Chapter 16

“What the hell are you talking about,” Akali said as her heart thumped faster.

Thanatos looked at her mockingly, tossing some of his long silken black hair behind him while his red eyes bore into Akali. His gaze alone would’ve been enough to cower even the mightiest of Champions, and Akali suddenly felt s though sshe were little girl again. Or were those false memories that were projected into her mind?

“There is another Champion with you,” Thanatos said with amusement, as Thresh was suddenly revealed and restrained by other Summoenrs, coming forth to Thnatos’ presence. “I told Thresh that he was overstepping his boundaries. Though who would’ve though he would eventually engineer a plan to finally discover the truth? Well plaeyd, Thresh. You just got further into the deeper level of the game, though you’re not quite ready to face the Final Boss yet.”

Thanatos chuckled to himself, and Akali guessed that this man was deranged and unhinged if he thought that everything was just a game to him.

“As for you, Kai,” Thanatos said in a silken tone, to which Kai visibly shivered. “You helped them. I know this, I see ll…but I’ve gotten everything under control. In fact, I engineered things like this to happen. I planted ideas into Thresh’s head and made him believe that it was his own idea. That’s how I programmed him to do.”

Thresh said nothing, though Akali imagined if Thresh had a visage that could show expressions, it would be pure hatred towards Thanatos.

“We’re our own indviduals,” AKali said. “We’re not some…plaything that you program or mess around with. We’re not a video game character.”

“Do you know how a Champion becomes a Champion in the first place?” Thanatos said while looking at his nails, as though he weren’t interested in what Akali had to say. “It’s all part of my grand plan. This is the part where things get really interesting, and you guys accessed a deeper level of the game. Congratulations. You discovered an easter egg, or something very special. Though I would also have to say that you, Akali , are a glitch In the game. But glitches make things more fascinating, don’t they”

“What the hell are you talking about,” Akali muttered, to which Thanatos laughed

“Your mother was actually a former clone of you, Akali,” Thanato said with amusement, narrowing his eyes as though he reveled to see the shocked look on Akali’s face. “One of your former personalities, I mean. WE decided to execute her and reprogram her into a newer, more updated version of a Champion. Though you have always been special to us, Akali. You were a glitch, all right, showed more rebellious spirit than the other champions, but we adored you anyway because you were unique. You’re also one of the older programs in the system, though it took serious modifications to make you into what you are now.”

“So…my mother never even existed?” Akali said, before she narrowed her eyes towards Thanatos. “She was merely a persona that you adapted onto me?”

“That you are correct,” Thanatos said, and Akali wondered if Shen knew any of this stuff at all.Maybe he guessed I t, but didn’t want to truly acknowledge it. Because he knew that fighting against the Summoners was a fruitless battle.

“Well, what am I to do with you two, then?” Thanatos said, before his gaze directed towards Kai. “Kai needs to be appropriately punished for his deeds. He was disposable, as always. That is your reward for breaking into teh vaults.”

“He had nothing to do with with this!” Akali said in desperation, and Kai seemed to be resigned towards his face.

“It’s all right, Akali,” Kai said with a small smile towards her. “They say that death is the next great adventure, after all.”

“Kai, no!” Akali said, and the Summoners executed Kai on the spot. Akali trembled, not with fear or sadness, but pure anger. She escaped the Summoners grip and lunged herself towards Thanatos, though Thanatos stopped her with a telekinetic force that ‘repelled’ her back from him. Akali landed on her backside with a thump, and she glared at Thanatos the entire time while he laughed mockingly at her.

“Oh, this is too rich!” Thanatos said, before he said. “I could always kill you and reprogram you again, but I like this challenge that you’re giving me. No, what I think that I’ll do is put you and Thresh to sleep.”

“What do you mean by that?” Akali gawked, wondered if put to sleep was a euphemism for putting down like a dog or killing them off for good. Thanatos laughed.

“Just putting you in a cryogenic chamber,” Thanatos said with a smile. “I rather like this end game that we have here. But I’m going to postpone it justa little longer. You haven’t played the game completely until you explore all the side quests and whatnot.”

“You’re absolutely crazy,” Akali said.

“Genius is another side of madness, they say,” Thanatos said, before he ushered teh Summoners towards another hidden room, which was teh cryogenic vault. “You and Thresh can take a nice long nap, to reflect on your sins…”

They put Akali into one of teh cryogenic tubes, along with Thresh, restraining them. The lid to the cryogenic chamber crept up and covered Akali completely, while she attempted to escape from the restraints. Yet it was useless, fruitless, and as the gases inside the cryogenic chamber started to make hr pass out, Akali’s last conscious thought was she would kill Thanatos the next time she saw him.