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He was the first of his servants, the one to have found him.
He was a weak one, his presence barely traceable if not for the trail of strange butterflies that lead him here.
Thoma drops down into the cavern, the light of his vision being the only thing to give him sight in the dark.
That's where he saw him.
Butterflies fluttered around him as the boy shook, sobbing into his arms.
"Hello?" Thoma approached the boy only recoil back in surprise. Scales covered his arms and legs, a tail whipping the waters.
“Who….are..you mortal?” the boy asks, his voice cautious.
Not boy , he realized, god…
Thoma knelt in front of him, his head bowed “I’m Thoma of Mondtsadt. I am just a simple merchant planning to trade with the Guili plains”
The god bristled with fear at the name Guili, trembling again.
Thoma felt his heart turn heavy as the god stood, his hands thrown up in the air as surrender.
“I don’t want any more bloodshed,” the god said, “Y-you and your gods already killed my people…I don’t want any more losses….please…”
“But I’m not-”
“Just….don’t…hurt…m…….”
The god suddenly stumbled into his arms, the gash in his side and the weakening presence suddenly more clear to Thoma.
Panicking, Thoma got him back to the surface and tried to treat his wounds.
A god with no mortal in his shadow, huh?
Now in the light, Thoma could see how beautiful the god was as he bandaged his stomach.
Hair as silver as a blue moon, his skin was that of a china cup Liyueans always used and when he did open his eyes, his eyes were that of Amethysts or the twilight that tore across the sky at the end of the day.
He was quiet as Thoma cared for him, hiding under blankets whenever a merchant from Liyue or one of his Mondtsadtian neighbors passed by. He was fear-ridden whenever Thoma touched him as if scared that eventually, he would find a knife at his back.
To be honest he doesn’t even know why he’s caring for this god. If anything, he knew all the gods in Liyue must be looking for him. He was an easy target after all.
But something about him compelled him.
Something drew him to the god, like a black hole. He doesn’t know what but seeing him hurt and traumatized….made him sad,
It almost reminds him of old-
“Mortal….no…Thoma, right?” the god finally spoke again after weeks of silence.
Thoma paused from his bandaging to look at him “Yes…uh….god? Sorry, I never got your name.”
The god looked embarrassed “Oh…I apologize….” he seemed to think for a while “I have many names…but since you treated me…I’ll allow you to call me “Ayato” ”
“Ayato is not your real name?”
Ayato shrugged “I made it up just now….I want to thank you for treating my wounds” Ayato bowed his head, making Thoma flush. It was weird to see a god bow to a mortal.
Thoma scratched his head “I…just did what anyone with a heart should do.”
“So? That still does not erase you did me a favor….which is why..” he took something from his sleeves. A single pearl hovered in the air as Ayato’s hands masterfully circle it.
Thoma looked at it in awe “What is that?”
“I was planning to create…something called ‘Oathsworn eye’...when my people were attacked,” he said, his voice slightly trembling “So” he placed his fingers on the pearl, his scaly hands glowing from the light emitted by the pearl “Thanks to your care, I will swear to give you a boon. A prize. I will give you anything your heart desires” the pearl’s glow started to dim and Ayato let’s out a sigh, exhausted “As long as it is in my power, of course”
Thoma felt his face heat up again “I-I already told you that I don’t need a gift” he said nervously, waving his hands in the air. “I took care of you because I wanted to, not because I knew you were a god!”
Ayato looked at him in slight amusement “Well I just swore it and now I need to fulfill it, Thoma. So do tell me what you want~”
Thoma looked at him in surprise. He never took him for the type to be playful.
Thoma looked down, thinking about his proposition.
“Could…you perhaps kill…or seal a god for me?” he shyly asked.
Ayato looks at him before shaking his head sullenly. “I’m sorry but I cannot. As I told you, the only things I can fulfill are those within my power” he explained “Even if I wanted to…I’m no match for any god at the moment…to be honest….I’m more like an Adeptus from Liyue or a Youkai than a real god….” he admitted, his expression sad “I’m…weak…”
Thoma lets out a sigh “To be honest I did expect that…”
Silence fills the room as Thoma feels tears prickle his eyes. That’s when he felt hesitant hands wrap around his waist as Ayato caressed his face.
