Chapter 160 - The Reaper - Adam Rosa

"What is going on there, Vale?" Ignis Silva wanted to know as he approached the Specter casually. She waved her hand around as if to make the situation seem dire and such. "Me and Zach attempted to go there and help, but look what happened to him…we have to rely on Luken Regalia, Gavin, and Artorias to bring the Reaper down!" She said, Vale was aware that lying would definitely be punishable, specially with someone as cautious as Ignis was. But still, she felt that this was the least she could do to buy enough time for the four friends and their one last reunion.

"Is Zach okay?" Suna asked in a worried expression as she felt his pulse. Yin also followed. They were both calm and collected after realizing that he was only unconscious. "Y-Yeah. But please just listen to me, to go there right now would be like welcoming death for no reason at all. Just place your faith in those three, I am sure they would be able to find the best way to kill Adam Rosa." Vale blurted out. "Very well. I will give them ten minutes, if I see something shady or if they still have not returned yet within that time, I will go there personally, whether you like it or not, Vale." Ignis was serious as he said that.. "Suit yourself, but for now, just stay put." She retorted back.

"As what I have said, I still have my pride as someone who stood against mankind, I will die an Angel, more so than a human. But never keep Yin Sohaya out of your field of view, that kid is special. He is special in a way that I am not able to tell exactly why right this moment, but trust me, he is going to be the key to everything. Thanatos' bloodline runs deep, there have only been a few humans that survived with his blood, but I do believe that Yin is one of them. That is just my hypothesis, anyway." The Reaper said with no hesitation, causing the others to wrinkle their eyebrows trying to figure out what exactly he was meaning to say.

"Just who is Thanatos, really, Adam?" the Serpent Summoner demanded to know. "I know you have been reading up more on him before you left Niflheim, the books back at the hideout still have those notes that you kept regarding that topic." 

Adam was trying his hardest to stay alive as long as possible, Artorias as well. He caught his breath and proceeded to tell Gavin. "Long ago, the Old Gods were attempting to conquer this desolate planet, it was occupied by the winged harbingers that we call 'Angels' still. Thanatos was the God of Death and Decay, one of the strongest of the old Gods. Humans back then even worked with the Gods in establishing civilization and trying to build a city for them to call their 'last' bastion. Niflheim back then was a great kingdom which were not at the mercy of Angels, they were actually going toe to toe against them during combat and expeditions. But the Niflheim we have now has been reduced so much that we have trouble in trying to feed the whole population. It is quite sad. I have discovered that Thanatos was an avid piano musician, one day, he caught the eye of a girl his age as well. They both fell in love and even had a couple of children. But there was one thing that they both knew that all the others did not know of. This girl was an Angel taking the shape and appearance of a human, for some reason, she deserted the Angels and has decided to settle down in Niflheim alongside humans. They hid the real truth from everyone, even the children." Adam was coughing out even more blood now. Luken approached him to try and help but he could not do anything at all anymore. The Reaper shook his head as if to say that this was expected and it would end in how they all expected it would.

But he wanted to continue the story of Thanatos. "As Thanatos was getting deployed to more and more expeditions and missions, he spent most of his time away from home now. He was focused and determined in killing all these Angels. Keep in mind that the Angels and Gods already existed during the same time, these are beings that far transcend the mortality of man, so it is useless to liken them to human beings, it just does not work like that. Anyway, one time, when Thanatos was getting back from a blood-filled and impossibly difficult mission, he went straight to his house and found that his wife was not there. 

He was confused so he went somewhere outside and there he saw it, a bunch of people being burnt at the stake, he saw the other Old Gods accuse them of being Angels and the others being conspirators and the ones who were helping the Angels to infiltrate Niflheim. But he would see something which would change the course of history forever. His wife was there. It was too late for Thanatos to reach her in time, the flames were lit and she was burning already. Her face was not in pain, though, she was oddly calm for someone who was burning to her death. But before she completely lost consciousness and knocked in to death's doors, her true form was revealed. The grotesque burnt body of an Angel replaced the woman's body.

All of the Old Gods turned around and saw that Thanatos was there. The situation was not looking good for him, they all understood that he knew who she actually was and was covering up for her. They accused him of insubordination, Thanatos vehemently denied the accusations but there was no way he was going to talk his way out of it now, was there? No matter how strong of a God he was, there was no way he could take them all on. He attempted to run away into the outskirts but a spear throw from one of the Gods halted his steps, Thanatos turned around and saw that the spear projectile was stopped right in the air. As if time was ceased in that very moment. That was when Thanatos heard his lover's voice call out to him. 'No matter where you are, no matter what life, and what form you take, I will always find you. Until then, do not die. This System I grant you shall ensure that no harm will ever come to you, use it wisely, my love.' She said to him. The white silhouette which was her true appearance held his cheek and kissed him goodbye. 

When time resumed, Thanatos had already had the full power of the System given to him and fully unlocked. That day, the blood of the Old Gods colored the walls of Niflheim as Thanatos went absolutely berserk and eviscerated every single one of them. It was already past the point of diplomacy at that time, anyway. Without the protection and force of the Old Gods defending Niflheim, the humans could not withstand the might of the Angels and were driven into this corner, the one that Niflheim currently stands on right now. As a last ditch effort to ensure their survival, they used the spells that the Old Gods taught them, how to construct a barrier which would not allow any Angel to get in. Thanatos' lover was actually not any ordinary Angel, she was supposed to be the next Vessel. The one whom all the Angels would mold their physical prowess, emotion, and everything else on. All the old Angels took their own lives and vanished into oblivion as the new Angels are now torn on looking for Thanatos. Rummaging across Niflheim, trying to find the lover she lost to time." Adam Rosa stopped talking now. "I-Is everything you have said so far the truth?" Artorias was absolutely dumbfounded. "Look at me, Artorias. Have I any reason to lie whatsoever, old friend? Anyway, it was not like I was ratting everything out. I was merely telling the untold story not of how this conflict between mankind and Angels started, but the middle part of it. Think of it like a puzzle, you are free to do whatever you want with what I have told you, Luken, Gavin. Now, come here, you three." Adam pulled out the Basilisk Slayer's blade in his stomach and made the bleeding even worse. But he was smiling. "We have never done anything like this, we bonded through strength and steel, through swords and affinities, through Anima cells and valor. But for now, my friends, I would like the warmth of an embrace before I depart from this plane of existence. I am sure your brother would like that as well, no matter how much he might deny it, Gavin." This was the first time that they had ever seen Adam Rosa's genuine smile in years. It was a sad and melancholic sight, yet oddly heartwarming.