He stood for a long time, eyes closed, breathing in and out. Hand on the hilt of his sword.
Finish what you began... .
He was in a perfect position to run, but he was also in a perfect position to fight. A man who had the powers of the Deathless, but the mind, passions, and honor of a common man. For the time being, at least.
Honor. Did he really have honor?
All through his childhood, his life had been set out for him. He now realized that these last few weeks had been the first chances he’d had to choose for himself. What would he do with that choice?
He opened his eyes.
“TEL,” he said. “If I die, you will bring me back here to be reborn. With my memories.” He shoved the Dark Thoughts away. “Will you do it, TEL?”
The golem whimpered.
“TEL, I command it of you.”
“I will obey,” the golem whispered. Apparently he would hold to some of his former commands, but there was leeway with others.
“We are going to locate the Worker of Secrets,” Siris said, striding forward, TEL falling into place beside him. “I will free him. And then we will find a way to fight back.”
Not because it was meant to be. But because he chose to. For now, the list he’d written in his logbook would wait. The truth was, he’d probably already done everything on the list a hundred times over, even if he didn’t remember.
Saving the world, though... that was something he was certain he’d never done.