I took a moment to consider what Aletheia had told me so far about Bloodlines.
Besides their ability to grant Risen an extra set of Ethos, increasing both their power and versatility, they were also extremely rare. In a world that was ruled by feudalism, I could only guess the perceived value of something that would enable you a higher chance of survival.
And yet, as there always seemed to be, there was more.
"Why is it so important that the founders Bloodline appeared?" I calmly asked, ignoring the slowly developing delirium in Aletheia's eyes. I knew she wouldn't attack me.
"It's a bunch of superstition," she said with a snort. "The High Born see it as a blessing, a message from beyond the Shroud that their founder still approves of their House."
"Ah, I can see why you having the Bloodline would be considered a problem now." I commented, scratching at my chin.
Aletheia's smirk only grew wider at my words, a vindictive spark developing in her eyes. "A lowly Mercury being born with the Bloodline of the founder of a Noble House, honestly, you'd think this was some sort of cosmic joke."
"Or cosmic irony." I murmured, just loud enough for her to hear me.
"Sure," She easily agreed, lightly shrugging her shoulders with a grimace. "Either way, dear old father wasn't too pleased when he found out. I was a mistake after all, a stain on his name, and now the shame of his House."
"Spies turned to assassins, didn't they?" I asked, already seeing where this was going. When she nodded in agreement, I spoke again, my tone laced with accusation. "That's why you attacked me, isn't it? You thought I was an assassin."
Aletheia nodded again and then crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you blame me? You're a random stranger who supposedly knows nothing and has the strength to kill a Leshen. Then, you lied to me about your name and supposed amnesia."
I tilted my head in thought. When I next spoke, it was more to confirm a theory than to bring her comfort. "I'm not an assassin sent to kill you."
Aletheia's eyes widened ever so slightly, as if she herself was surprised that what I said was the truth, and I knew, in that moment, exactly what one of her Ethos was.
"You're a human lie detector, aren't you?" I smirked at her look of surprise. "My knowledge of the world may be lacking, but I am not stupid. I knew something about you was different since the beginning."
Her throat bobbed, as if she was swallowing her own anxiety and nervousness. After a moment, she nodded her head.
"Yeah, you got it right. I'm only a Legionnaire right now—It means that I only have one Axion Core," She quickly explained at my confused look. "So, as of right now, I only have two Ethos that I can use."
She took a moment to centre herself, a sigh leaving her lips as the crazed look in her eyes began to die down.
"My first Ethos, as you guessed, allows me to differentiate if a person is telling a truth or a lie. As for my Bloodline, it grants me the Ethos to step through any shadows that I have within my line of sight."
"Huh, why didn't you use it when I unleashed my fire earlier?"
Aletheia scowled at my question, pulling the burn mark on her cheek up. "There's not many shadows around when a literal sun is dropped on top of me."
'That's a fair point.' I thought, remembering her frozen state.
"Now then, where do we go from here?" I wondered aloud, watching as her entire body tensed and she braced herself.
Internally, I could admit that earlier I had slightly overreacted when she called me out for the liar that I am. But the fact that she knew I wasn't Artorias remained. At the very least, she knew I didn't see myself as Artorias.
Every decision made, every thought I had, every emotion I experienced and dealt with, it had all been done by Arthur, not Artorias.
I was tempted to just incinerate her, right here and now, to keep my truth hidden. She knew too much, and with time, she would know even more. It would be easy for me to do so.
But…I stopped myself from acting solely on my paranoia.
The world had changed too much since my death, and whilst Aletheia might hate her origins, she still came from two vastly different worlds, and as such, held more knowledge than the average person.
It was an advantage, even if she didn't realise it herself.
But I did, and it was an advantage that would allow her to keep her life.
I made my choice before I even realised it myself.
"My name is Artorias Regulus," I began, watching as one of her fingers twitched. "But my name is also Arthur."
Aletheia's eyes narrowed, whether it was from confusion or something else, I wasn't entirely sure, nor did I bother finding out.
"Take this truth as a token of my trust. I keep your secret, and you keep mine."
"That's not trust, that's mutual destruction dressed as truth." She told me, her voice edged with warning.
I shrugged my shoulders. "We both have quite a big instinct for self-preservation. I don't see any point in trying to kill each other, when we can instead work together."
She watched me for a long moment, mulling over the truth of my statement.
"You're putting another chain on me." She told me a minute later; her voice tinged with scorn.
"Then change your perception." I told her with another shrug. "You see it as another collar, and I see it as a partnership."
She blinked and physically reeled back, genuinely startled with the truth my words held. "What?"
"Don't misunderstand, of course. I don't trust you, far from it really." She nodded her head in agreement, likely feeling the same way. "Nevertheless, I do require a guide. I don't have amnesia, you already know that, but I do need to know more about the world."
She bit her lip, as if considering something, and then spoke. "All you've asked me so far is common knowledge to everyone."
I hummed, finding some amusement in seeing her attempt to subtly pry more information from me. Unfortunately for her, I knew how to play these games better than her.
"And yet I do not know it. So, do we have a deal?" I asked, extending her hand.
Aletheia could tell apart any lies I might tell, so, the simple alternative would be to limit the information I told her. I could run circles around people if I really wanted to, after all.
She looked at my hand, her face marred with a frown, before slowly, cautiously, she took it, and we shook.
"I feel like I'm making a deal with the devil." She commented, as we pulled our hands back.
I grinned at her, showing too many teeth to be considered friendly, and turned to begin moving along the dirt path. "I've met the devil before—or at least, something that might be him. Trust me, I am nothing compared to him."
"Wait what?!"
I could only imagine her confusion, as she heard my words come back as a truth.