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Ash wasn’t fond of sleeping. They couldn’t understand why their little flower wanted them to like it. They tried when she asked, but otherwise didn’t sleep. That was the first oddity they noticed. They sat up gasping as though waking from one of the things Delphia called nightmares. Their heart was racing and they felt wrong in general.
Slowly they climbed to their feet trying to remember what they had been doing. It was hard, their head felt full and the world was off. They decided to try rubbing their eyes, Delphia did that sometimes she said it helped her see things. Ash took in the world around them as they pulled their hands away. Trees that looked endless and flowers they could barely comprehend surrounded them.
Ash started to explore. This place could be dangerous, they had to find Delphia. If things looked like this to them it had to be worse for her. They were making their way slowly, calling out to the plants each step. No responses. They decided to try actually speaking, but their voice didn’t work. This whole situation was filling them with dread.
“Oh no!” they heard. They turned expecting to find Luna behind them based on how loud he was. Instead they saw Luna far too large and towering over the place they’d been moments before. “Sola, the human is gone!”
Ash covered their ears. The shout was too loud. Sola came bounding in, her steps causing Ash to stumble slightly. They looked up at her in shock. She knows if humans are around they shouldn’t be using their weight in steps at all. Ash was the only one who couldn’t stop it at all. Sola was excited when she learned how.
“What?” she yelled. Her voice was so much worse than Luna’s. They stumbled away from the twin gods. They should feel safe to go to the two, but like this it was hard. “It can’t be far right? We should just look around to find it.”
Sola took one step and that one step sent Ash running. It was almost on them, she didn’t seem aware of the danger she posed to someone small at all. They had to find the human the two were talking about before they got hurt. They’d deal with her calling the human it later. They tried to run farther, but a loud gasp had them freeze.
“There it is Sola,” Luna sounded more excited than the times a new star formed. “You almost killed it. We would have been in so much trouble.” Luna’s eyes locked on Ash’s small form, the look causing a dread they’d never felt before. “It’s ok, you can come back. We don’t want to hurt you.”
Something in the eyes of the twin gods left Ash horrified. They were good natured, but naive. It wasn’t impossible for the two to be bringing humans here, but they’d know. The plants… they weren’t talking and this was the realm of the gods. They placed a hand against one, desperate for a whisper receiving nothing. They jumped as knees landed in front of them.
“Oh come here,” Sola said. Her voice was still too loud. Luna usually scolded her, why wasn’t he scolding her.
Her huge hands, that normally seemed so small, were coming towards them. Ash’s body moved on its own. They just barely ducked under her fingers and managed to run. Something was wrong with the twins and it had to do with how they got here. They were positive.
“Wait!” the two shouted. Ash swore their ears were going to bleed from the noise. They didn’t stop moving, they weren’t sure they could. Something else had taken over their movements, it wasn’t them in control anymore.
“Sola, we are gonna need help,” Luna’s morose words sent a shiver down their spine. They didn’t want to see the help they’d get. Sola and Luna were huge, just how big are the others? An image of Lady Death and Lord Life flit through their mind spurring them on. They had to find out why they couldn’t hear the voices of nature so they could fix this.
Sola whined behind them, but the twin gods left. Ash took a moment to catch their breath. Taking calmer steps through the garden that was becoming somewhat recognizable despite the size. They’d painstakingly catered to every plant in this place, they knew the best places to hide. At least they thought they did until a plant that they never allowed in the garden nearly snapped them up.
Ash fell back as the Venus Fly Trap snapped shut inches in front of them. They never grew carnivorous plants in the garden, it wasn’t safe for Delphia. Sola and Luna didn’t even know about them. A shiver ran through them as the plant returned to its waiting state. They gave it a wide berth, looking for anything they knew was safe.
“It came in when we were looking at the trees again. We tried to catch it, but it ran off on its own,” Sola’s voice came from somewhere else. They were getting more bothered by how the two talked. They couldn’t remember a single time the two called humans ‘it’ until today.
“We almost caught it, but it went in deeper. We didn’t want to step on it by accident,” Luna’s sincerity hurt too. There was something in the story that felt wrong. Ash coming here on their own, they had woken up here in a spot that seemed like a bed.
“I know very well you two have been bringing humans here,” a new voice said. It terrified Ash to their core. Deep and thundering, they’d never heard anyone who sounds like that. “If the human is dead I will be telling the Lord and Lady what the two of you have been doing.”
