Arkadin sighed, genuinely upset at how his mother was currently reacting to his presence. The moment Kinisis had spotted him, she had thrown whatever was in reach. The bowl of soup phased harmlessly through Arkadin’s non-corpreal form, splattering up against the wall behind him.
“You seem far too angry, all things considered.”
“YOU NEARLY KILLED MY PARTNER!” was Kinisis’s strained, screechy reply. “You went way too fucking far! And now you have the gall to slither back here, begging for forgiveness? Or to threaten me as well?”
The Thantophor calmly shook his head. “You want to punish me. I understand that. But I want to explain to you exactly why I did what I did. Because otherwise you won’t ever hear both sides of the story.”
Kinisis stomped over, crossing her arms furiously. “Make yourself physical. Then we’ll talk.”
Arkadin did as he was asked. Immediately, the moment Arkadin was no longer non-corpreal, Kinisis grabbed the Thantophor by the neck, pressing him against the wall, smearing soup and broken crockery up his back.
“You’re so damn biased…” Arkadin simply sighed, making himself ghost-like again so he could pass through Kinisis’s grip. He reformed behind Kinisis but made no further actions. “You are pissed off that I nearly killed Kenon. Well Kenon nearly killed my oldest friend. After I asked him not to. If you want to tear me to pieces the same way I tore Kenon to pieces, as equal retaliation, then be my guest.”
The Allmaker sneered. “Oh no. Not at all. I want to punish you, but hurting you is… pointless. You’re already hurting. I want you gone.”
“Then I can leave and you can find another death god to take my place.”
Kinisis stepped forward, her hand outstretched. Despite Arkadin’s phantom form, this time Kinisis managed to grab a hold of him, gripping tightly around his wrist.
“You’re going to become passive. A comatose deity. I’m going to lock you in a box so you can’t touch the outside world. You’ll influence the universe via your death and decay but you won’t be able to feel it yourself. For as long as Kenon remains a non-god, so will you.”
Arkadin closed his eyes, not amused by Kinisis’s words. “You really can’t accept that Kenon does things wrong, can you? All I asked was that he treat two mortals well. Yet he could not do that. What I did to Kenon was everything he did to my little friend. Actually, technically, it’s less, because I didn’t imprison Kenon nor try to drown him in his own blood.”
“You’re supposed to be better than that.”
“But I was better than Kenon. I always have been.”
Kinisis hissed, tightening her grip. “Will you accept your damn punishment, or will I have to get… rough with you?”
The Thantophor nodded. “I accept. But before you lock me in a box and throw away the key, may I speak to Yisini first?”
“Why? So you can threaten her? Hurt her? Torment her?”
Arkadin tutted, smiling slightly. “Oh no, not at all. I actually have… some glorious news for her. But it is for Yisini only.”
After a moment of thought, Kinisis let go of Arkadin’s arm. “Very well. You have 24 hours. Then I want you back here, to start your punishment.”
“Thank you…” Arkadin continued to smile. “See you soon.”