Prompt #277 - Innocence - This is Where I Start - Tekia - original

[tekia.livejournal.com]

Title: This is Where I Start
Fandom: Original
Prompt: Innocence
Warnings: NaNaWriMo. It’s not supposed to make sense, right?
Rating: PG
Summary: When the creator of all life wants to learn to live, he goes to find a place where life has thrived.

Tharôn was very different from Eggak, and so very much the same.
The people were the same as those on Eggak and they were very different. Humans were the only people that lived on Eggak, but on Tharôn there were several different races. They mingled with the humans without out a thought, unafraid of each other and willing to work together in everything.
Tharôn was a place of amazing peace and talents. They had sorcerers from all races, rank, and class.
While there, Ji Nova had no fear about his magic causing a ruckus. It seemed that every being in this world had a type of magic at their disposal. He walked through yet another market place, lost in the thrill of being around so many living people.
He ate their food and watched a show put on by a young pair of Linnko brothers, clapping with the others as the brothers ended their magic show with a bow. After they collected their offerings, one brother melted away with a splash of water and the other a cloud of red smoke.
He continued on, finding more Linnko living in this city, and quite happy to find them.
Linnko were a race of shape changers that had great power. They were a race that centered around family first, and they were known first and foremost for their loyalty.
Of any, Ji Nova thought that they were the center force of the planet Tharôn. They didn’t know it, though. He didn’t think anybody did know it. It was their race that had inhabited the whole of Tharôn and it was their race that brought peace.
It wasn’t because the other races were afraid, either, but because they loved the Linnko. And the Linnko loved them in return.
It was an amazing circle that kept this dry, harsh planet full of peaceful people. True, there were still feuds and petty warlords, but the people always knew that the Linnko would be there to protect them.
There were also the Chynnyka race. They were very similar to the Linnko, but where the Linnko took on the prowresses of animals, the Chynnyka took on the aspects of elements. The Chynnyka were not as family oriented, and much more about the power their magic gave them.
Chynnyka were not anywhere as numerous as Linnko. And while the Linnko were a close knit group, the Chynnyka were far less discrete about who joined their clans. They intermingled easily enough between each other, with very little animosity. That impressed Ji Nova.
He sat in a tavern, a plate of food before him, two Linnko next to him, and one Chynnyka seated on his other side. They all supped the same meal and shared a jovial conversation, mostly the adventures of the two Linnko. They were a couple, Markku and Lanau, married the past five years, and expecting their first child. Markku was older, with gray hair brushed against his temples. He had explained that he had the abilities similar to a gecko lizard. He said he could blend into his background as if he were never there. His wife had the abilities of bird of prey, her eyesight unrivaled.
Both were warriors and had battle scars in abundance.
They spoke of their battles and had both the Chynnyka and Ji Nova enthralled.
“So we snuck through the darkness toward the ancient keep, careful not to let a mote of light touch us lease we were spotted. It was said that the keep was guarded by none other than the guards of the dead.”
Ji Nova’s eyes widened. “Truly?”
Markku nodded, glad to have willing ears to listen, people to hang on his every word. “And we saw them!”
Ji Nova gasped and leaned over his plate. “What did they look like?”
“I can’t answer that. For they look different to each eye that lays on them.”
“What did you see?”
“I saw the greatest beauty in all the world. Save for my wife here,” he added with a wink in her direction. “For those who are brave enough to face the guards of the dead entrance is always granted. So we entered the keep without protest and found ourselves in the presence of the only throne of Tharôn.”
Something struck a chord in Ji Nova’s mind. He sat upright and tilted his head to one side. “The only throne?”
“Indeed.” Markku took a drink and Ji Nova took that moment to process the new information. “Legend says that once, long ago, all of Tharôn was ruled by one emperor. His name is lost to time, and his empire is long gone, but the legend remains. His throne remains.”
“Without the emperor, how does peace still reign?”
Lanau took her turn to lean forward and take over the story. “When the emperor left us, he gifted the whole of the world with his love and kindness. As long as his legend remains, we will be secure in our lives here. Tharôn will remain as always.”
“Did you see the throne, then?” the young Chynnyka warrior, Shartar, asked.
Markku nodded. “Indeed we did.”
“Was it really made of gold?”
Marrku laughed. “Sadly, it was not. But, it was bathed in so much sunlight that it might as well have been.”
Ji Nova arched a brow. Sunlight in the middle of the night?
“Did you sit on it?”
Both shook their heads. “Never,” Marrku said. “And shame on you for even thinking of it. The only one who may sit on the throne of the Lost King is he that will rule over all Tharôn.”
He knew it. This was NeFerious and his companion’s plan. The only throne of Tharôn. He felt something sinking deep in his chest and mourned the peace of this wonderful world. He closed his eyes and felt the whole of the world around him. The life and the prosperity it held.
He was going to miss it when it was gone.
He opened his eyes and focused in on the conversation that had carried on without him.
“We found the shadows that hid in the light, which was our goal, and scooped it up into a glass vial. Like the night, we escaped and rushed home to break the curse on our Elder. The mission was a success and now here we are, celebrating.”
“A feast and good company,” Lanau added with a toast which Ji Nova, her husband, and Shartar copied.
After they finished their meal, Ji Nova excused himself and sought out this throne of the Lost King of Tharôn.
He appeared in the middle of a room that was empty save for a cushion on the floor and a low bench. He knelt before the bench, his knee on the cushion. Carefully, as if he were expecting an attack, he reached out and placed his hand on the throne and closed his eyes.
There were no memories embedded in the throne, and it held no magic. Whatever had been there was long gone. With a sigh, Ji Nova stood and looked around the keep.
The floors were made of stone and cracked with age. The walls were dark and dank, and the room smelt more of outside than inside. His feet on the floor echoed dully as he walked to the cracked wall and peered out the window.
