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Once, in a land far away, a land of magic and monsters, there lived a demigod.
The demigod's name was Ridge, and he had spent many eons watching over the inhabitants of the land. Demigods are the offspring of gods and the creatures of the earth. They are immortal, and possess powers that even in your wildest dreams cannot fathom.
He was not always a benevolent god, for sometimes he would orchestrate terrible events in which players killed one another, until only one remained. Being immortal had taken the shine off the world for Ridge, and he no longer found anything beautiful or pure.
That is, until he found the wreck of a spaceship from another world.
It was in the centre of a large crater caused by its own impact, and by it there lay a man. He had pale skin, dark hair and a pleasant countenance.
Ridge had never seen such an exquisite creature in all his centuries.
For the rest of the day and night, Ridge remained with the man, for demigods do not need sleep. As the sun set on the second day, golden light washed over the pale man's face, and his eyes slowly flickered open. They were a striking hue of sapphire, with an ethereal glow about them. Ridge sat and watched, utterly captivated, as the man sat up and looked around. Ridge knew that the man could not see him, for demigods are invisible to mortals unless they choose to manifest, meaning he could stare without fear of retribution. The man stood up; he had a proud stance, but his torn and dirty uniform marred the image.
Ridge stayed for a little while longer, observing as the man built a crude shelter from the metal of the wreck. With a silent promise to return, Ridge left the crater to attend to his neglected duties as demigod.
~ ~ ~
As a week passed, Ridge found himself thinking more and more of the man from the wreckage, driven to near distraction by thoughts of porcelain skin and beautiful eyes. He decided that he would go and find the man, but this time with the intention of revealing himself.
He found the shelter in the woods with little trouble; it was close to the crater from the first night, ringed with torches that glowed warmly in the dusk. Landing lightly on the grass outside the small wooden hut, he rapped quickly on the door. After a moment, the door opened to show the mortal that had haunted Ridge's thoughts for days. He had changed his tatty uniform for a shirt and a brown pair of leggings, but he still wore his boots from the crash.
'Good evening, sir,' said the man politely.
'Good evening.' Ridge bowed and said, 'I saw you beside the crater the night you crashed. I have come to see how you are, sir...?'
'Xephos,' he said, smiling.
'What a wonderful name,' Ridge said, smiling his most charming smile.
Xephos thanked him, and, ever polite, invited him inside the hut.
'I haven't much to offer you in return for protecting me,' Xephos told Ridge. 'But if you stay for a while, I shall be having supper soon. You may eat with me, if you so wished.'
And so they ate a supper of bread and apples and milk, and talked late into the night.
~ ~ ~
Ridge couldn't wait another week to see Xephos. As soon as he had left Xephos's home, he had called upon the best tailor in the land.
Ridge had realised how cold it must be for Xephos on this new planet, and so decided to have made a coat of the best and warmest materials for his mortal.
He visited the tailor after two days, delighted to see the fine red coat, cut perfectly, with gleaming brass buttons and neat gold trim around the sleeves, hems and collar. He payed the tailor handsomely, then returned to the hut in the woods as evening fell once more.
Xephos's present held behind his back, Ridge knocked lightly on the door. Xephos opened it and smiled when he saw the demigod.
'Good evening, Ridge.'
'Good evening, Xephos. Am I too late for supper?'
Xephos shook his head and let Ridge into the hut. 'No, friend. Just sit by the table.'
'Thank you. But first...' Xephos turned to him as Ridge revealed the beautiful coat, his eyes widening in shock. 'This is for you.'
Xephos remained speechless as Ridge slipped the soft material over his arms and shoulders, straightening the collar.
'Ridge, you-- I... Thank you!' And before he knew it, the demigod had the mortal's arms tightly around him in the first hug he could remember in centuries. Slowly, he hugged him back and, taken by sudden impulse, kissed the top of his dark head.
Xephos looked up at him with a grin. 'Let's eat.'
~ ~ ~
As the pair embraced, they were not as alone as they believed. Deep in the vast realms of Nether, the dark God Herobrine watched in anger. By rights, this insolent immortal pup shouldn't even be alive, and now he was defying he rule that had brought about his own existence. Herobrine knew that his brother Notch, God of Aether, would turn a blind eye to his only son's misdeeds, but Herobrine would make sure that the pair did not go unpunished.
~ ~ ~
The castle was empty as the dark figure stole through the halls and corridors, intent on their purpose. Ridge was away, inspecting the newest arena for the Games, providing the perfect opportunity for the harbinger of evil.
Finally reaching the one place in the castle he was sure Ridge frequented every day, the fallen God wove his elegant and infallible curse. 'No misdeed will go unpunished, nephew,' he murmured, lips curling into a demented grin. 'Not even yours.'
~ ~ ~
Ridge stumbled, feeling as if he had been hit with the weight of the entire universe at once. Then his head was pounding, ears ringing, his insides twisting as if trying to escape his earthly body. With a stab of pain, he summoned what was left of his power and teleported to the hut in the forest.
Not heeding Xephos's startled exclamation, he caught himself on the table, thrown off-balance by his sudden shift in space. Blinking dazedly at the floor, Ridge gasped in air desperately, bewildered and in a great deal of pain. It was only when he felt Xephos's lips brush his forehead that he realised the alien was trying to move him to the bed in the corner. He could hear voices, dimly noticing that one of them was his own, repeating Xephos's name like a prayer. The other was Xephos's own, and Ridge used it to ground himself, forcing the pain down and focusing on that beautiful voice.
'Ridge, please, you need to tell me what's wrong, I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong.' His panic was thinly veiled by a calm expression, and at that moment, Ridge realised that he loved this mortal more than anything else in existence.
In that moment of clarity, he placed a cold hand on the creamy skin of the alien's neck, and looked Xephos straight in the eye.
'I'm dying.'
What little colour there was in Xephos cheeks fled as his eyes began to glitter with unshed tears. 'Ridge...' He whispered, not looking away in fear that the demigod would disappear. Gently taking Xephos's hand, Ridge sat on the bed, wincing slightly as the movement jarred his body. Xephos followed silently, lying down to face Ridge. There they stayed, foreheads almost touching, Ridge with one arm wrapped around his writhing stomach, the other around the mortal. Tears crept from the corners of Xephos's eyes, his fingers stroking the lapels of Ridge's coat and the soft planes of his face, slowly shaking his head in denial. 'You can't die, Ridge. Please, you can't die,' he pleaded softly, and Ridge's heart broke, the pain worse than any curse.
'Xeph, I'm sorry. I love you. I'm sorry.' Xephos's eyes flickered across Ridge's face as under his fingertips, he felt the demigod's heart begin to slow.
Surging forwards to close the gap between them, Xephos clung desperately to Ridge, their lips pressed together. Their skin was salty from sweat and tears, and Ridge slowly released a contented sigh. Xephos felt the arm around him grow heavy, the heart beneath his hand growing weaker. He broke their kiss with a sob as he watched the familiar spark in the ageless golden eyes slowly dim. 'Ridge...' He whispered brokenly, to which the only reply was a soft smile, before those fathomless eyes slid closed for the very last time.