Chapter Text
They were getting everything set up for another session of Apotheosis when it happened.
Charlie had his sheets pulled up alongside his notes, looking them over when he felt something pull at his whole body. It was as if gravity was pushing him forward instead of down.
His room flashed before his eyes like reality was ripping apart at the seams. Charlie had less than a seconds time to react as everything faded to black.
And then he fell to the ground, grass beneath his hands, except he couldn't see. Only the light of little lightning bugs illuminated his hands in front of him.
Then he heard a voice.
"Peter, what are you doing down there?"
Before Charlie could grasp any semblance of what was going on, he was pulled up once more, this time by his shirt.
Up on his feet, he nearly stumbled over but regained balance as the person who had spoken was holding on to him firmly.
"Peter?" the voice spoke again, yet with what little light, the sheer radiance that this person emitted gave a clear sign that something was very, very wrong.
It sounded like him, but it didn't look like him. And yet, strangely, Charlie felt a sense of familiarity while gazing at the person who was looking deep into his eyes.
It took a couple more seconds for his brain to register that he was being called Peter, and a couple more to recall his character's name was also Peter.
Charlie was a smart guy. It didn't take too much longer to realize he was either dreaming, hallucinating, or completely fucked.
Seeing how real everything felt, how he could smell the musty scent of nature, how he shivered as the cool night air tickled his skin, and how warm this person holding him felt in contrast, he had to deduce that he was probably indeed fucked.
"Oh God," was the first words he spoke, or rather whispered, in this new world.
"No, Peter. It's me, Rumi. Although you aren't too far off," said the iridescent man.
Of course, Rumi. That's why the voice sounded familiar.
"Are you alright?"
He was far from alright, but there wasn't much he could do or say as his mind was practically shattering into a million pieces.
A second voice boomed out ahead of them.
"What is taking long back there? There is no time to waste."
Yet another familiar voice, but instead of feeling at ease he was instilled with a strange sense of fear.
These were his friends, and they were also strangers.
Nothing was making sense.
"Go on, Thanatos. Peter and I will catch up soon."
"Very well," replied Thanatos, who was much further ahead now.
Rumi turned back to Charlie, and his face contorted slightly.
He truly was as soft-spoken and gentle as Grizzly had described.
"Oh Peter, what has got you so upset?" he cooed as he brought up his hand to wipe at Charlie's face.
Charlie shook in surprise as he felt the unwelcoming cold wetness on his face. Or well, was it even his face?
There was so much going on and nothing at all at the same time. It was quiet, save for the ambiance of nature, and the three of them were clearly alone in this forest. Still, it felt like he was being hit with so much stimulation at once.
Charlie couldn't help but sob, feeling unbelievably overwhelmed.
Rumi clicked his tongue and put his arm around Charlie, holding him close, he tugged him forward to catch up with Thanatos.
"Peter I'm not sure what has got you like this, you were fine just moments ago," Rumi muttered, mostly to himself.
Charlie felt something soft nudge at his cheek, and a squeak, not unlike a mouse, hit his ears.
Glancing with his tear-filled eyes he saw a small hand-sized white fox, similar to that one pokemon, and he recognized it to be Sunny, noting the sun pattern on its forehead.
Suddenly enthralled by the beauty of this creature, Charlie gasped, but then reality hit ten-fold and he sobbed harder.
They were catching up to the louder, mechanical footsteps in front of them, Rumi still pulling Charlie along with his arm tightly grabbing around him.
"Why are you crying, boy? Does this journey not fulfill you?" came Thanatos's earth-rattling voice. The man had clearly stopped to look at them as his footsteps could no longer be heard.
Charlie noted how well Bizly had done with Thanatos's voice in the back of his mind.
"He's just a little upset right now, Thanatos. Pay no mind," Rumi responded.
"Console him quickly, we do not have the time to deal with emotions. There will be plenty once we have slain the gods." Thanatos shot a glare at the two with his shining white eyes and turned back to continue on the path.
Rumi huffed, and hugged Charlie tighter.
"You're shaking... Alright Peter, breathe with me. On three."
The taller man rubbed Charlie's shoulders, nudging him slightly as if to encourage him to listen.
Charlie shuddered, gasping for air as he struggled to pull in a deep breath. He shut his eyes tight and let himself be completely at Rumi's will.
Everything is fine. Everything will be okay. Just breathe, and we'll figure this out soon.
He repeated those words to himself in his mind, which felt abnormally full, more than usual. It felt like someone was listening to him.
Are you okay?
As if on cue came another voice. This time within his own mind, with yet another, stronger, familiar feeling.
It was his own, if a little nasally and more innocent-like, for a lack of a better word.
It was the voice he'd given Peter.
Charlie didn't respond, but with that question he felt something click, like a little bit of reality pieced itself together.
This was some sort of isekai situation, clearly. And while not much made sense, Charlie being in Peter's body meant a couple things.
