Siris despised betrayal: the feeling of fury and isolation, dense yet hollow, weighed down on his chest. He was cold in his armour, playing with the pommel of his sword, staring at the God King still lying on the dark ground. Saving the world? He shook his head. No, he had abandoned it, fallen for the Worker's trap. He'd guessed, of course. He'd guessed that Ausar had been the one to originally confine the Worker of Secrets in the Vault of Tears - the overpowering agitation and distrust that had arisen whenever he had spoken to him warned him so. Yet he felt like a fool - oh the irony, he thought, still gazing at Raidriar - for ignoring it anyway and blindly believing that he and the Worker could bring peace together by defeating the other Deathless. Now to spend eternity with his enemy.  
 
The God King groaned, stirring at last from unconsciousness, and Siris' guts churned. The Worker's treachery had scalded him - he wasn't sure whether he could suffer further burns through condescending sneers. Besides, what could he say? Good morning, suppressor of Lantimor - rather, good whatever-the-time-is-right-now, because I have been trapped in here for a while, lost track of time, and looking forward to having a nice chat about the Vault's rather dull weather for a few thousand years. He almost laughed. A decade ago, he would never have believed that he would be stuck with the God King - the very Deathless that dictated over Lantimor's populace - in a chamber designed to forever imprison the supposedly mythical Worker of Secrets.
 
He took a deep breath as Raidriar lifted his head, surveyed his surroundings, and finally glared at Siris. "Perhaps death would have been easier," Siris heard him grunt, and watched him crawl to the wall and use it for support as he stood up. "So you really found the Worker and thought you could release him?" He shook his head. "A pitiful attempt, Ausar. You should have known better."
 
"Better than to trust the only chance of ridding this world of your kind?" he retorted.
 
Raidriar growled. "Our kind, you fool. Don't think that because you've been living the miserable life of a mortal automatically makes you one. You're guiltier than I when it comes to the acts of the Deathless." He chuckled dryly. "Ah, of course. You don't remember, do you? The Plains of Koroth. That really is a shame. I wish you remembered. The corpses strewn about our feet, the clanging of steel resonating from the last Aegis warriors, and naturally, your death." His tone changed to one more bitter. "Your alleged death. I think, for the first time in a while, I was actually satisfied by something. But here you are, spoiling everything I've slowly acquired during your 'death'."
 
Intrigued, he recalled something similar the Archivist had said to him before: something about a 'vile evil' being slain on the Plains of Koroth. At that moment, light danced before his eyes, and the chamber was replaced with a barren wasteland, except it was populated by mounds of lifeless husks, their swords bloody and laying on the ground. The dark sky spewed white lightning that crashed to the earth and illuminated the splattered helmets of the remaining Aegis fighting for their lives. Siris' head swam, trying to process the sudden change of environment. Then he heard a yell, and instinctively raised his sword to parry an attack.
 
The Infinity Blade. In his hands was the Infinity Blade. To top it all off, the knight he was facing was no ordinary Aegis. Oh, hell take him. It was Raidriar, and he seemed even more violent than usual. But this wasn't a duel. No, the God King fought with the intention to kill - no honouring the Aegis forms or allowing him a chance to catch his breath. Their swords collided, and iridescent light erupted from the contact, staggering both him and his opponent. He blinked rapidly, bringing up his shield to block a downward slash as he struggled to comprehend his situation. This wasn't real. The Infinity Blade wasn't real. Even the body he controlled wasn't his. It was...

"Ausar!" Raidriar followed his attack with a flurry of strikes that Siris dodged, moving with flawless grace borne only from intense practice. "Your reign ends today!"

Then, his limbs controlled by reflexes, Siris found an opening in the God King's kata and thrust the Infinity Blade forward. He observed as his assailant stumbled onto the ground, dropping his shield to cradle the crude wound in his abdomen. Blood trickled onto his golden armour. Siris knew he was expecting something: it felt as if the whole world was holding its breath to witness some important event that would mark history. But no. A simple visceral piercing, one instantly healed when Raidriar activated his ring. He lifted the Infinity Blade, cocking his head to a side and inspecting it disdainfully. The sword had meant to do something.

"Stealing the ultimate weapon from your only friend and expecting it to work perfectly at the same time?" The God King snickered. "Oh, your naïveté amuses me. You didn't even consider the fact that the Worker had anticipated your betrayal and set precautions just in case? It won't work, Ausar. No true death for the Deathless after all."

He snarled, the sound surprising him. "You and the Worker, in cohorts." The deep asperity made him angry. But that was Ausar to the core: eternally furious, unsatisfied, and arrogant. "All that time, he told me to let my guard down. All that time, he told you my strategies, my secrets, everything." His voice changed, becoming softer and more anguished. "She was right. She was right, and I ignored her."

"Worse than that, wouldn't you say? Although I would flay alive the one to dare do such a thing, I'd rather be ignored than ran through with a dagger. You're just full of betrayal, aren't you? I hear she loved you. The Worker used to watch the two of you together on your private balcony." His insides twisted. "What did you whisper in her ear? What promise did you make?"

"Enough!" he roared. He descended onto Raidriar, flicking the edge of the Infinity Blade against his throat, silencing the imbecile. "This sword may not fulfil its intended purpose, but that doesn't mean I can't rend your head from your vile torso!"

"Ah, you dare insult me?" He heard the smile in his voice and seethed. "Ausar the Vile?"

He froze. And the Deathless struck. There was a flash of diaphanous blue light, followed by a deafening bellow that escaped his lips, and he lurched back. The Infinity Blade had been wrenched from his hand and was now buried in his chest. But he felt nothing. He was hollow. Betrayal. So dense, so hollow...