The lands for as far as he could see were flat and empty of trees and anything else save for grass. In the far distance, he could see the grey of an ocean. The wind blew over the grass, making a soft rustling sound that was soothing to his ears and he leaned heavily against the window still and propped his chin on his fisted hand.
This was the music of Tharôn.
He sat, enjoying the music around him for a long time, unmindful of the hours passing. The sun had begun to set on the other side of the keep, casting a deep shadow over the field of grass as dark as space.
A flash of light somewhere in the field caught his attention and he sat up, startled. Before he could take any action, the light returned, closer, then, suddenly, it was in the window.
He stumbled back, not afraid of the fire, but enthralled by the magic before him.
“You’re a sprite!” he said, his tongue unguarded.
The fire quickly took the shape of a young woman with dark hair, eyes, and skin. There was a red jewel in the center of her brow, and she wore a cloak over her hair made out of a vivid magenta fabric and had a piercing in her nose. Gold glittered with her inner fire at her ears, nose and from around her neck. Her eyes were larger than a human’s and as blue as the heart of a flame.
She carefully stood, her small bare foot touching the floor and small sparks shooting up from where they met.
“And you are more than a god.” He voice was deep and rough as if she had breathed fire. She adjusted the cloak over her hair and tilted her head to one side.
“I am not,” he answered.
“You are Ji Nova,” she said and he smiled.
“You know me?”
She nodded. “Of course. You were born of fire, you created fire. I am your child.”
“All life is my child.”
She grinned, suddenly looking far younger than he supposed she was. “I am honored to meet you, Father Time.” She bowed deeply, her arm sweeping out behind her making her cloak flutter out behind her. “What may I do for you?”
He held up his hand to stop her. “There is nothing I need, Laiahu.” Her eyes shot to his face at his use of her name, but she didn’t speak. “I come here only to see the beauty that is my child Tharôn.”
“I can show you great things Tharôn has to offer.”
“You can answer questions too,” Ji Nova countered. He looked back toward the throne. “What is this place?”
Laiahu took a look around. “This is the seat of the ancient emperor of Tharôn. He lived about,” she squinted her eyes in thought. “Um, two thousand years ago? It was back when humans only lived near portals to Eggak and the fire sprites roamed all of the North.”
“They don’t roam all of the North now?”
“We do,” she said, “but now we also roam the whole of Tharôn.”
“Why did you start in the North?”
“That is where we are from. The deserts before the Ice, the ancient home of the fire sprites and the Seat of Dar.”
“And who is Dar?”
“Dar is our god. He is the highest of the high. The god of the dead, fire, and visions.”
Ji Nova nodded. He had yet to meet any gods, and now he had a name to start with. He smiled. “This emperor, are the legends true of his prowess?”
She shrugged. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. He was only a human.”
“He had no magic?”
“Maybe he did. The legends say he did, but who really knows? Not even a sprite has lived that long. Maybe the gods know.”
Ji Nova nodded. “Why does peace still hold strong? It’s unusual. Get different groups of humans and powerful races together they tend to fight. Why is Tharôn so different?”
“I say its because of Dar.”
“Your patron god of fire?”
She nodded, the gilded jewel on her brow making a small chiming noise with the action. “He loves us and we love him. It is through him that we keep the peace and it is through him that Tharôn prospers.”
“Was Dar god while this ancient and lost emperor was alive?”
“I’m sure he was. Dar has always been, just death as always been.”
“Yes,” Ji Nova said, sighing. He looked around once more. “I should leave. Times will change soon.”
Laiahu’s eyes darkened. “Do you speak of the future, Father of Time? What changes do you see coming?”
He shook his head. “I’ve spoken too much. I promised not to interfere and I’ve already done so much.”
He shook his head when she reached for him and stepped away, fading away and returning to his palace in space.
Eggak and Tharôn were twins set on a dangerous path that he had no right to interfere in. He’d seen enough and it was time for him to leave well enough alone.
He hated seeing so much turmoil on the horizon, but he had promised himself never to interfere.
Even if he wanted to.

Nyph was tired of people trying to get something for nothing.
He glared at the man now walking away from him and hoped that that was the last time he was going to see him for a long time. With a sigh, he turned away from the doorway and stalked back into the temple that he made into his home. The halls were dark today because of his anger, and he tried to calm himself as he lit several torches that lined the hall.
As he moved away from the outside, he wondered just what about him made others think that he was easily walked over. People didn’t walk over Dar, and they were twins, were they not?
Well, no they weren’t twins, but still close enough.
He found his bed and flopped down, his face buried in the soft pillow, his feet hanging off the edge. Now that that man was gone, he felt he could finally relax.
Well, maybe not. There was a knock at his door and a servant woman peered in, her pale eyes staring unseeing into the room. “My lord, there’s a leak in the kitchen.”
He lifted his head from the pillow and looked at her from over his shoulder. “Really, Saia? A leak?”
He scowled when the corners of her lips turned up and she quickly ducked out of the room. With a groan, he pushed himself up from the bed and followed Saia to the kitchen where the basin of wash water was steadily leaking on the floor. He waved a hand over the water and it dried up. He knelt before the basin and listened as Saia moved about the room, adding the finishing touches to dinner. Her young aide quickly moved into position to help her as much as she could.
He touched a finger to the crack in the water basin and sealed it. Nyph stood and smiled at Saia’s back as she carefully lifted a trey to transport it to the dining room. He shook his head, wondering just where she got her stubbornness from. It certainly wasn’t from her mother or father. While both had been strong willed, they also knew their limits.
Saia had been born without her sight, and she had adapted so very well. Nyph was very impressed. So much so that he had requested her to be his personal servant. Sometimes he regretted the choice, especially when she turned that stubbornness on him.
