"Soup's up!" Thomas called out, wandering through the doorway that went to the hot tub. "I'll put the bowls on the table. So come get it when you're ready!" He continued as he put down the two large wooden bowls. 

"Well, I guess today is the day I may meet my maker then!" Alex replied, standing up and stretching his arms wide. "It's been a good few millennia!"  

"Please get dressed before you come over here though, I have no interest in seeing your soggy, pruney body  sagging in my direction!" Thomas remarked before looking at the wall. 

A chuckle echoed throughout the room. "Hey, if you want to throw me your towel I'll happily dry off and get dressed! Might take a while though, so you better lay in a position you're used to."

"No thank you!" Thomas replied tightening his towel. "You really need to go out and get another set of clothing. Better yet, go put on your assassin robe, and then let me wear something other than this tiny strip of cloth!" The room fell silent, and Thomas felt something change in the atmosphere between them. 

"I can't do that... I am not worthy of wearing such a robe." Alex replied with a painful sigh. "That robe is for assassins. I'm but a shriveled old man cowering in a hole. I'm not worthy of a title such as assassin."

"You're doing what you can to survive." Thomas argued as Alex's footsteps started towards him. "That doesn't make you a coward. You are the last of your order. As long as you live, the order survives. You're planning your next move on how to rebuild! If you were really a coward, you wouldn't have saved me back at the inn. Taking in a random stranger, and protecting him against circumstances beyond his control. That is not the action of a coward." 

"That's sweet of you to say, but I don't think you really understand what's going on here." Alex replied sitting down, his broad hair chest jiggling as he sat. Thomas sat down across from him, looking down at his food. "But let's not pity an old man, let's kill him and put em out of his misery with his own alchemical ingredient!" 

Thomas looked up at Alex, his eyes were dull. They were somehow devoid of any emotion. "I know it won't kill you. That's a fact, I used almost all of what you had in your soup before. Then put in a healthy dash of salt, it tasted pretty good after that. I let it simmer for another twenty minutes, and that made it even better!" "Thomas watched as Alex reached for the spoon that was leaning against the edge of the bowl and took a spoonful of it to his lips. Blowing the spoon lightly the steam was whisked away, but the steam began rising again. Taking the spoon to his lips, he drank the broth and put the spoon back down. "Well how is it? You don't look dead to me!" 

"I died a long time ago..." Alex said in a broken voice, "I'm just too much of a coward to join my masters in the afterlife." 

"Come now, don't talk about yourself like that!" Thomas answered in a comforting voice. "It's in our nature to want to live, beating yourself up over surviving is probably the worse thing you can do to yourself. Besides, if you had been dead I wouldn't have made it through the day! Let alone another!" He took a spoonful of the soup and ate it, enjoying the taste of the potatoes and carrots in the light brown broth.

 "Look I don't need your sympathy okay?" Alex scowled as he looked up at Thomas. "I saved your life for one reason, and one reason alone! I wanted to save my own life, not yours!" 

Thomas scoffed, "Why would helping a stranger with an old journal help you survive? It's cute that you are trying to hide that you wanted to help me, but you really shouldn't lie about such trivial things-"

"I didn't want to save you!" Alex spat, angrily throwing his spoon to the floor. "I saved the journal! That book has so many secrets in its pages. One of which was the recipe for my regeneration potion! I didn't need you, you just happened to have the journal! So I saved you," Thomas recoiled at the string of violent words unable to speak as he felt the words crash against him. "Look, you're attractive, sure and I would love to have you in my bed, but I didn't save you for a bedroom romp. I wanted that book so I could live!" 

Standing up abruptly, Thomas started off towards the far corridor. "You know what... I think I understand why you want to live so badly." He said in a hurt tone. "You're too scared to die because you know you don't have to! That makes you worse than human, that makes you a coward!" He felt his anger flaring up. "I'm getting out of here." He exclaimed as Alex stand up.

"Thomas, come back here!" Alex demanded, "I already told you, you can't leave! Your suit isn't ready yet!"

"I'll take my chances!" Thomas yelled behind him as he began running down the hallway heading for the room where his armor lay. Twisting and turning through the dimly lit halls he jogged through the large underground facility towards his gear. Why the hell did I think he actually wanted to help me! All he wanted was the damn journal, well fine. He can keep it! Order's be damned! He thought to himself as a dull hum pulled at his attention towards the left hallway. 

"Thomas!" Alex's voice echoed through the corridors. "Thomas don't get in that armor! It's not ready yet, it could kill you!" 