“No Ash please!” Sola begged. Ash froze, they can’t be with Sola and Luna. They were apparently the human being hunted.
“They’ll kill us…” Luna whimpered. Lord Life and Lady Death wouldn’t kill any of them for something like this. It’s wrong, but they would lock them down.
“So be it, you shouldn’t have been messing with humans. You know what happened last time,” the other Ash’s words held pain. They would be curious and approach them if the thought wasn’t horrifying.
Ash had to move, to find a better place to hide. They had to get to the bottom of this. They had to fix this. The world shook with more force than they’d ever thought possible. They were thrown off their feet and onto their back. All they could do was stare in horror as a dark figure came into their view. The figure was almost twice as big as Sola and Luna. They couldn’t bring themself to move.
“Leave,” the other Ash barked. They heard quiet murmurs from the twins before the only one around was apparently themself. “Human, I don’t want to play games. If you come out it will make this easier for everyone.”
It sounded like a threat. Their body was acting again, climbing to their feet and running. They heard a sigh from far above them before footsteps started up again. Each step coming towards them knocked them off their feet. There was no way to escape this fake version of themself, but they had to keep trying.
“Catch it,” the other one sighed. Their words made the real Ash’s blood run cold. Who was being caught and by what?
Their questions were answered in the worst way possible. Roots and vines shot out catching them in the middle of a jump. They couldn’t move or hope to get away. Each step from the fake made the vines and roots holding them bounce. There’s no way this is how their steps were. There was no way they sounded this terrifying.
A shadow fell over them. They tried to tilt their head up, but that made it worse. Their own eyes stared down at them with an unreadable expression. They wanted to speak, at least ask if their flower was alright. Sola and Luna acting so oddly plus a fake them could have her in more danger than ever before. There was a sigh from above and the smell of rain filled their senses. The air that blew past them was cold and warm almost all at once.
“You humans should just stop acting so foolish,” the fake said. A hand with fingers at least twice Ash’s height came close. They tried to fight, but the plants kept them trapped. Fingers pinched them and pulled them up as the safe harness of plantlife withdrew. “Now clearly the two shouldn’t have grabbed you. They are hopeless.”
“H-hopeless?” a voice said. It didn’t sound like their own, but they may not know their own voice as well as they thought. An intimidating smile graced the fake version’s face.
“Yes, hopeless. Don’t worry, most humans they take are handled quickly.”
Ash wanted to ask what handled meant. The voice they heard didn’t stutter out a question though. Instead they were put through the awful feeling of their stomach falling as their fake stood. They were dropped on an open palm and left to stare up at themself. The face was stern and held an intense gaze. It felt like their fake was livid to be dealing with this.
“I should take you to Lord Life and Lady Death, ensure that your death date wasn’t mishandled from the twins,” the thunderous voice made Ash’s body shudder. It was horrifying to hear up close. They knew the fake was speaking quietly, the fact making it worse. “I believe based on your escape attempt the two grabbed you while you were merely asleep or resting.”
Ash almost panicked as their fake brought them closer. Seeing their own face like this made them wonder how Delphia ever trusted them. A stern gaze, sharp features, and a voice that resonated in their bones. They were terrifying. The fake decided to start walking, quickly pulling their hand down. Fingers covered them making them feel trapped. Their body reacted with a primal fear, banging against the fingers coupling it with a harsh scream.
Every step the fake took made its way to the hand Ash was trapped in. It was almost as bad as the voice up close. They couldn’t process everything as it was happening. Sola and Luna’s words were drowned out by the steps. The words their own voice replied were too overwhelming. They did make out the sad moans of the twins. It seems they were claimed by the fake.
It wasn’t as bad as they thought it would be though. The feeling was awful, but manageable after a time. It got bad when the fingers tightened and the world shifted. They couldn’t breathe, the pain almost unbelievable. The fake was going to crush them. They just wanted to wake up from this, but Delphia said dreams don’t let you feel pain. That meant this was a reality. That meant something was horribly wrong.
“Lord life,” the fake said. They sounded almost afraid. That didn’t add up. The Lord and Lady could be intimidating, but they were kind.
“What did the two need from you?” Lord Life’s voice was cold. He’d always sounded kinder than this. Ash didn’t want to picture the look on his face.