But mostly he thanked the skies that she came into his life. The woman was simply amazing. And quite the minx.
As he entered the dining room behind her and the young girl, he waved his hand over the candles, casting a flame to each wick. The young girl bobbed a bow and escaped the room without a word murmured. Saia clasped her hands before her and dipped her head in a bow.
“Dinner is served, my lord.”
“Sit with me,” he asked, as he asked every night.
She shook her head. “My dinner awaits me in the kitchen, my lord.”
He nodded and made a noise low in his throat, which was permission enough for her to take her leave. Nyph sat at the head of the small table and looked over the food prepared for him.
The food Saia made was always the best. She was training her understudy, but the girl had yet to reach Saia’s level. Before him was a small feast meant for a god, and he grinned at his thoughts. If only his people knew that he had such a meal every night.
Perhaps they would be irate that there is so little food on his table. He laughed at himself and began spooning the soup into his mouth, relishing the taste.
After dinner, he quit the room in favor for his office. That room was as simple as the rest of the temple, and he sank to the ground on the thick cushion behind the low desk. There were scrolls everywhere on the desk and falling over onto the ground. He reached for a random one and unrolled it, quickly reading it before setting it aside. He continued until he found the one he had been searching for.
He spread the paper out before him, carefully rereading the inked words. There had been rumors of plots of a coup. This paper was the only solid evidence of the plotters.
He framed the scroll with his hands, leaning heavily over the scroll and allowing his magic to flow from him into the paper like water. The scroll grew damp under his hands and slowly began to grow. Small puffs of moss grew over the paper until they formed small land masses in the puddle forming. He scowled at the formation, realizing that it had outlined the continents of Eggak.
The plotters were coming from the sister planet of Eggak, and that worried him.
Humans from Eggak were very dangerous when brought over to Tharôn. They grew into such power that they could rival the gods. Once, humans had come to Tharôn and ruled over all the lands with fear and such power that the gods had felt the need to band together to stop them.
It had been Dar that had stood at the front of their armies to tear down the human’s empire, Nyph at his side. Together they had saved Tharôn from the corruption of humans and all but erased the taint left behind.
They had locked the portals between the two worlds so no more humans could come to Tharôn. Damage had been done, and Dar and Nyph had had enough.
For the past two thousand years, peace had thrived on Tharôn and everything was perfect.
Until now.
Somehow, some human on Eggak had discovered the portals that had been lost and now threatened to invade.
Nyph sat back on his heels and closed his eyes. He was far too old for this. He couldn’t fathom another war. He had had enough.
He crumpled the scroll and cast it away from him.
He needed to speak with his brother, he thought as he walked out of the room and toward the exit. Just outside his temple, there was a green filled with bushes and fountains. A thin walk snaked its way through the park, bordered by flowers of many different colors. It was his favorite park, and the reason his temple was built there.
The park was his own and there was a stranger standing amidst his flowers. Nyph tilted his head to the side and walked toward the man, curious.
He was a small man, maybe reaching only to Nyph’s shoulder. He wore his hair short, coming only to the top of his shoulders, one flyaway strand standing free of the rest. His skin was pale, and his eyes were dark.
He wore robes that had been painstakingly embroidered by a master’s hand, brilliant red and delicate silk. He had knelt as Nyph approached and touched his fingers over the petals of the flowers. “They’re so soft,” he murmured before Nyph could say anything.
Nyph paused and stared down at him. The man brushed his hair away from his face, and Nyph noticed how his hair refused to stay down, as if gravity couldn’t keep its hold on the strands. Magic cloaked the man, seeping off his skin.
“Who are you, my good man?”
The man looked up, his eye as dark as night, small pricks of light sprinkled in their depths, like stars on the vastness of space. Nyph took a step back, startled.
“Father!”
Ji Nova smiled and stood. He turned to face Nyph fully, head tilted to one side, hair flowing over one shoulder.
“And you are?”
“Nyph, servant of Tharôn.”
Ji Nova bowed his head. “Greetings, Nyph, servant of Tharôn.” He waved his hand before him, motioning to the city on the other side of Nyph’s temple. “Where is this?”
Nyph turned to glance at the dark towers behind his temple, his chest swelling with pride. “This is Perc, the capital of Tharôn.”
“It is beautiful.”
“It is. Would you like a tour?”
Ji Nova shook his head. “I’ve already seen it all. But I still don’t know why are all the towers black?”
Nyph grinned. “It’s from the Black Stone Cliffs. They are the strongest stones in all of Tharôn. The towers survive the earthquakes and Perc has never been sacked.”
“You’re quite proud of your city.”
“I’m proud of Tharôn. Of the civilization we have created.”
Ji Nova grinned. “It is beautiful,” he repeated. “I love Tharôn.”
Nyph’s heart thundered in his chest, pride filling him. “I do too. What can I do for you, then? Why do you come to us?”
Ji Nova shrugged. “I came to see my children.” He stepped around Nyph and looked up at the temple towering over the park. “I came to understand life.”
Nyph turned and followed Ji Nova with his gaze. “Life? I don’t understand.”
“I am not alive, not really. Not in the same way you and the others are.”
“I don’t think I understand, Father.”
Ji Nova sighed and looked down at the flowers still framing the path. “Can you hear the life here? The flowers, the bugs, the grass and the sky and the wind?”
Nyph closed his eyes and let the world wash over him. Indeed, he could feel the wind and he could hear the earth, and the life all around him. “Yes.”
“Now do you feel the life from me?”
Nyph opened his eyes and focused his senses on Ji Nova. Then his eyes widened. “No. But you are alive.”
“Am I? Unlike all else in this galaxy, I am not a living thing. I am forever and I am always. I am what came before, and I am what will come.”
