Pridament paused. He seemed to be searching for the right words. "Thousands of years ago, a group of people were born with special abilities. Normal humans elevated them to godhood. The masses praised and worshiped them. In their own way, those gifted people tried to be fair and benevolent gods. They called themselves the Anunnaki. Over time, others were born with similar powers. In some cases, people raised them up as gods through adoration. Others assumed the role through force. Many others chose to hide their abilities. All over the world, patches of these people appeared. Our modern world remembers them as the Olympians, the Aesir, and the gods of Egypt."

"So what does that have to do with me?"

"Those people," Pridament said, nodding toward Gwynn's arm, "were marked the same way you are."

"So you're saying I'm one of these people?" His mind reeled. When Pridament said he wouldn't believe, he had no idea how outrageous the story would be. Him? Gwynn Dormath, a god? What a ridiculous joke. He would've said so to Pridament, would've told him to save the fairy tales for toddlers, but nothing but conviction resided in the older man's voice and eyes. Yes, he understood what he said sounded foolish and impossible. But he believed every word of it.

"I know. It was a lot easier to have faith in a world not dominated by science. But the truth is, science plays a role in this. You see— "

"What the HELL is going on here?" a male voice— old leather worn through years of smoke and alcohol.

Pridament made a startled jump to his feet. "Please, let me explain."

"I think you damned well better." This man's gray and thinning hair made him look much older than Pridament. He wore thick glasses which fell halfway down his hawkish nose. His attire marked him as a doctor.

Pridament extended his hand, which the other doctor showed no interest in taking. After an awkward minute, Pridament withdrew his hand. "I'm Doctor Alcandre, Pridament. I was friends with Gwynn's parents."

The older doctor looked to Gwynn, who nodded his agreement.

"It's true. He knew them."

"Well, I'm Doctor Saduj. I've been overseeing Gwynn's care since he arrived. While I don't mind you visiting my patient, doctor, I'm wondering how you justify removing the dressings on his arm."

"When he came out of the coma, he started tearing at it. He seemed in distress. When I got him calmed down, he said it felt like it was on fire. I removed the bandages so I could see what was happening."

Had Pridament practiced that very speech just in case? Even knowing it as a lie, Gwynn thought it sounded flawless and convincing.

"What did you find?"

Gwynn couldn't shake the odd feeling being around Pridament made this Doctor Saduj uncomfortable.

"As you see. Scarred, but no obvious issue. Once Gwynn got over the shock of seeing the scars, the sensation ceased. It might have been merely psychosomatic."

Doctor Saduj scratched the top of his nose and pushed his glasses further up. "Well, nonetheless, let's not make butting into other doctor's cases a habit, shall we Doctor?"

"Yes."

Pridament came closer to Gwynn and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I should let Doctor Saduj do his job now. As soon as I can, I'll come back and finish our conversation. Deal?"

"Yes." He said the word but felt conflicted. Did he want the conversation to continue? It meant either he was a freak, or an old friend of his parents was insane. Neither option seemed appealing.

"Again, I'm sorry Doctor Saduj," Pridament said. He left the room, hesitating long enough to give Gwynn a final wave.

"Well," Doctor Saduj sounded flustered, "I'm glad to see you're awake Mr. Dormath. Let's do a few tests and see how you truly are."

§

Several hours later, Doctor Saduj paced his office.

This assignment made him very uncomfortable. He had grown accustomed to inactive duty. Now, powerful eyes focused on him.

He went to check his watch and, much to his dismay, found his hand trembling. How long since he called? They told him the man who called himself Pridament might visit the boy. Now it had happened, Doctor Saduj had to admit he never believed it would. They didn't tell him much, his role minor in the grand scheme. But the tones used to discuss Pridament were akin to the reverence saved for the Bogeyman.

A knock at the door.

Saduj opened it a cautious crack. The familiar face on the other side wore a mask of contempt, as usual. The unpleasant man ran his hand through a shaggy silver mane of hair.

"You called?"

"Yes," Doctor Saduj stammered. "Please. Please come in."

Saduj's visitor pushed passed him into the office. Doctor Saduj leaned out and checked the hall to ensure no one was paying attention. Once satisfied, he closed and locked the door. Saduj went to address his visitor when it occurred to him he didn't even know the man's name. In his mind, he always referred to him as 'The Tie' due to the habit the man had of having his tie flung over his shoulder.

"So what do you have to report?" The Tie asked.

Doctor Saduj's brow dampened. "You were correct sir. He came to see the boy, as you suspected he would."

Despite the apparent importance, no, danger, of Pridament, The Tie's interest seemed casual. "He used the usual alias?"

"Pridament. Yes, sir."

"Did the boy give a description?"

"I saw him myself."

Doctor Saduj related a description of Pridament.

"And were you able to find out what they discussed?"

"The boy claimed it was stories about his parents. It seemed like there might've been more, but he refused to say. I confess I think I interrupted them."

The Tie waved it off, a minor offense not worth addressing.

"And what of the boy? Is he well?" The Tie asked.

"Given he's been comatose for four days, I'd say he's doing splendidly. There are no cognitive deficits I can find. Most of his injuries seem to be mending at, well, honestly, an abnormally fast rate."

"What of his arm? What does his right arm look like?"

Doctor Saduj gave his nose an absent–minded scratch. "It's been horribly scarred. It looks like someone intentionally carved symbols into his flesh."

An excited anticipation filled The Tie's eyes. "How extensive is the scarring?"

"I'm sorry?"

"The scarring, Doctor Saduj. Is it a small patch of symbols, or does it cover the majority of his arm?"

"Oh." Saduj gave another scratch to the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses back to their proper position. "It covers from his elbow right onto his hands. I can't imagine what sort of madness would drive a person to do such a thing."

"Yes, yes. Decent work. I appreciate your prompt action in this matter, Doctor. If you hear anything further concerning Pridament or there's any radical change in the boy's health, be sure to contact me."

Saduj attempted to snap to attention. He'd never been in the military, and he didn't know if the organization even did such things. "I will. I'm here to serve, sir."

"Glad to hear it." The Tie seemed amused by Saduj's feeble attempts at military order. "Take good care of young Gwynn, Doctor Saduj. Return him to health and get him out of this hospital. We will see to him after that."

"I will, sir." In a conspiratorial whisper, he added, "To heal the world."

"Yes, doctor," a hunger filled The Tie's eyes, "to heal the world indeed."