“Don’t cry, okay mor-...I mean Thoma,” he said, his voice as soft as the breeze. Even with scales, his hands felt warm and soft to his cheeks.
The realization made Thoma even more flustered.
Why…was the god so…pretty?
“...if that can’t be your wish…can you place me and my settlement….under your protection?” Thoma asked.
Ayato had a look of surprise “What do you mean mortal…I mean Thoma?”
Thoma gulped “Well….I’m not actually a merchant….we are Mondtsadtians who didn’t make it when our god Decarabian created a storm barrier….” his grip on the god’s clothes tightened “We are technically traitors to Mondtsadt and Liyueans will think of us as spies……we technically are left with no one to keep us safe…”
Ayato gave him a look of concern “Are…you sure about this?” His fingers trailed his cheeks, it made Thoma’s faces heat up even harder. “After all…I am a weak deity. At most I can keep away spirits and lead…but I cannot fight someone like Osial…or Morax.”
“I know…but what other choice do we have?”
Ayato thinks for a moment when an idea struck him.
He takes the pearl out again and placed it into the blond’s hands.
“Well…I have an idea to make sure the village stays safe” Ayato’s violet eyes glimmered against the pearl’s light “But it would require me to do something….unorthodox…”
“What…kind of unorthodox?”
To his surprise, Ayato took his hands and placed a kiss on it “Thoma, would you like to become my first familiar? My first coral vassal?”
My…first familiar
Thoma almost wanted to hit himself.
Stop being a flustered mess over the god!
“What…is a coral vassal?”
“Child of man, I am the god of corals. By embuing you with my power, not only can you protect your settlement but you can also gain some abilities normal vision bearers do not have…..however…that would mean you will have to serve me until you are killed by another…or I let you go…”
Thoma felt a sense of dread fill him. He would be bound to this unknown god forevermore if he agrees and he would be able to protect the people he cared about.
But he would outlive everyone around him….
But looking at his neighbors work so hard outside, their homes and lives mere sticks in the great fire of the gods….the sight made him relent.
“......I will…:
“Then…let this pearl witness our oath and seal our fate”
The pearl glowed again but now, coral-like lights grew from it. Wait…it didn’t grow on the pearl…it grew on him.
Growing all over him arms and legs and as soon as Ayato placed it back into his sleeve, they disappeared.
“You are my first familiar now,” Ayato says, looking tired.
Thoma felt his heart beat faster as his arms surround Ayato- now his god he guesses- protectively. “I guess so…my lord?”
That’s when Ayato grinned. A slight blush blessed his pale cheeks and he tilted his head as he smiled a cute little smile.
Why…is this god so adorable?
As his god continues to heal, there were few observations he had made.
Ayato looked gentle but he was mischievous. There wasn’t a day when he would not tease him or some of the kids in the little village, and he sometimes would play with the children when he was strong enough. He was a born leader too (not that he was surprised), helping the community prosper even more than Thoma could ever achieve.
But even so, sometimes he catches sight of him looking into the distance, clutching the Oathsworn eye. Whenever that happens, Thoma felt it was his duty to take him into his arms and run his fingers through his hair.
Or even kiss him on the forehead…..Why….does he want to protect this god so much?
Eventually, they could not hide the fact he was a god for long.
The elders rebelled against the notion, finding little hope in the gods now while the younger generations wished to join him as Coral Servants.
Ayato obliged but he knew from his eyes, he didn’t want to.
“After all…I am a weak deity.”
That was something proven much later.
A snake fled across the sea, the sounds of gods fighting ringing in the background.
Thoma and a few of the coral servants that were left clung tightly to his scales as they watched what once was their little village burn into ash and smoke in the background.
A god managed to find their home and pillaged it, planning to conquer more land for their own people.
Ayato was silent as he slithered against the waves but he could feel pain radiate from him.
They could all feel pain radiate from him, their familiar bond shaking as the tides started to crash against them more violently.
Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.Weak.
Weak.
