Broken World: Law Breakers

POV - ARES MANGAL-GRAH

Ares regained consciousness in fits and starts, the world coming to him in fragments. Voices, distant and distorted, weaved through the fog of his mind.

"Oi... he's waking... He's waking up, Kirin! I told you, Kirin. He lived, ahahaha! This was so exciting!"

The sound of footsteps, too eager, too close, sent painful reverberations through his skull. He tried to open his eyes, but the light pierced like needles, forcing him to retreat back into darkness.

He tried to move, but his body refused to obey, his limbs feeling like lead. When he tried to speak, his mouth wouldn't form the words, only managing a weak, incoherent mumble. Panic began to bubble within him, his heart racing against the constraints of his unresponsive body.

The voice drew near, soothing yet with an edge of warning, "Easy now, tiger. That you were even drawing breath then was a miracle. You didn't want to push it then. Just stay still and rest."

"Shush, shush, shush," the voice advised as Ares heeded it, allowing his body to relax despite his confusion.

Then the footsteps retreated, but the voice carried, "Kirin, he lived, ahahaha!"

Another voice, this one sharp and distinctly female, cut through the air with irritation, "This changed nothing, Faraday. We still left in three days, and judging by the looks of him, it'd be a surprise if he were fit for travel in three years."

Faraday clicked his tongue, "So pessimistic, Kirin. How many times had he subverted our expectations, eh? The guy literally fell from the sky, the freaking sky, Kirin. Then he survived that insane fall. It seemed he could handle the air very well, which meant he wasn't from Earth, and yet his lungs still forcefully took it in. Dude was like 7 feet tall, amazingly toned, I mean, look at that physique, Kirin. I was telling you, this guy, he was super, duper special."

Kirin's voice carried a threatening edge, "Special or not, we left in three days, and if you insisted on staying with him, I'd leave you here."

Ares heard the sound of boots stomping away.

Faraday clicked his tongue again, then rushed back to Ares's side, his voice filled with excitement, "She didn't know how special you were, ummmm, X. I'd call you X until I knew your real name, Okay? So, X, heal quickly, and tell me all your hidden secrets, ahahaha," he laughed manically.

Ares's mind whirled with conflicting thoughts, his mind slowly piecing together the situation.

This Faraday might not have been entirely right in the head. Boundless energy, maniacal laughter—yeah, the man was definitely insane, he concluded.

But, despite his eccentricity, Faraday didn't seem to mean him any harm; in fact, it sounded like he genuinely tried to help. Ares could feel the air moving freely through his lungs, though there was an uncomfortable sensation of a tube up his nose. He'd have to thank this man later and acknowledge the debt he owed him.

His thoughts quickly turned to his family — his mother, Athena, Romulus, Juno, and little Jove. Where were they?

The need to know their fate pressed against his chest, his mind screaming for answers he couldn't yet seek.

His body, betraying his will, refused to cooperate, forcing him into a frustrating limbo of inaction. He must wait, he told himself, wait to heal, wait to speak, wait to find out about his family. This enforced patience clawed at his resolve, the warrior in him recoiling from the idea of lying helpless while his family's fate hung in the balance.

With that decision made, he allowed himself to slip back into the welcoming embrace of sleep, his body and mind needing the rest to recover.

......................

Ares stirred into wakefulness, a sensation of slight control creeping back into his limbs. He managed to twitch his fingers, a minor triumph that felt monumental in his current state.

He attempted to move his jaw, but it remained stubbornly locked.

His eyes fluttered open for a moment, but the light was still too harsh, forcing him to close them once more. He sighed mentally, resigning himself to another bout of sleep.

But the sound of Faraday's loud, boisterous voice pierced through his intention, making Ares curse silently. 

"Ah, how was my super-duper special friend doing, eh?" Faraday's enthusiasm was palpable.

Ares remained silent, not that he could respond even if he wanted to.

There was a dip in Faraday's tone, disappointment evident, "Still no improvement, huh? It had been a whole day too. What a shame."

Ares twitched his fingers again, and immediately, the excitement returned to Faraday's tone, "Hey, your fingers were twitching! That was progress! Would've been perfect if you didn't have two days left. That Kirin, too stubborn. Took everything I had to even convince her to bring you back here."

His voice lowered, a note of concern seeping through, "I had a feeling she'd actually leave me here when it was time to go. So heartless."

Faraday leaned in close, his voice now a whisper directly into Ares's ear, chilling and urgent, "We needed to show her more progress if we were to buy more time, okay? So, channel whatever willpower drove you to survive a fall that high, and still draw breath, and let's improve your recovery rate, shall we?" 

Ares attempted to nod, but the sharp, piercing pain that followed halted him. Instead, he managed to flutter his eyelid, a small but significant signal.

Silence fell for a moment, then Faraday spoke, his voice now tinged with a sense of purpose, "I wanted to ask you a series of yes or no questions, X. Yes, answer with one blink. No, answer with two. Got it?" 

Ares blinked once, a single, deliberate flutter of his eyelid.

"Good," Faraday said.

He asked, "Could you open your eyes?"

Ares blinked once, a single, strained flutter.

"Since you could open your eyes but hadn't done that yet, I was guessing it hurt?"

Another single blink from Ares.

Faraday sighed, "I'd done everything science could, but it seemed I'd have to ask that hag for help."

His tone turned grave, "Listen here, X, I was going to do something that was usually impossible for me right now. Swallow my pride. So you better be worth it."

There was a pause, the silence stretching, as if Faraday was wrestling with his own pride. He finally spoke, his voice resolute, "Wait here."

Ares heard Faraday's footsteps receding.