Nyph shook his head. “You are not death, Father.”
“No, I am not. That which is not alive can not die, and that which is not cannot die is forever. I am the nothing.”
They walked in silence as Nyph absorbed that information. What could that really mean? He was the center of all life, but he wasn’t alive himself? Was that possible?
He cleared his throat as he realized they were walking away from his temple and toward the park’s exit leading out to the city. “Father, is the Mother alive then?”
Ji Nova paused, his foot hovering over the ground under them as he looked back at Nyph with those deep eyes. “The Mother? Of course she is. She gave all of you life.”
“You gave us life too, yet you claim not to be alive.”
He chuckled and finally began moving once more. He paused at the gilded gates of the park, one hand reaching out to touch a full bloom that hung from a draping vine. “And we are so very different, the planets and stars and my own kind, the black holes.” He turned to face Nyph, his eyes glowing and hair waving in the soft breeze.
“Father, why are you so sad?”
His eyes widened before he carefully wiped the surprised expression from his face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He turned away and began walking down the walk through the city. Nyph followed on his heels.
“I believe you said you weren’t fully alive. Do you believe that a living being wouldn’t see the loneliness you’re hiding behind your smile?”
“You think you’re clever.”
“I’ve been told so a time or two.” Ji Nova chuckled and paused to watch the people moving about the street. They were brightly clothes, their clothes thick against the cool mountain air blowing down from the Black Stone Mountains. Mostly, the people had dark hair that they wore covered with thick cloaks or scarfs. Ji Nova dug in a bag hanging off his shoulder and pulled a thick scarf that matched his robes and pulled it over his hair. Nyph smiled and stepped up to adjust the scarf until it covered the black hair completely. “Father, why did it take you so long to come to us?”
“I was afraid,” he said, his eyes looking everywhere save for at Nyph. “Well, not at first, but back then I was so young, I didn’t realize what was happening to me.”
“Father?”
“I have always been alone, Nyph. From the moment of my creation, I have been alone. I killed my parent in my creation and I will kill those that look to me for protection because that’s what I am. I existed in my little circle of empty space and was fine until I realized that there was something more for me. By then it was too late. I had already spent so much time alone and life around me had already moved on without me.”
“We know you, Father.” Nyph reached for his hand and directed him away from the busy street and down a side road. “We all know you, Father, and love you, whether you know it or not. But the most important thing is that we are very powerful, Father.”
Ji Nova shot him a glance out of the corner of his eye. “Your point, little godling?”

Nyph paused and dropped Ji Nova’s hand. He took a few steps away and spun about to face him. He threw his hands out as if he were going to embrace the world. “My point is that I can help you, Father. And I will, if you will let me.”
Ji Nova tilted his head to one side, the scarf trailing off his shoulder and fluttering in the breeze. “How?”
“I can give you a companion that will be with you forever.”
Ji Nova’s eyes widened. Then he shook his head. “You speak of a soul mate. Humans have soul mates. Linnko and Chynnyka have soul mates. Gods have soul mates. I do not. I do not have a soul.”
That surprised Nyph, but he quickly shook off the feeling. “Nonsense.”
“Nyph, I’m not alive. I have no soul.”
“That’s not what I meant. Listen, I will give to you a soul mate that will be with you forever. I will weave the magic and gift to you one that will love you.”
Ji Nova shook his head. “In the end, they will die. Even gods die, Nyph.”
“But souls don’t. I’m sorry, but even if they die, their souls will live on to be reborn.”
“Nyph.”
Nyph reached for his hand again. “Father. Let me help sooth your loneliness. Let me find you a lover.”
Ji Nova laughed and shook his head. “I would like that,” he finally confessed. “Nyph, find me someone that will live long and someone strong enough to survive my existence.”
“Fate is a powerful thing, let it do its own magic.” He quickly cast the spell, his fingers weaving through the water droplets in the air, creating. Ji Nova closed his eyes and let his own magic feel Nyph’s. Nyph was a god of water, he knew, and Nyph was very powerful. His magic was everywhere on the planet, embedded in the very fabric of its creation.
But, as the magic took hold and began weaving something inside Ji Nova, he realized that as much as a part of Tharôn as he was, he wasn’t from Tharôn. Ji Nova’s eyes popped open as soon as the spell was finished and focused on Nyph.
“Who are you, God Nyph?”
Startled at the question, Nyph started at him, agape. “What?”
“You are not of Tharôn. Tharôn is a planet of fire and passion and magic, but you are not its child. Who are you?”
A sardonic smile came to his lips. “Oh. I’m Nyph, God of Eggak.”
His eyes lit up. “I see. Yes, you are from Eggak, aren’t you?” he said, his magic touching through Nyph’s magic once more. “Why are you here?”
“Have you ever seen a god on Eggak?”
Ji Nova thought about it and he realized, no, he had not. He hadn’t seen much of any magic at all on Eggak. It hadn’t surprised him, for Eggak was barren in that regard, drawing the short end of the stick with it’s and its twin’s birth. He looked back at Nyph. “Why?”
“Eggak is very different from Tharôn.”
“This I know.”
He bit back another sardonic smile. “Eggak will not allow gods to interfere with the growth of their people.”
“Eggak, or its people?”
“The people, true. The gods are unable to take form, for the humans tended to hunt us when they mistake us for something other than what we are. Many of us fled to Tharôn where we were welcomed with open arms. We can live here without predjidice.”
“I’m sorry.”
Nyph nodded, “I’ve learned to live with it. Haven’t I lived here for over two thousand years?”
“Don’t you miss your Mother?”
“Does she speak?”
Ji Nova’s eyes widened. His eyes searched Nyph’s a moment before he slowly shook his head. “No. It is their curse that they cannot speak. Why do you ask?”
