#leratium

Anyways: Ati and Leras, Mistborn Spoilers.

"I will take Ruin."  The setting sun glinted in Ati's red hair.  "Perhaps I can contain it's power, at least for a time, and prevent its destructive potential from being realized."  

The others remained silent as Ati stepped forward, hands outstretched to take in the power.  Leras felt unable to speak, paralyzed, though his heart was racing in his chest.   This is happening too quickly.  Some of the others were already gone, racing off into the Cosmere with their newfound divinity, no doubt setting out to find a position of advantage from which to fortify themselves from attack by the others.  

No, no, no.  This can't be happening.  Ati was the best of them.  His kindness and laughter had saved Leras in his darkest moments.  This was not supposed to be that way.  

He could see the logic in Ati's sacrifice, of course.  Though Uli Da, Rayse, and Bavadin had already departed with their shards moments before, and those remaining would count themselves lucky that none of them had taken Ruin as their own, Leras was not sure who he would trust with that kind of power.  Edgli, cautious as ever, continued to watch, no doubt calculating which of the sixteen was most likely to renege on their pact the quickest.  

The logic did not make it any easier to accept that Ati the person was gone, and what remained of him would live the rest of his eons of existence in a constant struggle to contain the power he had claimed.  

I have to do something.  Leras's eyes darted between the impassive faces of his remaining companions.  Why weren't any of them doing something to stop this? They don't care.  All they see is their own chance to ascend; their own piece of godhood.  

I have to protect him.  Please, Ati, don't leave me.  

"Chin up, Leras," Ati smiled, meeting Leras's eyes as the black mist continued to wind its way around his body.  "Surely there are worse things to fear than becoming a dark god of destruction."  As he finished speaking, Ati's form seemed to evaporate as it was consumed by the black mist.  His human self was burned away by the god-like power he now held, leaving only divinity behind.  

"ATI!!!!"  Leras stumbled forward into the space Ati had occupied only moments before.  A light sprung up, seemingly in response to his shout.  It was a white mist, contrasting the black one that had consumed Ati.  In horror, Leras watched as the mists began to envelop him.  His entire body began to burn as if his veins were being set alight beneath his skin.  A thousand pleasures and pains assaulted him at once, and his back arched in simultaneous torment and ecstasy as the power consumed him.  

I will save Ati.  I will Preserve him.  As his body dissolved, Leras shot off, knowing Ati would have tried to get as far as possible to avoid causing any unintended harm.  Already, he could feel his mind expanding much as his body had.  Time and space seemed to lose meaning.  He reached out into the beyond, grasping at millions of possible futures, understanding them in an instant.  

Why am I chasing him?  Leras pushed forward, locating the futures in which he and Ati were together, and willed himself to that place, passing over whole solar systems in an instant.  

"Leras?  What are you doing here?  My power it. . . it burns.   You . . ."  Leras received the impression of Ati, as he remembered him, reaching out with a hand.  Leras reached out his own power eagerly, seeking to envelop Ati in his embrace.  

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH"  They screamed in unison, and the echoes of their cries seemed to reverberate through the very fabric of the Cosmere.  Leras recoiled from Ati, slowly regaining his senses as the intense pain faded.  

"What, what was that?"  

"I don't know."  Leras examined his own power more closely.  Mingling his power with Ati's had felt explosive, like a volcano erupting under a frozen lake.  Despite the pain of the experience, part of Leras seemed to call out to record it perfectly in his memory, to preserve it for all time.  

Preservation.  It sensed my desire to preserve Ati, and accepted me as its Vessel.  "Our powers, it appears, are in conflict.  Ruin and Preservation: we are opposites.  Our powers will not mingle easily. "    

"Yes."  Leras could sense, rather than hear, the hesitation in Ati's voice as he considered the new knowledge. Leras mentally cursed Adonalsium.  How was it that he had ended up with the one Shard that would prevent him from remaining close to Ati?  Already he could feel himself drifting away from Ati, pulled by his own power away from its opposite.  

No!  Desperate, Leras again reached into the beyond, searching for a future in which he and Ati could remain together.   His power seemed to navigate through the unmeasurable expanse of possibility easily, appearing eager to find futures where current circumstances were preserved. 

"Leras?" 

"Got it!  Our powers may not mingle easily, but we can use them together.  I've seen it.  Ati, together, we can create anything.  We could form entire worlds out of the abyss if we wanted."  As he spoke, Leras felt his power seeming shrink into itself, as if resiling from the thought of so much change.  "Neither of us can alone, of course, but together. . ."

"No, Leras.  I have made up my mind.  We must abide by our pact, remember?  I will find some dark corner of the Cosmere, and find a way to keep myself there, so that my power cannot harm anyone."  

"But you don't have to only destroy Ati, together we can create."  

"Leras, this is my burden to bear.  Leave, and find a planet to protect.  If we do as you say, your plan will only lead to the destruction of all we have made, and likely you as well."  Unbidden, a vision of the future Ati spoke of came into view, a world consumed by fire and ash.  And yet, that was not all Leras saw.  I can preserve them.  

