Venomshank woke up.

His entire body aches like he just ran a marathon around the whole Inpherno. Twice.

He woke up on the floor… that would explain some of his body pains.

Venomshanks mask is gone. Last he remembers is he was organizing his poison collection with his mask on… then, in less time than he can blink, he’s on the floor, exhausted, maskless, and covered in blood.

…

He’s what?

…

Venomshank breathes in, the metallic scent of blood assaults his nostrils— it’s overwhelming.

He can’t bear to look down, he can now feel the blood soaked clothes he’s in. He looks down anyway, needing to check the color of the blood. If it’s his own Ichor then that means he hadn’t hurt anyone, only himself, which would be the best case scenario.

It’s a thick deep red.

It’s not his own.

Venomshank hurt—no, this amount of blood wouldn’t leave the victim alive— killed some unlucky Inphernal.

…

Where’s Sword?

------

Sword could hear things clattering and breaking from Venomshanks office. He knows he shouldn’t interrupt, last time he tried to check in on his dad mentor it led to a confrontation.

He couldn’t just ignore it though… he’ll just knock, ask Venomshank if he's okay, and then leave.

…

That’s it, it’ll be easy, what are you so nervous for, Sword? It’ll be easy.

Sword can’t help but flinch at the increasing volume of the commotion from Venomshanks personnel quarters.

He knocks lightly before speaking up.

"Sir Venomshank? I was just… I overheard the noise— is everything alright?"

Sword can’t help but shudder at how eerily silent everything seemed to become after he spoke.

"V-Venomshank..?"

Silence.

Then, the wooden door burst apart— splinters lodging themselves into Swords exposed skin. He had lifted his arms up to block the debris, but all that accomplished was getting shards of wood lodged in his arms.

"Venomsh— Da-"

A saber Gear pierces through Swords chest.

The Venomshank.

Oh.

Dad Venomshank went feral again and wasn’t able to get to the safe room in time.

Sword can feel the poison numbing his senses, it never made much sense to Sword— if he really was a Demi-Deity and Venomshank was his father… Why didn’t he have an immunity to poison too?

Why is he even asking this now? Everything’s going dark. He can barely feel it when his dad mentor sinks his teeth into his flesh and tears him apart.

He should’ve just stayed in his room.

------

Venomshank shot up, breathing shaky as he left bloody handprints along the walls while he searched for Sword.

"Sword? Sword? By Telamon- please be okay ple—"

He cut himself off as he turned the corner.

Right there, on the floor next to the broken down door of his office, was Sword.

Oh dear Telamon, there was so much blood, it was soaked into the wood floor. All Venomshank could smell was blood blood blood blood.

"SWORD"

Venomshank didn’t care how bloody he got, all that he could do was bring Sword’s mangled body into his arms and sob.

He felt his stomach grumble, he was still hungry. Venomshank wanted to vomit, he could taste the blood in his mouth. It was Sword’s. He killed and then ate his ward. Not his son, never his son, he’d never earn that title back ever again. He didn’t deserve it anymore.

He could only cry. He never should’ve volunteered to take Sword in, he knew that. He knew his feral episodes would risk Sword’s health. He did it anyway. All because Venomshank is a worthless selfish deity.

…

Venomshank doesn’t know how long it’s been.

All that he can feel is sorrow. He wants it to stop.

He’ll make it stop.

…

Would it be selfish to bring him back?

Venomshank knows that his zombies are lifeless husks of the Inphernal they once were. He knows that if he brought Sword back that he’d never be able to respawn again. Sword would be the last Linked Sword Gear to spawn.

Alas, we already know Venomshank’s a selfish deity, don’t we?

Darkheart found the two dead a week later.