"Why would you care? All you wanted was the book right? I'd be doing you a favor by leaving! Maybe you don't want me to leave because you don't want me to reveal your bunker! Or maybe you just don't want me to die because my body will start to rot in here!" Thomas let out a sigh as he began sprinting towards the sound. The humming growing louder as it led him closer to his destination. The humming soon turned into a vibration that began to resonate somewhere inside him pulling him faster towards the suit. 

"Please Thomas, I'm sorry!"  Alex's voice cried out drawing nearer to him. 

"Grow old and die, old man!" Thomas called out into the echoing chamber as he found the room where the vibration was coming from. Turning down the final corridor, Thomas felt the resonating feeling grow stronger until his whole body began shaking with the vibration. 

"Thomas stop!" Alex demanded from behind him. "I don't want you to die needlessly. Just wait a few days, then you won't have to risk death! I'll even lead you out of the minefields!" 

"Why would I listen to you?" Thomas argued as he went into the room. His armor was standing tall, as if it was proudly waiting for its master to come back. His vision starting to blur as the vibrations began to shake through his very sense of self. "I'm nothing but a hole to fuck to you right?" He reached forward and touched his glowing armor. Power surged through him, his body felt as if every muscle has been supercharged. His eyesight became sharper. Seeing the pores in his hand, and the microscopic curves of the cells of his fingernails. The smell of the soup, and then body odor from Alex made him sick to his stomach. He heard the old man's heart finicky heartbeat pounding in his chest. Then the vibration began to pulse inside him. His body began to ache as his feet began to ache. The ground felt like it was made of jagged rocks and he was pushing deeper into the rocks with every step. The towel he was wearing felt as if it was made of thorns that dug against his skin.

Throwing the towel to the ground, he screamed out. His hand was throbbing in pain, it felt as if it had been ripped apart by thorns. Agony was washing over him pushing Thomas to the edges of consciousness,  but he put his other hand on the suit. He screamed out again as his fingers connected with the suit. His fingers burned against the cool metal. A guttural scream left Thomas's lips as he became a conduit for the magical power. "LET GO OF THE SUIT!" Alex screamed out in fear making Thomas cringe at the loud sound that threatened to deafen him. 

"N-No!" Thomas replied in a soft whisper as he turned the crank of the suit, ignoring the swell of pain as he took a step into it. "I'm leaving!" He exclaimed as his body began to acclimate to the new senses. Suddenly, his vision began to fade. The rotten odor of uncleaned body as well as the soup both faded away. It was almost as if the power in his body was dwindling to nothing. His other senses began to fade as well, but before he could press the button to seal his armor, he felt a hand rip him from the suit. Hitting the ground with a thud, Thomas didn't even register the pain as his senses faded away entirely. 

---

Thomas opened his eyes, and saw nothing but darkness. The emptiness of the room around him terrified him. "H-Hello?"

"Hello Thomas," A deep voice boomed around him loud enough to make his ears ache.

"Who's there!" Demanded Thomas as he covered his ears. "SHOW YOURSELF!"  He screamed out, his voice dry and scratchy. 

"Do not be afraid Thomas." The voice boomed around him again as a golden figure slowly came into view. "I am not here to hurt you little one." The golden figure began to hurt Thomas's eyes.

"W-Who are you?" Thomas asked covering his eyes as the being drew closer. "What do you want from me?"

"You Thomas!" The being answered in a simple tone. "You have so much magic coursing through your body. You are to be my new vessel so that I might bring balance back to the world!"

"The hell I am!" Thomas growled in defiance, "I'm not some puppet to be danced around on strings!"  

"Don't worry, it won't hurt." The being replied, his energy beginning to burn through Thomas's covered eyes. "I was a god to your people once. I even gave my life to build the guardians that now wreak havoc to this land!" The being's voice grew cold, and a dark energy began to emanate from him. "But they have been corrupted! You're people call them Cantorians now! They used to be my eyes and ears in the land." The dark energy shot through Thomas, and the anger flowed into him making him furious. 

"Why would you make such powerful monsters! They have done nothing but kill!" Thomas cried out in anger. "They have killed millions! Men, woman, and children alike! It doesn't matter what they were before and you made them? If you are such a powerful god, then why didn't you stop them?" 