He turned his eyes to the ground and began walking away. “Does she miss me? Has she not tried to get me back? Unless the humans change, we can never return. Unless the Mother makes them change, we can never return.”
They began walking once again, their steps slow and their voices silent. They passed under the heavy shadows of the towering buildings and through the faint rays of sunlight that valiantly fought to shine through the thick clog of buildings.
“I feel something.”
“That would be the soul of your mate.”
Ji Nova touched a hand to his chest, silently listening to his fake heart beating. “Who is it?”
“I don’t know. You’ll have to find them on your own. That is the curse of every living person, Father. They must travel the world and find their soul mate in their own time.”
Ji Nova suddenly grinned and pulled Nyph to a stop. He pulled him into his arms. “Thank you for your gift, Nyph. With this, I shall learn more about life.”
“And you’ll live.”
“Yes, I’ll live.”
He danced away from Nyph and spun about on his heel, arms flung wide. “Where were you off to when we first met, Nyph? Where were you going?”
Nyph’s eyes widened. “Oh, yes! I wanted to see my brother!” He turned away and began walking the opposite direction. He paused and looked back. “Will you come with me?”
Ji Nova shook his head. “I will not. I need to go and see more of the world.” He grinned, all teeth and joy. “I need to seek out my soul mate.”
Nyph laughed and cut a bow with a flourish. “I’m glad I could help. Let love and life into you, Father. See life and learn what life is. You won’t regret it.”
“I’m quite sure I won’t.”
He copied Nyph’s bow and as he resumed his upright stance, he disappeared. No flourish or flashes of light, he was just gone. Nyph made a noise in the back of his throat and turned away.
So that was their great Father.
The poor man.
Nyph rushed to the closest temple dedicated to his bother. He strode to the altar and stepped up on the small stone dais and, unlike Ji Nova, disappeared into a flash of light. He reappeared in Dar’s main temple in the far north.
He shivered in the cold and scowled at his brother as the older twin sat on the floor. “Dar, why do you not make your temple warmer?”
Dar looked up, bright blue eyes glowing in the shadow of the walls. “It’s nice here,” he protested. He smiled and stood. “Nyph, what brings you here?”
“Two things. First, I met our Father, Ji Nova today.”
Dar’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. “Ji Nova? He came here?”
Nyph nodded. “And I spoke with him. He’s so delicate, Dar! I couldn’t believe it.”
“Delicate? How so?”
Nyph laid on the sole chair in the room and chuckled. “He’s like a child, brother. He’s so powerful, and so simple at the same time. Looking at him was like looking at the purest thing in all the universe.”
Dar had turned to watch him seat himself on his throne, one blonde brow raised in question. “Isn’t this what he is? The purest of all the universe.” He closed his eyes in thought. “What did they say? Ah, only that which has no obligations has no agenda. Does not our Father fall into this type?”
Nyph nodded in thought. “I suppose so.”
“What was the second reason you came here for?”
“Oh! Have you heard the rumors about the men from Eggak that are planning something?”
Dar shook his head, rubbing a hand over his bare arm. Nyph finally took note of what the man was wearing, or, rather, what he was not wearing.
He had only a thin cotton kilt wrapped around his hips and a gold cuff around his upper arm. His feet were bare on the stone floor, and his hair was wild around his shoulders. Nyph blinked.
“Did I interrupt?”
“You did, but since when did that bother you?”
“You’re right. Anyway, what do you know of it?”
“I haven’t heard a thing.””
“That’s … odd.”
Dar frowned in thought, then turned away and summoned a small flame to him. The flame settled on the palm of his hand and he whispered softly to it. When the flame snuffed itself out, he turned to Nyph.
“What do you know?”
“Not much, but I think that someone has discovered a forgotten portal.”
“Were any of them forgotten when he locked them?”
“Of course not! But,” Nyph bit his lip, “If it was forgotten before we were created, then we would never know.”
“Nobody could find it, in that case. No, it’s not a forgotten portal. Perhaps they learned magic?”
Nyph scoffed. “The humans of Eggak will never willingly learn magic. They hate it.”
Dar nodded. “Perhaps.” He stepped up to the dais and pulled his brother from the throne. Once Nyph was out of his seat, he dropped down, propping his chin on his fisted hand. “Perhaps not. It had been many years since we severed the bond between our two planets. Things change, little brother.”
“Indeed they do. Ji Nova came for a visit, and humans from Eggak have begun to threaten us.”
“I haven’t heard about any of that, but I have heard that the herald has shown up.”
Nyph felt something like ice slip over him. He stared with wide eyes at his brother. “T-the herald from legend?”
“The very same.”
Nyph held a hand to his brow and began pacing about the room, his feet echoing on the walls. “The first herald has come to Tharôn. What are we going to do?”
“There’s not much we can do. Fate has already started its pattern and we are only the threads in the pattern.”
“Dar!”
Dar shrugged. “It’s fate, isn’t it? We’ve known this since the beginning.”
Nyph rushed to his brother’s side and knelt beside the throne. “That doesn’t mean we have to accept it! We can change fate, Dar.” He looked around the room quickly before an idea came to him. “We can ask Ji Nova for help!”
Dar shook his head. “We shouldn’t do much more damage than what we already have done to the two worlds.”
“We saved Tharôn,” Nyph protested.
Dar shook his head. “Yes, but with saving Tharôn, we were cursed. There is no changing that.”
Nyph snorted. “I still say we can change it.”
Dar waved him away. “We’ve done enough.”

Ji Nova liked the fire sprites very much.
They were playful and silly at times, and they were clever. Best of all, while many of them recognized his power, none of them really cared enough to dig into his personal reason for being there. They simply accepted him for what he was and laughed and continued their plays.
