#tzidkiya

Nighttime at the Realm of Gods has never been anything but calm when most of Godkin has fallen asleep. While some deities remain awake to make sure everyone’s homes and temples are safe, there’s seldom been any danger found at night.

And as it turned out, tonight  was such a night.

The Temple of the Nineteen Gods was silent as nearly everyone in there rested, with no reason to believe there was anything wrong.

 Which was why Mikael stirred himself awake when he noticed he was the only one on the bed, when it was supposed to be both him and his husband there.

Rubbing his eyes as he sat up, he spotted Tzidkiya –husband in question– standing on the balcony of their room and staring into the horizon. It wasn’t uncommon for him to sometimes be up earlier than Mikael in the morning, but morning was still very far away!

Part of him knew why, of course, and yet Mika couldn’t help but try and tease Tzike whenever he had the chance; with only an oversized bed robe covering him up, he discreetly approached his husband with a tiny smirk on his face.

Then he not-so-discreetly cleared his throat and proceeded to rest his chin on Tzike’s shoulder, not quite seeing his face yet.

 “You could’ve told me ya went sightseeing, y’know? Bed’s too empty to sleep on! Have you no shame?” Mikael spoke in an exaggerated whining tone, as he always did, to incite some reaction from Tzike, only then turning to see him.

To his surprise, instead of the usual amusement Tzidkiya expressed whenever Mikael teased, the Earth God only turned to look at him with a tired gaze which betrayed the usual smile he gave Mika.

“Ah, sorry Mika... I didn’t want to disturb you. I...” Tzike trailed off, not knowing how to finish that sentence as his smile quickly faded and his eyes turned away.

Mikael knew that expression. And he knew what kind of situation would make his husband behave like that. Dropping any pretense of teasing he had, Mika changed his tone.

“... That nightmare again, wasn’t it?”

The Earth God nodded, heaving a sigh.

There were times when Tzike would wake late at night from the nightmare he had, either silently or jolting awake with a gasp for air.

It was always the same dream, nevertheless.

The buried memory of his early childhood, when the Turquoise Ridges fell to the Plague of Decay and claimed many people’s lives, including his parents. He was 4 years old –in human years– when it happened.

Although he could barely recall anything when awake, his subconscious made the memory clear as day.

The terrifying nature of Decay, the sounds of crumbling buildings and falling debris, screams echoing in the distance as a distinguished stench encompassed all. Soft voices drowning out the noises outside, then a flurry of lights and roots...

 Even then, that memory remained in the back of his mind.

  With no more words between them, Mikael enclosed the space between them by wrapping his arms around his husband and resting his head on his shoulder. Without hesitation, the Earth God reciprocated the gesture and then some.

Mika did like it when he was pampered by Tzike after a rough day, or even after a nightmare of his own, that was no secret. But sometimes, the roles were switched between them.

After all, a healer takes care of everyone, but they too need to be taken care of when they’re nearing their limit.

 Eventually both returned to their bed, still holding onto each other as if their lives depended on it. Nighttime never felt so peaceful to them, despite each other’s occasional nightmares.

Probably I’m late already, but wanted to make a contribution to Valentine’s, so have all confirmed couples! And an extra thingy below the cut ;)

He always liked fighting. Whether it was against Nether Beasts, other gods, or even me. Hah, he even challenged me to a fight the very first time that we met. I humoured him, but lost on purpose. I'm not much of a fighter. Never have been, really. Still, before that fateful incident a few days ago, it seemed like it was all that we did together anymore…

--- It had been several days since I had last seen him, when he saved me. Normally one or two days away is normal for him. But he has this… grudge against Nether Beasts. More so than any other god I have seen. And he never explicitly told me why, though the scar on his shoulder, combined with the jewel he carries around with him, has provided me with a few… educated guesses. But as time went on, I became more and more concerned.

The last time I had seen him, he had saved me from drowning, trying to escape from a Nether Beast. Did he need saving, like I had? Had he gone after that beast by himself? The one which almost killed him years ago? I set out to find him by myself, despite everyone else's concerns.

 I went back to the Old World.

It reeked of blood and death. It was… hauntingly familiar. My footsteps quickened as I saw signs of his tell-tale magic. Gashes left by a three-pronged trident. Puddles of blood diluted by water on the ground. The whole place was barren and stained a dark crimson. Much more destructive than any other battle I had seen. 'Please let him be alive…' I prayed as I moved on.

