☾⋆ pairing: sylus x reader
☾⋆ summary: in which goodbyes are never easy and sylus can only try his best to find comfort in spending his final moments with you.
☾⋆ a/n: this picture had me laughing but also crying because they both looks so sad ?? it inspired me to write this brief little snapshot of a doomed wedding and a last goodbye (praying the actual card gives sylus eternal happiness and not the abysmal ending i gave him…also i listened to as the world caves in by matt maltese on repeat as i wrote this hence the title…poor sylus…)
⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆⋆˙⟡☾ ˙⋆⋆˙𖤓☽⟡˙
In the middle of the Cassiopeia constellation, eleven thousand light-years away from Earth, a lonely chapel floats among the stars.
It’s a curious sight for anyone that manages to spot it; very few do. Because despite all their advancements in technology, many of the people on Earth still cannot distinguish the chapel from the thousands of stars that make up the constellation. Some have even started to question its existence. But that doesn’t stop the stories of course. The legends of the floating chapel and how it came to be doomed to a life floating in space.
The stories all begin with the same premise: that once upon a time, the chapel lived on a planet named Philos, revered and loved by all until the dragon claimed it as his own.
The tale becomes murky from this point onwards. Some claim the chapel became the nest where the dragon swallowed his victims whole. Others say it became the entrance to Hell itself, born from greed and sin of the beast. But only two people know the truth. The forbidden lovers who sealed their eternal fate with an oath.
However, neither lived to pass down the truth; that in the end, the chapel became the place where the sorceress gave half of her soul to her beloved dragon. A deal to make. A price to pay. And once the dragon had been slain and his lover found dead in a field of flowers, the mortals banished the chapel into Deepspace, tossing it into the depths of the Universe as if it were nothing more than a pebble on the side of the street, for blasphemous deeds had occurred within the chapel’s walls.
It drifted aimlessly for centuries. An empty vessel with no place to call home, until one day, the Moon took pity on it. How could the mortals treat such a magnificent building with disgust and disdain? How could they not understand the sacrifice that the lovers made just for a chance to be together?
No, the Moon simply could not spend another decade watching the chapel orbit nothing, so the Moon gifted the chapel to the little stars of Cassiopeia. And where humanity had rejected the chapel that had been soiled with sin, the stars of Cassiopeia welcomed it with open arms, for they understood how much it had meant to the forbidden lovers.
After centuries of battling against the elements of Deepspace, today the chapel is nothing more than a shell of its former glory, an impressionist painting that has faded over time. But still, despite the crumbling bricks and rotting pews, small specks of beauty can be found among the rubble. Stained-glass windows and wild roses are among some of the surviving spectacles, and most of the steps leading up to the altar still remain intact.
But the chapel cannot live within the stars forever. A building made by mortals can only last so long in Deepspace, and as the sun sets on Earth and the Moon awakens from its peaceful slumber, the stars of Cassiopeia whisper that tonight is to be the night that the chapel will finally be laid to rest after a long and arduous life. It’s what Destiny had written many aeons ago, back when the Moon had plucked it from its loneliness in the sky. All things must return to the Ether eventually.
However, Destiny had failed to predict that two familiar souls would enter the chapel once more in secret, their hands intertwined as they hurry down the aisle, desperation in their footsteps as they climb the steps to the altar together in tandem.
It’s the dragon! The great and powerful Stayrus! One of the stars exclaims as the others look down in bewilderment at the lovers. The dragon has found his beloved again, and thus he has renewed his curse! Another lifetime where he is unable to defy his fate! Another lifetime where his love has doomed him!
He is not Styrus anymore, but has been renamed Sylus by his other half, the Moon sighs, watching the lovers with pity as two pairs of eyes stare deeply into each other, not a single word uttered, yet there’s a gentle understanding that this is to be a bittersweet ending to a condemned romance.
I wish I could have given you two more time, the Moon laments as some of the older stars begin to weep at the tragedy of it all.
As predestined, Sylus must say farewell to his lover tonight, for this is the cross the dragon must bear alone.
There is nothing more you could have done, my dearest Moon, the mighty star of the North says, comforting its friend as the lovers begin to speak their vows to each other.
There are still more chances to come. Their souls will be reborn, and a new lifetime will be created for them. And when their souls fall to Earth, we will guide them to each other as we always do, with the hope that one of them will find a way to break the cycle.
The Moon does not reply to the North star’s words of comfort. Instead, it simply casts its silver light one last time over the lovers, all of Cassiopeia falling silent as down below, Sylus gets down on one knee and kisses the knuckles of his other half. You. The person who he has chosen in every life.
Gold light blooms from where his soft lips touch your skin as a ring materialises around your finger. The vows, sealed with a kiss of pure devotion, have come to pass. Now all Sylus can do is sit on the steps of the altar and wait for Fate to fulfil its duty and take him away. Not exactly how he had imagined his wedding day, but when you only have less than ten minutes left to live, you’re forced to settle with whatever you can get.
He stares down at the gold band around his finger. Nunc Scio Quid Sit Amor/Now I know what love is. Sylus reads the words that are forever engraved into the ring. A reminder that you were the first person to teach him how to love, and oh, how wonderful it feels to be wanted by another. A light in the abyss. A single rose that blooms in the garden of Hades. Hope. A dangerous feeling, yet Sylus can’t seem to let it go, even when faced with death once again.