“M-my lord!’ Thoma choked out, placing his hands over his gigantic head
“C-calm down for a bit-”
His tail slashed, almost sending one of the coral servants flying.
“Ayato…please calm down” Thoma tries to reason again “You’re…going too fast for our liking…”
Ayato doesn’t respond, still running away as a storm begins to brew above them.
It takes him a few moments to realize that Ayato was crying.
Sobbing.
Just like how he found him…when his god’s first followers were killed…
“Ayato…….I take back what I said…” his hands caressed his head. Even with the scales and the rain that pounded against them, it felt warm. Like his hands…just like the day, he swore his allegiance… “Just….let it out…we’ll cling on no matter what…”
Why does he want to stop the god’s tears from falling? Why does he want to love him?
Ayato seemed to slow down but that’s when they started falling.
Falling.
And falling.
That’s when they met ice-cold water.
Thoma gasps, swimming up into the surface.
Darkness surrounded all of them as the only light source they had was their snake god’s fluorescent body.
“…are…all of you okay?” he called out to the other familiars.
5 “yes”s echoed throughout the cavern, much to his relief.
Thoma helps them go up onto the little solid ground there was before heading for his god.
Hopping over his massive tail, Thoma reached his god and shook him slightly.
“Are you okay Ayato?” he asked worried, looking at the still snake.
More to his relief, the snake dazedly raised its head and nodded.
That’s when a small gasp echoed throughout the cave.
The familiars stiffened, grabbing their weapons out just in case there was a danger to their god.
Only to find a child staring at all of them.
After hearing his story, they found out that child was of a forgotten kingdom, long abandoned by all the gods.
As they let him approach their deity, the child pleads with him to be their god.
He says corrupt politicians have been killing off his friends with the guise of a power higher than mortal hands can handle.
The snake looked opposed originally but his gaze softened.
Thoma looked on as Ayato and the child reached into an agreement, the Oathsworn pearl glowing brightly again.
While the other familiars looked on with proud expressions, Thoma could only feel an ill sense of foreboding wash upon him.
Why can’t Celestia just leave them alone?
Why did Ayato have to be a god….fated to fight to the death with his own people?
That’s when he saw Ayato fight.
That was the first time he saw him fight like that.
Whatever “weak god” thing he once described himself felt like a lie now as he fought alongside him on the battlefield against the Dragonheirs.
His blade was merciless, his scales impenetrable. Water surrounded him and shifted at his command like he was a musician making music. A painter in the midst of creating a masterpiece out of blood and water.
He was powerful at the worship of the Enkanomiyans as their “Orobaxi”, his very presence like the Dainichi Mikoshi.
Even more to Thoma. He was like the real sun, his light gentle yet harsh to those who oppose him; constantly pulling him into his world.
But why does the feeling in his gut still rage on? As if something was wrong?
“Thoma, my first familiar” he once called out to him.
He was sitting at the top of Helios, looking down at the Enkanomiyans prepare for departure.
For some reason, his god got the notion to finally get them up to the surface. Why? He never said.
But maybe he will now, as Thoma knelt in front of him.
Ayato lets out a laugh at his action “How much do I have to tell you, Thoma? You don’t have to do that anymore with how long we’ve been together.” he giggles. He was really beautiful when he laughs. His eyes close and his smile grows wide. His shoulders shook with joy and he would clutch his stomach as he released a burst of high pitch laughter that made Thoma’s spine shiver.
Ayato smiles at him again “What’s got your tongue held, Thoma? You are staring.”
Thoma flushed at his god’s attention “Nothing, my lord!”
Ayato laughs again, much to Thoma’s further flustered mess “Even now you won’t tell me why you always stare at me?
Thoma crosses his arms “You’re keeping your reason to why you are moving Enkanomiyans….uh..I mean Watatsumi-Islanders to the surface” he chastised “So at least let me keep this secret…”
At that, Ayato’s face darkened. “I see…” he then patted the spot next to him.
Thoma raised an eyebrow but he followed, sitting down next to his master.
“Look at them Thoma,” he said, a bit of fondness in his voice as he stared at the Enkanomiyans laughing in one final feast in their little underworld “They are thriving, they are no longer afraid to fight against this world’s fate.” Thoma could almost see his eyes glisten “Isn’t it heartwarming?”