He liked the elvish people too, but finding one outside of their villages was rare. The elves tended to keep to themselves and were careful about who they let in. He met one red headed elf while walking through a forest and the elf held out a hand to stop him from walking away.
“Ji Nova, Father of Life.”
Ji Nova paused before he turned to face the elf. They had met by chance, both walking down the same path, although different directions. The elf had a tattoo on his neck of a tree in the midst of the fall, bright orange leaves mixing into the red of his hair. His eyes were the same orange as those leaves and glowed with something inside.
The elven magic was known as the Light.
Ji Nova pulled his scarf from his hair and dipped his head in greeting. “Fallen Leaf, son of Red Deer. You have words for me?”
“I do. Father, the Light is dimming and the gods are falling. Something dangerous is coming to Tharôn.”
“This I know.”
Fallen Leaf shook his head. “No, it is much worse that you think, Father. When the Light dims, the fires will go out and the gods will fall. Tharôn will suffer.”
Ji Nova reached out to touch the elf’s mind, to see what he saw and make sense of his words, but Fallen Leaf caught his hand mere inches from his face. “Do not see, Father. There is nothing there you want to see.”
“You know much of what’s happening. Even the future, perhaps.”
“Yes, but that’s not what you want to see or know. The future is too ugly to see, and I wish that upon nobody.”
“Let me take your pain into myself,” Ji Nova offered, but Fallen Leaf shook his head.
“You are our Father. I’ll protect you from the pain I feel.”
Fallen Leaf took a step back and bowed. “Just remember that life is worth living, no matter what happens. Life is always worth it.”
Ji Nova’s eyes widened. “So, you know my purpose.” He chuckled. “Those of the Light are every bit as intelligent as I’ve heard.” He stepped back and offered a bow. “Life is all there is in this universe.”
“There’s death.”
‘True. But what is death without life?”
“Death makes us cherish life all the more.” He returned Ji Nova’s bow and turned away, resuming his walk down the path. Ji Nova watched him walk, head tilted to one side as he considered the elf.
He knew what was happening. It didn’t surprise him, not really. The creatures of magic tented to know more than others, and what was more magical than an elf? The living spirits of Tharôn?
He shook his head. He really should leave. If his name was popping up in the prophecies, then he was doing too much here. He walked away from where they met, one foot lifting from the path and stepping down in his palace deep in space.
As he emerged from one world into another, he stumbled, arms flailing about to keep his balance. He fell to the ground and snapped his head up.
“What was that!?” he yelled, not expecting an answer. He scrambled to his feet and ran to one of those windows that wasn’t really there to peer out.
Everything seemed to be fine out there, the stars still twinkling against the black backdrop of empty space. He let his magic out to touch everything he could and couldn’t feel anything wrong out there. What was that?
He took a deep breath and felt something else tugging at him, pulling him.
He closed his eyes and the feeling was gone. He cursed and spun about on his heel, stepping through time and space once more and reappearing on Eggak.
NeFerious was seated at yet another desk, his black eyes on Ji Nova, a small smile on his lips as Ji Nova marched up to him.
“You summon me?” Ji Nova said, irritation in his voice and his eyes blazing with something akin to anger. Was he feeling anger? Or was this feeling that flooded him something much different. This feeling was alien to him.
“I do, sorcerer.” He stood, adjusted his tunic, and then came around the desk to tower over Ji Nova. “This is your last chance. Join us.”
“Join you so you can take over Tharôn?”
NeFerious’ eyes widened and he might have taken a step back had he not been such a powerful warrior that backed away from nobody. “You learned our plans? How?”
“How do I learn anything, stupid?”
A muscle twitched in NeFerious’ jaw and his fist clenched at his side. “Sorcerer.”
“I already told you, I am no sorcerer. Why do you need a sorcerer so much?”
NeFerious reached out and settled one large hand on Ji Nova’s neck. A thrill went down Ji Nova’s back, the touch heated against his skin and his fake heart sped up in his chest. His eyes widened, but he didn’t move. He refused to show any fear of this man.
“My companion is powerful, but it will do to have my own power.”
“So you don’t trust him?”
“I’d be a fool to trust a man that would betray his own mother if it suited him.” His fingers were still on Ji Nova’s neck.
“So why should I trust you?”
NeFerious’ grip tightened and he pulled Ji Nova closer, close enough that he could feel his breath on his lips as he spoke. “I need magical protection from him. I have need of you, so why would I betray you?” His thumb rubbed softly against Ji Nova’s full bottom lip.
Ji Nova quickly snagged his wrist, pulling his hand away and freeing himself. “Why should you trust me?”
NeFerious pulled free and walked away. “I can pay you.”
“I don’t want your money.”
He shrugged. “I’ll give you power.”
Ji Nova laughed. He quickly wiped the smile off his face when NeFerious turned his glare onto him. “I have power.”
“Not magical power. Political power. I’ll make of you a king.”
“A king in Tharôn. Tharôn, that has only one throne?”
NeFerious resumed his seat and looked confused. “Only one throne?”
“Indeed. Once you place your nameless friend on the throne, what do you plan for yourself? How do you plan to repay those you’ve bribed?”
NeFerious reached for a sword laying on the table behind him and set the tip to the ground, propping his hand on the hilt. “You are the only one I’ve bribed thus far. The others that follow me follow me because I am their lord and master.”
“They fear you, then.”
“They obey me.”
“I will not be a slave to you, or to your power.” NeFerious didn’t say a thing and Ji Nova bit back a smile. “There’s nothing left, Warlord. I’ll leave here and we won’t met again. I’ll have nothing to do with any of your plans.”
He turned and walked away. Behind him, he heard NeFerious move, the chair scrapping against the ground, the desk jerking when he bumped into it, the blade of a knife sliding against its sheath. He turned and ducked away from the arch of the blade, foolishly allowing NeFerious to stand between him and the door.
