his core. A monster parading as a human. Within twenty four hours, the scholar had coughed up more stone dust, his voice completely gone. He grit his teeth and forced himself to get up.
He loved his family too much to stay. Veritas couldn’t bear to tell them the inevitable. Maybe it was selfish of him. Veritas always loved looking up at the stars. When he was younger, he’d look at the stars and wonder what was beyond them. Now that he had grown up, he did venture beyond the stars. He did his best to spread and share the knowledge he had gained. His only regrets were that he had more knowledge to share but not enough time to share it, and that he wouldn’t say goodbye to his family, just like before.
Titankin couldn’t cry, but a silent tear slid down his cheek as his body began to crumble to dust. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, but no sound came out. A soft breeze blew through and the dust scattered in the wind.
—
Somewhere out beyond Akivili’s reach, a traitorous prince shivered, feeling a small part of him disappear. He swallowed thickly and closed his eyes. Once more, he had lost something he’d never be able to get back. He shot a glare at the white haired man next to him who expressed concern.
“Are you okay? You zoned out for a minute,” Phainon frowned.
“It’s nothing. Do not worry, Deliverer.” Mydei looked at the sky, feeling the ghost of an embrace as the wind blew. He grit his teeth and looked away. “Damned fool,” he growled. “Why didn’t you come home?”