“They thought a human had gotten in while checking on the mortal sky. They were worried one of the plants might hurt it.”
“I see, and was it a human?” Ash shivered, there was the sound of a threat in those words. They didn’t want to consider what that meant.
“No, it was an animal that had unfortunately met one of the plants. I intend to make sure they check away from those just in case.” The fingers holding Ash tightened again just slightly. The pain was almost unbearable as they tried to keep quiet.
“Good. I will tell you now Ash, if they bring a human here and you hide that from us, all three of you will face the consequences.” Ash held their breath, terrified of what that meant.
“Y-yes Lord, I am aware of the rules regarding mortals.”
Their fake remained silent, but Ash could feel the steps as Lord Life left. The rules regarding mortals weren’t strict. They only existed to try and keep them from going overboard. Of course the old gods and how they acted was the biggest reasoning, but they weren’t threatening. This was nothing like the Lord Life they knew and it shook them to their core.
Their captor began to move again, but the grip remained tight. A part of them wanted to try to get free, but the idea of what Lord Life or Lady Death might do kept them still. The one holding them didn’t seem to care about their comfort. A large slam that sounded chillingly familiar occurred. The fake holding them had gone to their room. Finally the hand was moving again and they were freed from the pressure. They hadn’t expected the gasping breaths from themself that followed.
“Had you been struggling to breathe?” The thunderous voice asked. The look on the other’s face seemed angry. They had been the one holding Ash, they shouldn’t be angry it made it hard to breathe. Although Ash hadn’t felt the struggle that their body had. “This will be over soon, little one.”
Ash felt more fear than they expected. The way Lord Life acted and how angry their fake looked couldn’t mean a good ending. The hand holding them moved and Ash tensed. Their fake waved their other hand opening a door to the mortal realm. Ash froze. Their fake moved forward stepping out of the gods’ realm to the mortal side. Ash chanced a look between the fingers and grimaced as the world responded.
The one holding them continued to walk. Ash watched as animals fled and the trees shook. Each step seemed like an earthquake to the comparatively small world. As a town came into view Ash felt sick. They watched as the small forms of humans started to scatter from where they’d been gathered. They weren’t able to get far as their fake’s steps continued to cause tremors.
As the town grew covered in the fake’s shadow, the humans stopped fleeing. They all seemed to watch as the body Ash usually inhabited stopped. Their fake took a moment to just stare down at the crowd. They couldn’t imagine what would be the reason they came so close. The one holding them started to crouch, even that seemed to cause subtle tremors. Ash’s normal form was terrifying.
The hand they were in was pulled away from the chest of their fake. Ash hadn’t even realized they were held that close. Almost fast enough to send them flying, the hand was placed on the ground. They couldn’t bring themself to move, but the hand decided to take care of it. It was tilted and they rolled off the palm, landing on the ground looking up at their own face. The look still seemed almost angry, but they decided to chance a look at their feet. Wilting flowers.
Their fake was gone in seconds, lightning covering their exit. Ash couldn’t make themself move, just continued staring at the flowers. Their fake hadn’t been intending to be frightening, they knew that the plants reacted to their emotions. They were hurt, but how could they be anything other than terrifying to humans? How had Delphia ever looked at them without fear?
“You’re back!” someone shouted.
Ash’s body moved without their will. They looked at a woman running towards them with tears in her eyes. She pulled them into a tight hug that made the pain from the tight grip ache. They sucked in a sharp breath that made the woman gasp. She pulled away, eyes shining as her tears started to fall. She grabbed their face in her hands looking in their eyes.
“I was so scared when I saw that hand grab you. I thought I’d never see you again,” she cried. Ash’s body moved again, gripping her hands in their own. They moved the hands from their face before pulling her close. “You’ve been gone for months already. The others told me to give up, but I couldn’t.”
“Months…” the voice that came from Ash’s body said. It sounded weak and confused. “I only woke up this morning. The twin gods had set me to rest yesterday. I-I was only gone a day…”
“No, love. You’ve been gone for months. We should hurry home. It looks like the gods hurt you…”
The woman ran her hands along Ash’s arms. They gasped at the bruises forming from the grip of their fake. She pulled them to their feet, but Ash didn’t go with her. They watched as whoever they apparently were walked with her continuing to discuss the harrowing experience. They were left alone and confused. They were here, but this wasn’t their life. Their Lord Life was kind and wouldn’t make them hide a human. The twins wouldn’t pull humans through blindly. Time in the gods’ realm matched the time in the mortal realm. None of this made any sense.