"Ati, friend, if you must destroy one day, would it not be better to ruin something we ourselves have created?  That way, the rest of the Cosmere may be preserved.  Our powers will counteract each other for a time, and perhaps delay the events you fear."  Or prevent them completely.  Though the thought of misleading Ati twisted his heart, the power Leras held seemed to pulse eagerly at the thought of having an entire world to preserve against destruction.  

"Leras. . . I can't.  I cannot bear the thought of killing you.  I will only ask once more.  Leave this place.  If I destroy you I may never forgive myself."

If you destroy at all, you will never forgive yourself.  And I would rather see the Cosmere consumed by your power then spend eons apart from you.  

"I am resolute, Ati, you will not convince me.  Give this a chance, and we can create something beautiful together.  Our powers will balance each other.  You can force things to evolve and change, and my power will protect what we create from complete annihilation."

It took further negotiation, but eventually, a deal was struck.  Together, Ati and Leras stretched out until they found an empty system, and there they pulled a planet from the void and set about creating life there.  

Ati, already succumbing to influence of his power, secured the promise that one day Leras would allow him to destroy that which they created.  Leras agreed, and with a heavy heart began to plan the betrayal of the person he loved most.  Dimly, he saw one future where mists, black and white, intertwined, becoming something greater.  

Oh you are asking me for some angst here, my dude. Well, I’m not gonna turn away from it. 

17. “I thought I could trust you.” 

When Leras had come to Ati, he’d finally looked like himself again. Of course, in some way they always retained a bit of their original appearance–a bit of the people, the men they once were, instead of whatever they had become–but Leras looked human, eyes full of love and not fathomless knowledge, and when he’d pulled Ati down into a kiss, the shifting mist contained within his skin had been almost completely still and silent. It made Ati–the part of him that was still aware, and he was never sure how much of himself that was–self-conscious, aware of how his own barbs must be cutting into the other man’s skin, but Leras hadn’t complained, pulling Ati back when the man tried to pull away for a moment. 

“What’s this about?” Ati asked, voice light. Affection like this had been–rare, since their transformation. Part of that was just that, if they touched too much, if they got too close, it felt like they were walking on the edge of a knife, inches from slipping and cutting themselves–or, even worse, the other person. Leras’s smile in return was melancholy, and he looked away for a second. “Leras?” 

“I was just…I’m sorry, about that last fight,” he admitted, voice quieter than it usually was. “We shouldn’t fight–we don’t know how long we have, after all.” As always when he made some reference to that–to the fact that, bit by bit, the forces they’d subsumed were subsuming them, their personalities–Ati frowned, pulling him closer and pressing a kiss to the center of his forehead. 

“Hey, don’t say that. It’s just change, Ler–that doesn’t mean it’s bad. I still love you, after all, don’t I?” And, although they could be alarming, these changes–they’d let the pair of them build a new world, a beautiful one. Leras’ Shard was just making it hard for him to see that, was all. That was what the fight had been, after all–a volcanic eruption, beautiful and primal, had finally erupted, spreading new ground across the land–and, unfortunately, destroying the existing landscape and a town or two. But it was so beautiful. 

Leras couldn’t see that, but that was alright. 

Leras did look up at Ati, smiling, and Ati was struck–as he had been years ago–by the fact that Leras–Leras was beautiful. Like a sunset, light on turbulent water, that volcanic eruption, the collision of tectonic plates, the artwork of Hemalurgy–some part of Ati wondered when this had become beauty to him, the rest of him didn’t worry–Leras was gorgeous, breathtaking in the best way. And, unlike most of the other things, he didn’t get mad now when Ati pointed it out. 

“I know,” Leras said, smiling and wrapping his arms around Ati, a solid warmth against the taller man. “I love you too.” He leaned up, kissing Ati again, and for a moment they could have been mortal–they could have just been two ordinary people in a world that hadn’t gone to hell yet, falling in love. Something deep in Ati’s heart ached at the thought. 

Leras pulled away for a moment, and when he spoke, his voice had taken on the slight shift that meant Preservation was more present. “That’s why I’m so sorry.” 

Ati didn’t have time to process the words before Leras’s arms locked around him like a vice, the other man’s form vanishing into silver mist that was as solid as chains. 

“What–Leras? Leras?” Ati could hear his own voice break, and he shoved against the bonds, feeling the dark spines unfurl from within his skin, the earth of Scadrial shuddering as he pulled against the bonds. “Leras, what are you doing? Let me go–” 

“I’m sorry,” Leras’s voice, without a clear source, repeated. It was just Leras again, and Ati could tell the other man was on the verge of tears. “I’m so sorry, Ati–” 

Ati felt the brush of lips against his own, one final time, and then there was only silence and the horrifying claustrophobia of realizing that, regardless of his power, he was trapped, held in one place by his lover’s silver mist. 

“Leras!” He yelled, rage starting to take the place of surprise. “Leras! Let me out!” There was no response, and Ati could feel himself starting to shake, his skin unravelling and losing its composition, the dark energy of Ruin bursting out of him in jagged lines as he understood what happened. 

Our deal. Our deal–he’s going back on it, he’s trying to stop me–

“I loved you,” Ati whispered as he continued to unravel, voice breaking as his bones liquefied, turning to a droplets of dark metal. “I thought I could trust you.” 

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he was Ruin.