The world of Apotheosis, the characters they played, and the logic behind it all, was all very real. And if Charlie was here, that means there's a way out.
All hope was not lost. Hopefully.
Charlie breathed out, managing to get a hold of himself. He opened his eyes, turning to his side and looking up at Rumi.
Rumi looked back, his eyes ever so soft and ethereal.
Should he explain himself? Charlie wasn't completely sure. If he had to guess, neither Rumi nor Thanatos would take too kindly to finding out that someone else was inside Peter's body.
Besides Exandroth of course. Exandroth...
"Oh God," Charlie gasped, unable to stop himself.
Rumi clamped his hand over Charlie's mouth.
"That's the second time you've said that, Peter. Be careful or Thanatos will have your head."
Right, they were god-slayers. And people-slayers too, apparently.
They had committed atrocious crimes against humanity without a second thought.
"Are you alright now?" Rumi asked, removing his hand from Charlie's mouth and gingerly caressing his face.
It was strangely intimate, Charlie had to remind himself that's just how Rumi and Peter's dynamic was like.
"Yes, sorry," Charlie replied, his throat slightly scratchy and sore. His own voice sounded a lot like Peter's, Charlie noted, but his also came through just slightly. He hoped Rumi wouldn't notice.
"No need to apologize Peter. As long as you are well."
Charlie half expected Rumi to push further but the man had let go of his tight hold on him and settled on holding Charlie's hand as they trekked on, leaving Charlie to his thoughts.
He tried to reach out to Peter in his head, calling out to him.
'Are you still there?'
It was silent for a second, and a bit odd, waiting for a response in his head. But it eventually came.
Hi, I'm here. Are you okay, sir?
The strangeness of it all nearly sent Charlie into another fit. It was basically his own voice just played up a little as he did for Peter in their campaign.
But it was a different person all together. It had a soul of its own.
'I'll be okay, thanks. Are you Peter?' Charlie asked, just in case.
Yes, I'm Peter Sqloint.
'Is Exandroth here as well?'
And just as he asked, a loud moan reverberated in his head, the utter ridiculousness of it almost sending Charlie into orbit, but he kept himself together as he heard the words,
Who dares to ask?
And just as Charlie was about to answer, his vision suddenly filled with a blinding light, and thousands of eyes stared back at him.
He seized up in fear, unable to move in any plane of existence. All he could perceive was the presence of this nightmarish amalgamation of wings, eyes and rings of fire, light and all of the above.
He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, and he couldn't feel anything, except for this... monstrous holy celestial atrocity.
"Who dares to take over my vessel?" The words of Exandroth boomed, shaking his soul to the core.
The intensity of it all lessened, if only slightly to allow Charlie a chance to respond.
'My name is Charlie Dalgleish. I-I don't know how I got here I swear. I didn't mean to intrude. Please don't smite me.'
How he managed to stutter in his own thoughts was beyond him.
Exandroth moaned again, which never sounded more terrifying.
"Charlie Dalgleish... another mortal? What do you say of this, Peter Sqloint?"
As Peter responded Charlie noted how relaxed he sounded, as if Exandroth's presence was nothing more than a minor annoyance.
Did Peter even get annoyed?
I don't know anything about this, Exandroth. But he seems like a nice guy. Maybe we can let him stay with us.
Of course Peter would say that about a man who he had barely spoken a word to.
"So be it."
And just like that his vision came back and he found himself being held up by Rumi. His limbs were all tingling like they had fallen asleep. Charlie slowly felt himself coming back to his senses. The ringing in his ears fading he could hear Rumi's voice shouting at him.
"...Peter! Remember what I said, Peter? You can fight it!"
He turned to Thanatos with a slightly furrowed look on his face.
"Thanatos we must give the boy a break. Surely we could rest for a bit?"
Thanatos stared at Peter, the boy looked thoroughly dazed and out of it, and had wet his pants, although it was slightly hard to tell in this eternal darkness.
He grunted and settled underneath a tree, absent-mindedly petting Lizard who was resting on his lap.
Rumi set Peter down on the dirt, kneeling next to him.
Although they had only known each other for a couple days, Rumi had never seen Exandroth have such an effect on Peter like this before. Something was amiss, but he thought better against saying it aloud.
He watched as as Peter's eyes opened up and his normal, human irises presented themselves.
"Peter?"
Charlie looked straight up at the void sky. He felt that feeling people talked about, the one where you could feel as if you're falling into the sky, if you stare at it just a bit too long.
He blinked and shook as he scrambled up into a sitting position.
"Easy there! You're alright, Peter. We're taking a short break. You can relax."
"Exandroth..." Charlie tried to explain, but just uttering his name felt wrong.
When he had created the character of Exandroth, it was supposed to be funny, in a way. This horrible biblically accurate angel-type design with an absolutely atrocious voice was supposed to lend some sort of comedic relief.
