#aka sylv

As they all watched over Zalie whilst fearing for the worst to happen... ... The Young Gods were left with little to no answers to their questions. Left wondering how and why everything became so chaotic, becoming just as lost as the adults themselves.

I watched as the little Moon God, Sylvaerán, hid his worries behind an innocent smile, only for that facade to crumble away when nobody was watching. Nobody except for his friends and me, of course.

A young and sheltered mind as his own, was never meant to face such terrible and harsh reality, and yet there he was. After all he was just a child, a boy who wasn't old enough to fully understand the world around him.

Alas, when younglings can't fully grasp a situation, they tend to make impulsive decisions. And even when they have the purest of intentions in mind, said decisions can have terrible consequences nonetheless.

That's what happened some time halfway through the War... When Sylvaerán and two of his friends decided to seek answers on their own terms. Going behind the Gods' backs to visit the Mortal World, unaware of the dangers outside.

... When their absence was noticed, chaos ensued once more. This time, for the missing Young Gods. For Sylvaerán, for young prodigy Kiyoshi and her adopted brother Kasumi.

They were all found inside a forest temple in ruins - it had been caught in the crossfire of an attack between dragons and hunters.

Or rather, only two of them were found there. Both covered in dust and blood, with a look of pure despair and horror in their tearful eyes.

Sylvaerán sitting on the ground, his once pristine silver hair now stained red, back leaning against a stone plinth. Kasumi standing on that same plinth, half his face bloodied and one eye missing, weak sobs in-between breaths.

And Kiyoshi... Nowhere to be found. Her butterfly-shaped hairpin was all that remained, lying next to a small pile of dissipating shards made of Divine Magic.

... The crossfire caught up to the trio, and it cost them Kiyoshi's life. Godkin suffered its first greatest loss on that day.

Sylvaerán locked himself in his room, any trace of innocence long gone from his eyes. Kasumi, after receiving treatment for his wounds, left the Realm without a trace. Both blamed themselves for the whole incident...

... But the truth was harder to accept. A truth that Sylv eventually had to accept.

Zalie's life was important. But if only they had looked back at least once...

... That doesn’t matter anymore. It already happened. You can’t make an old scar heal overnight, only let it scab and fade.

And even if I’m just some serpent demon, someone had to be there to comfort the Moon God when nobody else knew how.