His trident was there. Buried in the head of a ferocious beast. One I had seen a few days ago. 'Red Petal-Eyes' - a creature of his nightmares. But where was he? My breathing quickened as I looked around. He had to be nearby, but where…?

 My stomach lurched as I finally made out a figure on the ground, covered in blood. But I knew that teal hair, short and erratic like him, and those clothes. The turquoises that he always wore on his cuffs.

“MIKA-!” Tears filled my eyes as I ran towards him and looked him over, checking for any vital signs. Please be alive, please be alive… You can't be… You're not… Don't you dare leave me!

A tiny groan escaped him. Tears streamed down my face as I held him close and set to work healing him as best as I could while shuddering from my sobs of relief.

“I thought… I'd lost you…” I finally managed to whisper.

“Tzike…?” His voice was quiet and weak. We were both bathed in green light as I put everything I had into healing him.

“Shh… it's okay… I'm here now…”

“You… came back… for me…?” I looked back up at him in surprise.

“Of course I did.”

“Why…?” Tears started streaming down his face now too.

“What do you mean? Why wouldn't I…?”

“I've… hurt too much. I've… killed too much… why save me…?”

“Because I love you.” I whispered, holding him close. There was a pause. Then his crying became worse.

“B-but I… disappointed you…”

“Shh, no you didn't. Don't say that.” I wiped the blood from the now-healed wounds away from his face. Or, what I could see of it through my blurry vision.

“You may be an idiot sometimes, but you didn't disappoint me.” I heard a slight chuckle, followed by more coughing.

“Shh, just focus on resting for now…” I stroked his hair.

“You're too good for me… always have been…”

“No I'm not, you're just-“

“I'm a… a monster…” I stared at him in confusion. What was he talking about? “I can feel it… each time I kill, I feel myself becoming more like… them…”

“Well you aren't there yet…” I smiled and caressed his cheek. “You still look like the gorgeous man I fell in love with…” Oh gosh, he was blushing now. He was too adorable.

“Tziiike!” He collapsed into coughing again. My eyes widened and I gave him air again.

“S-Sorry! I didn't mean to-“ He grasped my hand and held it close.

“Thanks… for coming back…”

“Any time.” I responded earnestly, stroking his hair.

“You saved my life, so it was my turn to repay the favour.” I chuckled and picked him up. He was heavier than he looked.

“Try not to make this a habit, though, okay?”

“I'll try, but you're dating an idiot. You know that, right?”

“I do.” I agreed, smiling down at him. “But about this dating thing…”

“… If you want to break up with me, that's… that's okay…” I sighed slightly at that.

“I don't.”

“Oh.”

“But I DO think we need to have a long talk when we get home. We need to figure out how to make this work properly, because what we were doing before, in all honesty… wasn't really working…”

“Yup.” Oh gosh, there was that gorgeous smile again… I missed it so much… I kissed him on the head.

“Are you ready to head back?”

“Definitely.”

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Due to a few things that happened IRL I couldn’t post OCtober pics, but now I’m back! (and rushing to get back on track) Featuring (clock-wise): Zhaetorus and Amalthea -aka SnowStorm; Mikael and Tzidkiya -aka TziKael/”Breen”; and Adene and Lilium -aka “Adium”

The fallen, crumbled ruins of what once were temples, as fire consumed all that was left behind. The dark clouds of smoke slowly drifted away, revealing the shattered parts of the Original World across the sky - the newly formed Seven Worlds.

Humans and creatures, hand in hand, invaded the Realm of Gods.

A thick, bitter smell made its way through the winds, poisoning all Gods.

The majority of Godkin escaped through the Austral Bridge, towards the Realm of Judgement.

When half of the Bridge fell to the ground, Sea God Mikael too fell behind.

Facing alone the ones who wanted all Gods dead, he stood his ground until he could barely lift his trident.

Suddenly the Light Goddess Zalie - one thought to have escaped - stood between the God and mortals.

She urged him to leave and so he did, whilst aware that she wouldn't follow him.

Through smoke and flames, he ran till he reached a lake. And on the other side, he saw Earth God Tzidkiya - his husband, who's been looking for him.

