Had that much time really passed? He knew it had been awhile - maybe too long, but was the unit really in years? Incredible, but not unexpected. That's the thing his skin felt most - not heat or damp rot - but time. Time had taken its toll. Fuck - even the scars had faded. You'd have to look really close to see the day he met the snake. You'd have to take his word about the years spent under the hot rock. Blood lust and death came and went like greed of the young and vanity of the rich. Did it make sense? Yes. It was known all along. Everything had happened exactly as he knew it would, though maybe out of order. He knew he was beyond the stories, beyond the prophecies. He knew he was in the middle of dying. But hell, all that meant to Ictus was that he had half a death left to earn. He wouldn't waste this death like he did on his mother. He was ready to live for the first time. Death would have to wait.