But having experienced his presence first-hand, Charlie had wished he never created such a thing, even if he thought it was fiction.
"Yes, Peter, what about Exandroth?" Rumi pried, rubbing Charlie's arm up and down in a soothing motion.
And although this was Charlie's first time experiencing Exandroth first-hand, this was not the first for Rumi, Peter or Thanatos.
In fact, Exandroth was a part of the team for them.
"Nothing, sorry. I'm sorry. I'm really-"
"Now now, Peter. What did I say about apologizing?"
"It is a sign of weakness, Peter," Thanatos interjected.
Right...
Charlie supposed now was a better time than ever to gather some information. Perhaps in a way that didn't arouse suspicion from the other two.
He could technically ask Peter as well but he didn't want to trigger Exandroth in the slightest.
"I'm so-," he quickly stopped himself as he caught the two glaring at him. "Where... um... I don't want to take up your time. We should keep going to..."
Charlie trailed off hoping one of them would fill him in.
All he could tell was that they were on the way to defeat a Blight, but which one, he couldn't guess.
Rumi looked slightly puzzled.
"Are you sick, Peter?" He placed a hand against Charlie's, or Peter's, forehead. Rumi hummed quietly as he muttered,
"You sound a little... hmm."
Charlie felt his mouth go dry. It was a lot harder to talk as Peter when real life was at stake. He had to channel his inner acting skills.
"I'm fine guys," he started, pitching his voice up higher. "We can keep going if that's what you want."
Thanatos looked up at those words. The god-slayer clearly had liked that idea.
Rumi smiled at Charlie and lent out his hand, offering to help him up. Charlie took it and got up to his feet, Thanatos following suit.
A little bit of magic hit him, the feeling a little unusual. Charlie felt his clothes become clean in an instant.
Rumi must have casted Prestidigitation. It was interesting seeing it in action.
Thanatos walked in the lead, somehow knowing where to go despite the complete darkness and lack of a path.
Rumi followed behind him, holding Charlie's hand, and slowing his pace just a little.
He turned to look down at Charlie.
"You're not Peter, are you?"
Charlie was stunned. Rumi didn't look angry, then again Rumi probably never looked angry.
Either way, there was no hiding it.
"No," he confirmed.
Rumi didn't let go of his hand, but his voice took a colder tone.
"Who are you, then?"
Charlie couldn't help but feel devastated at the loss of warmth. He felt his heart jump, a nauseous feeling pooling in his stomach.
Now having the chance to really take everything in, having his friends voice talk to him in that tone felt wrong. Sure, Grizzly and him often quarreled but it was always lighthearted, and Grizzly was too kind to ever talk to him that way.
"This is a lot..." Charlie whispered, keeping his voice low incase Thanatos could hear.
"Where is Peter?"
Hearing Rumi sound irritated Charlie rushed to answer.
"He's here, he's here, hold on let me see..."
Maybe there was a way to get Peter to take control of the body.
He called out to Peter.
'Peter can you take control? Reassure Rumi that you're here?'
If you really want me to
It was an immediate response. If he had to take a guess, Peter was waiting for Charlie to suggest it.
Charlie could feel himself being pulled away from the body, just as he felt when Exandroth presented himself. Except this time he wasn't blinded, he could still see through Peter's eyes, but felt disassociated from everything.
He watched as Peter spoke to Rumi.
"Hi Rumi."
Charlie noted the immediate shift in Rumi's nature.
"Peter you're here! What's going on? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine Rumi. Well, I guess I have another friend with me now."
In the darkness, a little scurry of feet on the dirt came closer and climbed up Peter's body. It was Lizard, who must have sensed Peter's return.
"Hi Lizard, how are you doing?" Peter patted Lizards head and gave him a worm that was in his pocket.
Charlie shuddered, or would have if he had a body. That was in his pocket the whole time?
"It really is you, Peter. I'm relieved to know you are safe. What of Exandroth?"
Rumi smiled at Peter, a certain glint in his eyes.
"He's alright too, he did scare the new guy a lot though. I mean, I would be scared too if I met Exandroth for the first time."
Rumi seemed to hesitate, as if he were choosing his next words carefully.
"And this 'new guy', is he going to be a problem?"
The way Rumi talked about him left a sour taste in his... soul.
"I don't think so, he just seems a little confused," said Peter.
Charlie thanked himself for creating such a nice character, at this point it seemed to be his only saving grace.
Rumi hummed, seeming to not have any more issues.
"Why don't you stay with us Peter, at least until we have time to figure out what to do about this... what's his name?"
"He said his name was Charlie."
"Charlie it is, then."
"Okay Rumi, but I don't think he'll be very happy being stuck with Exandroth."
What?
Rumi scoffed, now speeding up his pace to catch up with Thanatos once more, pulling Peter along.
"He will be fine, Peter. Don't worry about him. We need you more."
"If you say so Rumi."