A cold terror washed over Thomas making him fear for his life. "You think I wanted this!" The voice dominated his very thoughts. "I made them in the name of peace! I split my body into five pieces and gave each of them an adviser to help keep order in the world! Now they do nothing but slaughter the ones I was charged to protect!" The rage in his voice turned to a commanding power. "You need to consume them all if we are to have a chance to saving this world!" 

"Consume? I can't consume them!" Thomas exclaimed to the light with panic rising in his voice. "I hardly managed to get away from one! How am I supposed to kill all five? Let alone eat them!" 

A confident ray of energy began emanating into Thomas, giving him hope and confidence. "You must train under the Mantine as my champion always has. In times of crisis, one has always arisen from their order." The being explained,

"There is nobody left of that order!" Thomas whimpered out, feeling the confidence inside him shatter. "The only one left of their order is a crazy old man with no intention of doing anything but hide in his underground cave in the forest of death! How am I supposed to train under him?" 

"Do not let his demeanor fool you," The being said with a what was almost like a laugh. "He was the strongest of his generation, and the smarter of any before him!" The being took a step forward and put his wispy finger against Thomas's head sending a powerful feeling of affection towards the man. "Trust that man, there is more than meets the eye. A sudden surge of energy ripped him away from the figure as the voice began to fade. "Trust him, and you will survive!" The being spoke, but the words didn't emanate in his ears. The voice flooded his mind. "Trust him, and you will succeed!" 

Suddenly Thomas began to fall. Darkness began to take hold as the golden being faded from his view once more. "Wake up damn it!" cried a voice that echoed through his mind as another surge of energy bolted through him. "Wake up!" Thomas's eyes shot open, and Alex cried out in delight before wrapping his arms around him. "You're alive!" He exclaimed before kissing Thomas in excitement. "I knew you wouldn't die! I just knew it!" 

"Get off of me!" Thomas demanded as he anxiously tried to push Alex away. "Get your wrinkly ass off me!"

"My ass isn't on you!" The old man replied with a laugh as he put a stump of a hand on Thomas's shoulder and stood back up. "What do you remember? What's my name? How many fingers am I holding up?" 

"I remember everything, now get off me!" Thomas exclaimed ignoring the three fingers Alex was waving around his face. Lifting his head to get up, a wave of nausea washed over him forcing him still. "What did you do to me?" Thomas demanded as waves of pain began to emanate from his body. Why did you stop me from leaving!" 

"I believe the term is thank you for saving your stupid ass!" Alex replied as he took a cloth and dabbed it against Thomas's head. "You overloaded on magic. You were unconscious for almost three weeks! Don't worry, I've been keeping you clean." 

Thomas blinked in surprise before looking down at his body. It was hidden by a blanket, but he knew that he was once again naked. "What is it with you and stripping me!" He exclaimed in disgust. 

"Hey, it's not my fault you burned the towel when you fell." Alex countered as he lifted his bandaged hand. "You were on fire when I grabbed you from that suit. Not regular fire though mind you. Magical fire! It burns hotter than regular fire, and it continues to burn after the casting ends. How did you learn to ignite yourself like that? I didn't even know you had any magic in your blood."

"I don't have any..." Thomas replied with an annoyed growl, "You just want to keep me naked so you can look at me and eye fuck me." 

Alex rolled his eyes and revealed a small stump where his hand had been. "Does this look like a joke to you? I had to cut off my damn hand to keep myself from burning alive! Only potent magic can do that!" 

Looking at the stump with confusion, Thomas looked over to Alex with a serious tone. "I don't have magic! What are you talking about!"

"Well you do now!" Alex replied with a small chuckle as he stood up and started for the door. " Just be grateful you didn't burn my clothing! I would have to sleep naked next to you at night!" 

A shiver went down Thomas's spine as he remembered the golden being from his dream. "Have you heard of a golden god that chooses warriors from your order?" Alex froze, then started back towards him as calmly as he could. 

"What do you know of the magegod?" Alex questioned as he looked at Thomas carefully, his eyes squinting down at him. 

Thomas blinked a few times and took a small breath. "I don't know, I didn't catch his name. He just said he split himself up to protect the world. Then he said I had to train under you..."

A wide smile crossed Alex's face "The magegod has chosen his next vessel! Today's your lucky day Thomas! You get to be the reincarnate of the first mage who brought peace to the world!"

"Oh boy..." Thomas said sarcastically. "It must be my lucky day..."  

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That's another chapter done! I hope you are enjoying it! :) Things are starting to get interesting here! See you on the next chapter! Don't forget to drink lots of water! 

-Asted!