Kratos recoils at Zelos' recounting of "history", anger and hurt singing loud in his core. At least the story Anna told him still painted him as a hero for ending the war. He kicks one foot against the ground, clenches and unclenches his fists, and most importantly breathes. It's at least ten seconds before he can see clearly enough to formulate a thought, ether and blood both boiling in his veins.
"'Larger villain'," he repeats, with a scoff. As if one man could do as much damage as the warring countries. "I didn't steal anyone. Humanity stole the Aegises, ripped them from their home and their father and immediately forced them to fight against each other, no more than weapons in a pointless war, as if they were tools and not people." His anger, now, is cold, despite the boiling in his veins. "Not that I'm surprised," he spits. "That's all we are to humans. Tools. Be it for war or for--"
He cuts off. Swallows the ugliness in his throat. Thump thump thump goes his heart, a grim reminder.
"Anyway, I did not steal them," he says, carefully, though his voice still shakes with his fury. "They were prisoners, not property. I set them free."
Breathe, Kratos. Shed the anger off of your shoulders. Don't take it out on Zelos.
He runs a hand over his face, pushing hair away from it. "Martel didn't die in the war," he says, quiet. "She died a few years after it was over. We'd- We'd tried to find a place to live, away from everyone else, where no one would bother us. Sylvarant brought an entire army to our doorstep. Architect knows they weren't trying to kill her, but in the fighting her core crystal was shattered, and Sylvarant stole her shards."
(He can still taste rage on his tongue, horror in his belly, despair that wasn't even his bleeding out of him, choking him, drowning him--)
"Either they've found a way to make use of just her shards, or they..." Kratos hesitates, scowling as he tries to figure out how to explain without going into specifics. "There... is a way to fuse one blade's core crystal with that of another blade. I can't imagine how they found the technology for that, but."
mithos was right, humanity should burn!
"'Larger villain'," he repeats, with a scoff. As if one man could do as much damage as the warring countries. "I didn't steal anyone. Humanity stole the Aegises, ripped them from their home and their father and immediately forced them to fight against each other, no more than weapons in a pointless war, as if they were tools and not people." His anger, now, is cold, despite the boiling in his veins. "Not that I'm surprised," he spits. "That's all we are to humans. Tools. Be it for war or for--"
He cuts off. Swallows the ugliness in his throat. Thump thump thump goes his heart, a grim reminder.
"Anyway, I did not steal them," he says, carefully, though his voice still shakes with his fury. "They were prisoners, not property. I set them free."
Breathe, Kratos. Shed the anger off of your shoulders. Don't take it out on Zelos.
He runs a hand over his face, pushing hair away from it. "Martel didn't die in the war," he says, quiet. "She died a few years after it was over. We'd- We'd tried to find a place to live, away from everyone else, where no one would bother us. Sylvarant brought an entire army to our doorstep. Architect knows they weren't trying to kill her, but in the fighting her core crystal was shattered, and Sylvarant stole her shards."
(He can still taste rage on his tongue, horror in his belly, despair that wasn't even his bleeding out of him, choking him, drowning him--)
"Either they've found a way to make use of just her shards, or they..." Kratos hesitates, scowling as he tries to figure out how to explain without going into specifics. "There... is a way to fuse one blade's core crystal with that of another blade. I can't imagine how they found the technology for that, but."