“You will not leave until I give you leave to do so.”
Ji Nova made a noise in the back of his throat. “You do not command me.”
NeFerious took a swipe at him with the knife again, this time aiming low. Once more Ji Nova backed away, just missing the blade. “I may not be able to kill you, but you will learn my power.” He stepped forward and sliced upward. Ji Nova caught his hand and pulled him forward, using his own weight against him. NeFerious fell forward, but didn’t lose his footing. Ji Nova danced out of the way, once more closer to the door.
“Human, know me now. I am no mere magic user. I am no mere sorcerer. I am Ji Nova. You may not know the name, but learn it well. I am the beginning. I am the end. I am that which makes the stars shine and burn.” He stepped forward, ignoring the fact that he had to look up into NeFerious’ face as he glared him. “Your gods bow to me. Do not think that you can challenge me.”
Before his mouth could make a fool of him, he left, the world falling away from him and his palace closing around him like a protective shell.
NeFerious had no magic at his hand, but he knew of magic well enough to summon him with his name alone. Now that Ji Nova knew who was calling him, he could ignore it.
Satisfied, Ji Nova sank to the ground, the floor pulsing with his own magic, like a heartbeat. He laid down, his ear to the floor, his eyes closed. The silence of his home, his body, reached deep into his mind and body and soothed him. He stilled his fake heart and stopped his fake body’s breathing. The only thing that remained was his true self.
Formless and undefined, he was vast and powerful. Nothing more pure that the base elements that was him. Hours later, he took a deep breath, fake life returning to his human body and he slowly sat upright. He ran a hand through his hair.
The silence was ringing in his ears. Loneliness gnawed at his heart.
He should have perhaps not have taken a human body. His vast power and innocence were a dangerous mix inside a human body, and sometimes he thought he was no more than a human child, unbound by rules and full of curiosity. He could prove dangerous to himself more than anybody else.
If he knew fear, he feared this.
With a defeated sigh, he stood and left his palace.
He returned to Tharôn and found himself in a field full of people. He always went to where people were gathering and enjoying life. He walked among the people and joined them in their games and laughter. This, was life.
A fire sprite recognized him and pulled him into a dance, their arms hooked at the elbows. He spun on her elbow before another took his other elbow and she released him. He danced the dizzying dance, laugher spilling from his lips, his feet moving almost as fast as the natives. He lost himself to the music and only when his latest partner took a misstep did he come back to himself.
He glanced up at his partner and froze.
His eyes widened and he gaped, his fake heart once more pounding loudly in his ears. The world around them fell away until the music was only a faint thrumming in the background. All that mattered now, was his partner’s eyes.
The man started back at him with just as much surprise. His eyes were wide, and oh so very blue. His hair was blonde, woven through with red and orange feathers. His skin was kissed by the sun, and he wore light weight clothes that fluttered in the mountain breeze. Magic flowed in his veins and Ji Nova knew who he was.
“Dar,” he whispered.
Dar nodded, licking his lips twice before he could find his own voice. “You are Ji Nova, our Father.”
Ji Nova nodded. He removed his arm from around Dar’s and reached out to touch the sun disk Dar wore around his neck. He hesitated a moment and Dar covered his hand with his own, pressing their joined hands to his chest, over his heart.
“What is happening,” Ji Nova asked, his eyes still glued to Dar’s. He felt something growing inside him. Something that filled him and warmed him.
“We are soul mates,” Dar answered, his voice low. “We are fated to be together.” He drew Ji Nova’s hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles. “It is written in the stars.”
“Nothing is written in the stars,” Ji Nova said without much thought. “I look out at the stars with every breath, and see nothing written therein. The stars sing, but they don’t write anything.”
Dar grinned. “The stars dance and mortals can read the patterns in their dance.”
Ji Nova’s eyes went half lidded and he stepped closer to Dar’s warmth. He was a god of fire, and his body was emitting a great heat. “The flames of a fire dance as well. Do you read those patterns too?”
Dar slipped one thick arm around Ji Nova’s waist and tugged him closer until their chests were pressed against each other. “Will you dance with me?”
“Aren’t we already?”
“I think we stopped.”
Ji Nova blinked and found that, indeed, they had stopped. They were standing still in the middle of the dance, bright colored fabrics waving around them and cheers raising up into the air. Ji Nova laughed. Dar laughed, and then he pulled him back into the dance. They easily folded into the pattern, twirling and twisting and keeping their eyes on each other. Never breaking eye contact.
They stopped dancing only the music stopped. Dar held Ji Nova’s hand as they walked through the fair, pausing next to each stall to talk with the sellers, and even sampling the local fare.
With his hands full of fresh baked goods, Ji Nova lead the way away from the noise of the party and toward an empty area littered with flowers. He plopped down amide the blossoms and laughed as petals fluttered into the air around him. Dar smiled down at him before carefully settling down beside him.
After taking the time to enjoy the first bite of honeyed bread, he finally asked the question that had been bothering him. “Why you and me?”
Dar shrugged. “Why are any two chosen as soul mates? Only the soul knows.”
Ji Nova dropped his hands back to his lap and gazed at Dar, beautiful Dar. “I’m afraid. I’ve never been afraid before.”
Dar took his hand again. “To be alive is to be afraid. To fear the unknown. To overcome that fear is to be great.”
“There is nothing that is unknown to me.”
A slow smile curved Dar’s lips. “But there is much you don’t know. I have heard you’ve been around asking questions. Questions about mortal lives.”
Ji Nova dipped his head in a nod. “I know so much, yes, and still there is much that eludes me. Isn’t it the simple things that I don’t know?”