At that Thoma felt his stomach twist “But….should we really fight against the ‘world’s fate’ as you say?” He asked shyly.
Ayato stares at him, his expression was curious. He was already beautiful but he glowed even more under the Helios. Golden light reflected in his eyes, his blue hair swaying slightly in the little breeze of the underground world. Coral butterflies surrounded his master, making him look as if he were a god….well he is a god.
“Hmmm, that is the question…” he stared down at the tiny forms of his people and vassals again “Say…Thoma…if someone requested you to die for someone you love….
“Would you do it?”
Thoma looked at him in confusion at the question. “Of course Ayato, I would even sacrifice my life if it means you can live on,” he says determinedly.
Ayato laughs again… but why does it feel so forced?
“Truly? What if I didn’t want you to die for me?” Ayato asked playfully. But his eyes…his amethyst eyes…why does it feel so sad?
Thoma’s gut feeling resurged but he answered. “Well too bad, I’m dying for you either way.”
Ayato shook his head in endearment “You are a strange human Thoma” he chuckles, his hands clutching Thoma’s.
His warm hands…so smooth…..so soft
“Say…Thoma” Ayato lays his head on Thoma’s shoulders. He looked at the vassal, his eyes half-lidded “Will you protect my Watatsumi-”
“Of course, I will!”
“Baka!” he hits him on the head “Let me finish. My question is…” his grip on Thoma’s hand tightened “Will you defend Watatsumi….even when I’m long gone?”
The sense of dread started to swallow him whole. “What’s wrong, my lord?.... Why are you asking me so much of these questions-”
“Thoma” he lifted his head from his shoulder to look at him properly. His glare was filled with annoyance …but there was something else…. desperateness. “Answer my question.”
Thoma felt his tongue dry.
Something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
Thoma looked down and brushed his lips on his master’s knuckles “Of course my lord…..
“I will protect something you care about…until the end of my life…”
“Do…you swear it?” his voice was calm but he can hear its slight tremor. The way his face paled. The way his hands shook. “Do you swear it….on the Oathsworn eye?”
Thoma kissed his hand again “My lord…I don’t even need a pearl to proclaim my pledge…
“I will protect you and your legacy until my dying breaths…even if it means becoming the villain…”
.
.
.
.
.
.
A storm was approaching as Thoma ran across the battlefield, his eyes squinting as he tried to find him.
Him with hair as silver as a blue moon, his skin was that of a china cup Liyueans always used and when he did open his eyes, his eyes were that of Amethysts or the twilight that tore across the sky at the end of the day.
The dread was like an incoming tide to him, an inevitable drop into oblivion but he kept running.
He can’t possibly be planning to-
But those sad eyes, the way he clung to him, the way he asked those questions.
“After all…I am a weak deity.”
Weak. Weak. Weak.Weak.Weak. Weak. Weak.Weak. Weak. Weak. Weak.Weak. Weak. Weak. Weak.Weak.Weak. Weak. Weak.Weak. Weak. Weak. Weak.Weak. Weak. Weak. Weak.Weak.
Thoma catches sight of him.
He…wasn’t in his snake form…
Why wasn’t he in his snake form?
Why wasn’t he fighting against the goddess that lifted her polearm, the electrifying energy from it even making him shiver?
That’s when it all clicks.
“If someone requested you to die for someone you love….would you do it?”
Before he can even scream, a blinding light erupted into a massive explosion.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The red doesn't suit him.
Rain poured around him, thunder and lightning clashing. Screams from invisible soldiers rang across the fields but he cannot hear them. His brain refuses to interpret them.
Instead, his senses are intuned to him.
The way red clashed with his white kimono. The way red slowly crept up his blue hair. The way red spots covered his pale skin as if it was paint spilled by an unruly toddler.
The way his amethyst eyes are dull in the light.
The way his warm hands, soft even with the scales were bent up in the wrong places, along with his legs.
A cold polearm suddenly grazed his neck.
“A familiar of Orobaxi, are you not?” the goddess says, the wind making her purple hair flow around her.
