Are you sure, she says -- as though he would do something like this if he weren't. If he didn't remember Ryou telling him that the powers Atem had embraced infamy for, had shouldered the lion's share of the burden for, had compromised his principles for, were made as useless as Atem's second sacrificed life -- taken away, at the worst possible moment, like they meant nothing.]
What do you mean...? Of course I'm sure. He told me he didn't have his Fog powers in Felfri. Even before he changed sides.
[He'd thought Ryou had. It was because of that that Atem felt confident leaving him alone...he'd been working so hard to trust that Ryou would be okay without him, something he needs to trust in order to be happy in the relationship, to not feel like he's trapped in it, and then the minute he'd turned his back, Ryou had been hurt in the way he'd been frightened of for over a year, was quantifiably not okay, had needed Atem, and the steps Atem had took in response...
...would only prove as useless as all the rest. He has to get out of the cycle, of AM and Morgenstern and all the Ryslig-monsters who hurt Ryou, scare Ryou, who depends on Atem, who hurts others.
He's sure. He remembers Ryou telling him this, that he didn't have his Fog powers in Felfri. He remembers.]
cw reference to torture, upcoming warning for unreliable/false memories, psychosis-adjacent episode
Are you sure, she says -- as though he would do something like this if he weren't. If he didn't remember Ryou telling him that the powers Atem had embraced infamy for, had shouldered the lion's share of the burden for, had compromised his principles for, were made as useless as Atem's second sacrificed life -- taken away, at the worst possible moment, like they meant nothing.]
What do you mean...? Of course I'm sure. He told me he didn't have his Fog powers in Felfri. Even before he changed sides.
[He'd thought Ryou had. It was because of that that Atem felt confident leaving him alone...he'd been working so hard to trust that Ryou would be okay without him, something he needs to trust in order to be happy in the relationship, to not feel like he's trapped in it, and then the minute he'd turned his back, Ryou had been hurt in the way he'd been frightened of for over a year, was quantifiably not okay, had needed Atem, and the steps Atem had took in response...
...would only prove as useless as all the rest. He has to get out of the cycle, of AM and Morgenstern and all the Ryslig-monsters who hurt Ryou, scare Ryou, who depends on Atem, who hurts others.
He's sure. He remembers Ryou telling him this, that he didn't have his Fog powers in Felfri. He remembers.]