Dar laughed out loud at that. “Isn’t it the simple things that elude us all?” He suddenly leaned forward and pressed his lips to Ji Nova’s.
Startled, Ji Nova froze in place, letting the kiss happen, unable to respond through his surprise. When Dar pulled away, he found Ji Nova’s eyes wide and staring at him with unblinking eyes. He laughed. “Have you never been kissed?”
Ji Nova flushed a bright red and he shook his head. “Never! I’ve only had a human body for a few short weeks.”
Dar’s smile turned soft. “Then you have much to learn, Great Father.” He leaned forward to kiss him again, but stopped short, their lips just touching. “Close your eyes, let yourself feel.”
Ji Nova searched Dar’s bright blue eyes a moment before his lids dropped to cover his own dark eyes. After a moment passed and Dar still hadn’t pressed a kiss to his lips, he surged forward and took his own kiss. He pressed one hand to Dar’s chest to keep his balance and felt his laugh rumble through his hand. He shivered and made to pull away, but Dar caught his chin in the palm of his hand and held him close.
Their lips move softly together, Dar teaching and Ji Nova eager to learn. Dar threaded his fingers through Ji Nova’s hair, tilting his head back, deepening the kiss, stealing Ji Nova’s breath. Ji Nova clutched at his shoulders as his body turned weak with longing and want flooded his veins.
With a gasp, he jerked away and covered his mouth with the back of his hand. “D-do mortals find this pleasing?”
Dar gaped at him a moment before he fell into peals of laughter. “Father, you’re so innocent!”
“You mock me,” he said without rancor.
Dar bit his lips. “Sorry. Yes, it is pleasing. Let go of your fear, Father and let yourself feel.”
“You’ve said that before.”
“Yes. Life is full of fear, but to truly live, you must learn to overcome that fear. You must let yourself feel and learn and experience. That is what life is.”
Ji Nova searched his face with his eyes. “Dar…” He reached out, touching his fingers to his face softly, as if he were afraid the person before him were really just a dream created from space dust. “You’re so full of life. I think, I think I know what it means to love now, seeing your love of life.”
Dar grinned. “There’s so much more to see, Father.”
Ji Nova returned his grin and accepted the hand he held out to him. Together, they quite the park with a puff of Dar’s smoke.

Dar easily accepted his new soul mate. After all, he had always known that his soul mate was out there, somewhere. Just as every mortal was taught from birth that their soul mate was somewhere out there, Dar had expected to find his own. He accepted it as easily as breathing. He opened himself wholly to Ji Nova and let him into every aspect of his life. There was nothing he would not share with Ji Nova and there was nothing he demanded in return.
Ji Nova on the other hand, was new to it all and had trouble adjusting to allowing anybody as close as he had allowed Dar. He loved being able to touch whenever he wanted, however he wanted. Whenever he had a question, Dar knew the answer and was willing to explain anything Ji Nova couldn’t understand.
Nyph watched them with wide eyes, dumbfounded what his actions had created. He had never meant for Dar to be the soul mate of Ji Nova, and when he told Dar so in confidence, Dar merely laughed at him.
“You can’t control fate. You made it possible for him to have a soul mate, it wasn’t your will that he and I would become partners. It could have been anybody, fate had it that I was chosen.” The frown on Nyph’s face didn’t go away and Dar chuckled. “Had you hoped it would be you?”
“What! No! It’s not that.”
“Then what has upset you?”
Nyph rolled his eyes at his brothers continued obtuseness. “Dar, it was you that brought up the prophecy only a few weeks ago! You can’t mean to say that you’re all right with the way things are happening.” He quickly continued before Dar could speak, raising his voice. “You know things cannot end well.” When Dar looked away, his eyes lowering, Nyph took a calming breath and steadied his voice. “Have you even told him anything?”
“He should know.”
“That’s not an excuse. Look.” He reached out and rested his hand on his brother’s shoulder and offered a wave of understanding. “I know you want to be with him. He’s your soul make, and I know that makes many blind, but you can’t afford to be. He cannot afford to be. You do understand that if worse comes to worst, he’ll never recover from your death.”
“The future can be changed,” Dar murmured, still keeping his eyes away from Nyph’s. Nyph shook his head. Dar was being a fool, but Nyph couldn’t help but blame himself.
He had only meant to help Ji Nova, but if-if Dar died, Ji Nova may suffer more than his fair share. Ji Nova was so delicate and innocent that Nyph wondered if he had taken advantage of his simple nature.
What was he going to do?

Dar left him, seeking solitude in his temple in the cold northern mountains. Nyph watched him go, his heart aching for his brother and his father. He should have kept his nose out of it.
He went his own way, letting the winds take him away from the city so full of people and toward the empty vastness of the open plains of the Middle Continent. He let his feet touch the ground, startled to find himself on the border of the dry savanna and the eerie howling of the desert beyond.
The city of DeTa was far away from here, a jewel hidden in the bleakness of the desert. Behind him, if he traveled far enough, was the city of Lands Fall, a large port town that offered a port between the continents. It was through Lands Fall that the three continents were connected by sea routes.
On the other hand, DeTa was a secluded city, with mountains on their north side and desert to their south. Very few dared to travel through the desert, and even less braved the steep mountains. Nyph feared DeTa, for it was the heart of Dar’s power.
Maybe thought it to be the temples in the north where the fire sprites dwelled and thrived in the chilly cold, but nobody knew that in reality it was dry, hot, fiery desert that gave Dar his awesome power.
True, ice was a great source of power with its vast body over all of Tharôn, but it was the desert that covered more ground. The whole of the DeTa plateau was desert, much of the northern continent was desert, and over half of the Land Tail continent was desert as well.
Tharôn was a place of dry fire, and Dar was the living embodiment of fire and death. What kind of partner was Ji Nova going to be with him?