“Do you really have to go?”
Your voice is quiet as you sit down beside him, your palms resting in your lap as your veil falls around your face like a halo. Beautiful. In every life, your face has remained as breathtaking as the life before. Every time he looks at you, it feels like the first time all over again, your beauty knocking the air out of his lungs with just a single glance. The playful twinkle in your eyes as you tease him, the way you know exactly what he wants, because it’s simple. He only wants you.
But you are the one thing he cannot have, and now he must lay down his final valediction before he leaves.
“I’m so sorry, my little dove.” Is all he can manage to say, his voice hollow as looks up at the stars.
“I’m afraid we weren’t meant to be in this lifetime either.”
He can’t bear to face you, even though he’s already memorised every detail of your wedding dress. The shape of every bead, the curl of every feather, the delicate patterns on every strip of lace. It’s all engraved into his mind. His only solace is that he’ll be able to take these memories with him into his next life, unlike you, who won’t even remember his name once your mortal body shrivels up and fades into dust.
“What if we don’t find each other next time?” you ask, tears beginning to stream down your face, your self-preservation failing you in these final moments.
“Sylus, what if this really is our last goodbye?”
Sylus swallows back a lump in his throat. It could be decades until his soul re-enters the Ether lifestream. And even when he is reincarnated, there’s a chance that your soul won’t be ready yet. That he’ll have to suffer in purgatory for an unbearable amount of time until he can finally embrace you again.
He thinks about lying to you. Thinks about laughing it off and ruffling your hair one last time. But his heart feels heavier than a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean. What’s the point of lying when you both already know the truth? Perhaps you’re only asking him because you’re hoping he’ll feed you a little white lie. Anything but the silence. The waiting. It’s only prolonging the dreaded farewell.
In the end, he can only speak the truth.
“In every lifetime, you forget me,” he says slowly, taking your hands into his own as he turns to face you.
“But it never stops you from finding me. Our souls are bound for eternity. No curse can change that.”
But it’s clear that you’re unsatisfied with his answer.
“Why do I have to forget you every time?” you sob, the tears now pouring from your eyes as you squeeze his hands with every bit of strength you have, as if it’s enough to keep him from leaving.
The ground begins to shake as the clock strikes midnight. The time has come. With nothing left to say in fear of upsetting you even more, he presses a gentle kiss to your cheek and heaves himself to his feet, trying his best to pry your hands away from him.
He’s caught off guard as you let go of his hands and throw yourself at him, slamming your fists into his chest, screaming and cursing blindly as a black hole tears through Cassiopeia and a powerful force begins to devour what’s left of the old chapel. The structure wails as the scaffolding creaks and groans in protest, trying its best to hold on, but the chapel is tired. Like Sylus, it cannot fight what has already been set in motion, and so, it begins to let go of the final bricks that are keeping it together.
“I won’t! I won’t accept this Fate again! There has to be another option!”
Sylus stumbles as you grab onto his hand and begin to flee, dragging him behind you as the altar steps crumble beneath your feet.
It’s too late, Sylus wants to say. He can already feel his Evol weakening, can feel his body becoming weary as he feels a small flame ignite inside his chest.
It’s only a matter of time now.
But as you pull him to the edge of the chapel, the look on your face makes him want to try one last time.
Please. Let us survive. Isn’t our love enough?
You skid to a halt as the floor comes to an end, the vast emptiness of Space surrounding the two of you as Sylus awaits your next move. There’s nowhere left to hide.
“We’re not going to be able to escape this, are we?” you say, complete and utter resignation in your voice.
“No,” Sylus says. “But we can try.”
You laugh, wiping the tears from your eyes as he grabs your wrist and you both leap into the vastness of Space, both of you floating like two feathers in the wind. It’s glorious, like he has wings again, and you’re right there with him, gravity making your dress spread across the sky, transforming you into a lily in full bloom. The Moon sighs as it shines its light on you, for it too has fallen in love with the dragon’s bride.
Sylus feels infinite as he floats closer towards you, one hand wrapping around your waist, reeling you in as the other holds your face, his fingertips tracing over your features as he tries to memorise the curve of your nose, the soft feeling of your cheek, the colour of your eyes and the soft pink of your lips.
“I promise to find you, no matter what,” he says, pressing his forehead against yours as you look into his crimson eyes for the last time. “So wait for me.”
He slips his wedding ring onto your finger and slowly shuts his eyes, his body becoming weightless as the fire in his chest spreads to his muscles, then to his bones, and then finally to his heart.
He reaches for your voice, but it’s only getting further away.
See you in the next life, my beloved.
And just like that, Sylus is devoured by his curse, his body becoming nothing more than red and black particles floating in the air as you let your face fall into your hands, your sobs echoing throughout Deepspace, for you are alone once again, just like you were destined to be.
The stars bow their heads in sorrow as they watch their precious chapel disappear, leaving the widowed bride with nothing but two wedding rings and half a heart. Dimming their glow in lamentation, they bid farewell to Sylus as his soul leaves this lifetime.
His final wish reverberates among the stars as they promise to guide you back to Earth safely when the time is right.
For now, they let you grieve, for they know you will be okay in the end.
After all, you've survived this loss before.