But it cannot compare to his hair, the way it flowed in the breeze when he first met him, the way it flowed when they fled, and then the way it looked so alive at the top of Dainichi Mikoshi.
He felt so alive.
He has to be-
“What…did you do to…Ayato?” he panted, his eyes still on his reddened form. “Wake…him up….”
“‘Ayato?’” the goddess seemed unsure “You mean ‘Orobaxi?’”
“His…name…is Ayato…..”
“What, vassal?”
“I.SAID.HIS.NAME.IS.AYATO.”
Thoma unleashed a pyro attack at the goddess but the rain vaporized it before he could hit her.
The goddess’ face hardened as she raised her polearm again when someone called out to her, bringing a body of a black-haired man.
A tengu, Thoma deduces from the corner of his eyes.
The goddess seemed to snap out, her expression horrified.
She seemed to rush off but Thoma couldn’t see it.
His eyes were on Ayato’s chest.
It’s moving, right? He’s got to be alive right?
But as he continued to stare with bated breathe, he always knew he was gone.
He was long gone.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Thoma finds out why he did what he did a few days later.
The Sangonomiya clan head came to him one night in his quarters, holding a piece of the pendant Ayato gave to him. Or Orobaxi to her.
She tells him that the god was sentenced to his death…as a form of a sacrifice.....
“If someone requested you to die for someone you love….would you do it?”
His precious Watatsumi not only lost its protector deity but was also forced to become a part of Inazuma.
An autonomous region, to be specific but Thoma can’t even begin to comprehend it. Even if he did, it’s not like he can attack them.
He promised.
“Will you defend Watatsumi….even when I’m long gone?”
They can’t even mourn for their god properly.
As part of the treaty, Inazuma will have the right to use the resources the lingering power their god produces for weapons….His power was used as power storage.
Not even the Watatsumi Islanders are safe from this practice. They descend back to Enkanomiya just to sacrifice a part of his life force. They sacrifice him…over and over again.
“I will protect something you care about…until the end of my life…”
Thoma descends back to Yashiori.
A snake’s skull sat there but he ignores it, delving deeper into the cavern’s depths
It wasn’t the body of his god he was looking for right now. It was his realm of consciousness.
As he descended into the lowest floor of the cavern, a glowing light-blue greeted him.
“Here, you are,” he said softly, as he approached the light.
The dark cavern slowly faded away and was replaced with a palace, the scent of red lotuses and camellias heavy in the air.
Thoma made his way up the palace steps and entered the mausoleum.
“Hello, my lord,” he whispers to the man lying on the water-filled platform, Dendrobrums blooming around him.
Not to his surprise, the man stayed unperturbed in his eternal slumber.
Thoma sat down next to the platform, bringing out his master’s old sword.
He told him about Watatsumi and how it was faring. He told him about how his beloved vassals were starting to die down without his guidance and now they were planning to make the last generation of vassals go on an expedition to communicate with the Dragonheirs as he always wanted. He apologizes again for failing to protect him….and for not being able to let go of his consciousness when he was struck down by the goddess.
By the time he was done babbling, Ayato still looked lifeless.
To be honest, he was used to it by now.
His grip on Ayato’s sword tightened as dendrobium started to emerge after him.
“Defy the world’s fate”
No amount of defying his master’s last request of him can kill him.
He stabs the sword into his stomach only to watch it heal over.
Frowning, he tries again. And again.
The Dendrobiums under him grew, spreading across the water-filled tiles.
Soon, the whole room was a garden except for Ayato’s coffin.
He sighs in frustration, tossing away the bloodied sword away.
The vassal looked down at his lord before leaning forward, placing a kiss on Ayato's forehead.
"So at least let me keep this secret…”
"My secret is I love you. I've always loved you."
Why can’t Celestia just leave them alone?
Why did Ayato have to be a god….fated to fight to the death with his own people?
Thoma carefully lifts one of his master's hands from its folded position, running his cold and clammy fingers through his hair and down his cheeks.
Flowers started to grow wilder, the dendrobium growing redder but he did not care.
If he imagines it enough, his dead god’s caress almost felt real.
He was the first of his servants, the one to have found him.