Leaving behind the now broken remains of his "home"... ... Running towards that warm embrace, he was back home.

And thus, both started crying. For the mortals whose lives were lost in the War. For all Deities who didn't manage to escape in time. For the Gods still alive, mourning their beloved. For their failure in saving the Original World. ... And finally, for themselves and each other.

As the smoky clouds departed, the crescent Gold Moon appeared. Where an Era ended, soon another would begin.

-----

“... Wait, are you sure Mika? Can I really...?” I looked at that blue stone — Mika’s treasured jewel which he always carried around with him. He never let anyone else touch it... And yet there he was, handing it to me.

“Yeah. It was about time I did it. We have to start this talk somewhere, right?” He smiled, but that smile betrayed the saddened look on his eyes.

I hesitated for a moment but I got a hold of that stone.

It was cold to the touch and not as heavy as it initially looked like. Looking closely, I easily could tell what kind of gemstone it was. A blue boulder opal. Merely two shades of blue from a distance, but put it against the light and you can see faint traces of cyan and green. And paying close attention, I could tell it was sculpted in the shape of the -Earth- emblem.

“... This was a birthday gift.” Mika finally said. His voice was... Surprisingly calm. And the way he spoke was way different from the usual slang-filled way he talked to others.

“I was nearly twelve of age when my brother Ciradyl and I found this rather big rock on the way back home. We tried carrying it out of the road, but we let it slip by accident and it rolled down the hill, then it hit another rock and broke apart.

As we got closer, we saw it was blue on the inside. Ciradyl took some of the larger shards and we both went back home. A few days later, he gave me this stone.”

“You had a brother?” I looked back at him  — I was surprised, I thought he was Magic-born, but then he explained:

“Oh, non-biological, obviously, but you know... That didn’t matter at all. As long as it was family, living with Elves was more than enough.”

“Elves?!” My eyes widened. Many assumed he spent his childhood with humans, but Elves? No one would expect that to be the case.

“I know, hard to believe, right? Haha...” He laughed, but it had no joy in it... I held his hand within mine. It could’ve been just my imagination, but I felt he was trembling a little. He looked back to me, and that smile was gone.

“... So what happened?”

Part of me wanted to spare him from telling me everything, but the other part had to know. If it was to make our relationship work, there would be no more secrets between the two of us.

With his other hand, Mika reached out to the stone and clutched it, staring at the jewel for a couple seconds before taking a deep breath and continuing.

“On my twelfth birthday, Ciradyl and I spent the whole day exploring a few cliffs, which were located far from where the clan lived. By the time we got back...” Mika’s eyes closed shut and his grip on the jewel tightened... I started to assume the worst.

“... By the time we got back... That thing... That damned freak of nature...!”

Red Petal-Eyes... The Outbreak of the Nether Beasts... It couldn’t be!

“... That hellish beast destroyed everything. The buildings, the land, the people, the whole province... Nobody made it out alive.” He opened his eyes as he spoke, orange and violet turned into a haunting, eerie shade of blue...

“My brother and I got separated trying to run from that thing, and... Well... It almost killed me as well.” Mika’s hand let go of mine, gripping his left shoulder. On the exact place where the scar was. It must’ve been so painful to him...

“But Ciradyl found me in time and we both fled the place. But the beast was fast as hell... So we tried to escape through the bridge leading to the Cliffs. Then that freak tore it down... And th-then...” He shuddered... The blue glow in his eyes faded, and now tears were forming in them... Mika...

“... We both fell into the sea... I didn’t drown. Somehow I couldn’t drown. I didn’t know I was a God back then. I called out to Ciradyl, searched for him everywhere... But... He never came back... Nobody came back...” I pulled him into a hug as he let it all out... Every tear shed, every ounce of grief and rage, he let it all go. I kept holding him as he sobbed softly onto my shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Mika... I had no idea. I should’ve known...” I heard him sniffle and felt him hug me back tightly. He cried until the sobs were reduced to shudders, and he finally continued speaking.

“... That stone is all I have left of my family... The only thing that kept me going for so long during that War...” I stroked his hair, untidy as always and yet ever so soft, and slowly he calmed down.

“... Back then I couldn’t care less if I became a monster. I just wanted to keep living, even if I never found a new reason to do so. But...”

“But?”

“... But then I was brought to this Realm. Was shown what life really was like outside of the War. I remembered what peace felt like. And...” He pulled back a little from the hug and looked at me, eye to eye.

“Then I met you. And I came to know the real you.”

For a very brief moment, it felt like my heart skipped a beat. What did he mean by that?

“You kept dismissing me after that fight when we first met. I could tell you lost on purpose, so there was no way I’d give up on winning against you for real.” That surprised me, I couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

“And after that, I saw you take care of those animals. Especially that Irys Deer, Orien. Going so far to save her from those hunters, too... And not killing them.” That caught me off-guard!

“What?! How do you-”

“Old doc Abaven told me. He also told me of the day he found you under a tree as a toddler.” Sweet Heavens, Abaven... 

“Well it made me realize what kind of person you were.” What did he mean...?

“You’re someone who, despite everything, would never hurt anyone to keep living. Someone who took care of every living being equally, someone who chose kindness over violence... Everything I could never become as a child.” I sighed as I shook my head.

“You’re mistaken.” As much as I appreciated hearing those words... It hurt.

“How so?” He looked confused, didn’t expect me to say that. I couldn’t blame him.

“... I never killed anyone, I always chose to be kind. But... I could never forgive them. Seeing humans hurt and kill angered me, yet I tried to not go against them. And I did the same for other Gods...”

“But still! You never strayed, and that’s what made me admire you so much...” Admire me... For being weak? For having to keep most of my magic to myself?

“I knew right then and there, you were so much stronger than me in every way possible. And I mean it!” I sighed again. Mika, please...

“And besides... It made me realize something important. It made me remember something I forgot during my time in that War. Tzike, hear me out, okay?”

“... Okay. What was it?” He took another deep breath and, without taking his eyes off mine...

“... All the times I fought to continue living on, even after becoming the Sea God, even slaying Red Petal-Eyes... None of it was out of revenge.”

... What?

“Not once did I want to get revenge, not even after everyone I knew was gone back then. Not once did I fight and slay beasts for all I’ve lost… I fought so I wouldn’t lose what I still had.”

“Wait... Even when you clearly risked your life? Mika... Why?”

“It’s easy to have something to die for. Many do that, I’ve seen it over and over. But it’s much harder to find something to live for. “ He lifted his hand towards my face, carressing my cheek. And then, he smiled.

“And I’ve found it.”

... I had no words. And there was nothing in the world that could ever be enough to describe what I was feeling. All I could do was hold onto his hand and listen to everything he had left to say.

“So right now, more than anything, I want to make this work. I want us to stay together, and I want to become a better God, a better person. I don’t even care if I need to stop fighting! As long as you’re happy, it’s more than enough for me! Also-!”

Before he would keep going, I pulled him into a kiss on the lips.

I noticed he was caught off-guard, yet instead of pulling away he just stayed still. That little kiss was meant to last for only a couple seconds — as I just wanted him to slow down — so when we pulled away and stared at each other, Mika laughed and fake-pouted at me.

“Tziiiike, I wasn’t done pouring my heart out! That was cheating!”

“I’m not sorry for this.” Our foreheads touched, never looking away from each other. And then I raised an eyebrow at him.

“On top of that, you don’t have to give up on fighting. You like it so much.”

“’Yeah I admit I won’t, but I promise I’ll never go to the front lines unless they need me to. I let Cerys tell Zhatty he’ll replace me.”

“Ah yes, you mentioned that earlier.” I said while nodding.

“Aye. But in any case! From now on... No more secrets, be honest with each other, and less fighting on my side, is that okay?”

“As long as you’re okay with it, naturally.” He grinned at this.

“Well I am!” I laughed at his response.

“Then so am I.” And with that, we hugged once more. We both knew now, things were going to change for the better.

...

...

...

“... Hey, Tzike? I hope I’m fully recovered by tomorrow, or else I’m done for.”

“Hm... Why’s that so?”

“Because I’m betting right now, everyone will be asking where I’ve been, and they won’t be happy.”

“... Oh. Indeed. I think they’ll do the same for me.”

“What do you- ... Waaaait a second. Did they ask to come with you and you refused?”

“I... -sigh- Yes. Exactly that...”

“... You’re such a dimwit, ya know? And I love you so much.”

“Haha... I love you too, Mika.”

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Ask and you shall receive, indeed.