“Ash… Ash…” Delphia’s voice echoed in their head. They wanted to see her, to find out if they were truly that terrifying. She laughed and it made them feel safer despite their predicament. “Come on Ash, I thought I was reading to you today…”
They felt small hands on their face. They wanted to reach for her, but they couldn’t see her. Ash closed their eyes embracing the small solace of their flower. When they opened them again she was in front of them, a smile on her face. They were convinced she couldn’t be real, the calm smile and bit of laughter just their imagination. They carefully brought a hand close, flinching as they saw for what felt like the first time just how small she was. Her face changed, her calm smile slipping to a frown of worry.
“Ash, what’s wrong? I know you don’t usually sleep, but it’s not a big deal if you do it sometimes.”
“I was-” they tried. They stopped as the words left, the memories of their own loud voice keeping them silent. She was so close, she could be hurt by them. It was too easy to hurt her.
“Did you have a nightmare? You can tell me, I’m the one who actually needs to sleep, remember…” The hurt on her face was awful. They wanted to tell her, but how could they speak when she was there. They weren’t even this close and it had hurt them. They must be torturing her each time she’s near.
“I can’t.”
She frowned, coming even closer to them. She must be forcing herself, afraid of the alternative. Her small hands stayed against their face as she closed the distance. Soon they felt her pressed against them offering a hug to calm them. She should be terrified of them. They were slowly convincing themself to just disappear.
“It must have been awful. You’re crying. You can talk to me Ash, I love you I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered. She was sincere and kind. She had been through so much in her life and they wanted to protect her from any more pain. They wanted to pick her up and hold her close. They wanted her to trust them.
“I’m terrifying,” they said.
It had slipped out, their eyes widening as she reacted. The comforting presence leaving them. She should leave, they were something awful. They could do so much. They waited to see her leaving, but instead she stood with her hands on her hips in their line of sight. She’d asked for something from the garden to lift her. She slipped off it, coming to rest against their nose. Feeling her sitting on their face felt odd, but in ways that made them want to have her even closer.
“You can be. So can Alessia, Rhys, Felix, Ryder, Sola, Luna, Vitus, Dabria, and Fate. That’s just part of being what you are,” she said. They tried not to react, she was right. They’re a god and the gods are much bigger than mortals and terrifying to them.
“Yes, of course.” They didn’t want to hear how terrifying she felt they were. It was bad enough to experience it themself. She placed her hands down on their face, clearly not intending to leave this here.
“You aren’t terrifying though.”
“What?” They spoke louder than they meant. They wanted to leave, to just be away from their flower. They made the world shake with each step, their voice was painfully loud, they seemed like a walking storm.
“You’re kind, taking each step slowly to avoid causing too much for the animals in the mortal realm. You keep your voice quiet and sound like a storm that’s still far off. You don’t try to loom over me or anyone else for that matter. You aren’t terrifying.”
They slowly brought their hand up to her. She didn’t even flinch as their fingers pinched her sides to lift her up. She seemed too calm as they did it. They sat up, careful not to hurt her or move her too much as they did. Once upright they place her on their palm, overwhelmed by how small she was. They were so much just existing near her.
“My flower…” They started. They had to speak, to tell her she could leave and it would be fine. She doesn’t have to stay with them. “You can be honest about how I am. Every step I take when I’m not hidden is like an earthquake. Each word is worse than thunder. Then I…”
They couldn’t imagine if they ever held her like they experienced. Gently they moved their fingers to surround her. They just wanted to show what they could see now. It wasn’t something odd for the humans that had seen them to be scared. Delphia’s fear and accusations from the past felt more justified now.
She put her hands on the fingers surrounding her. The small pressure was a relief to them at that moment. They assumed they’d receive her words of anger and she’d demand to leave. Instead they felt her small, slender arms wrap around a finger as best they could. She pressed her full weight into them and they smiled despite their pain. She was awe inspiring.
“You’re being foolish Ash. When I didn’t know you weren’t the same god from the stories you were terrifying. You didn’t hurt me, you just tried to make sure I was safe. Your voice is loud, but it’s not painful. It’s reassuring, I could hear you over a storm.”
“But-”
“I’m not done.” They pulled her up to their face. They straightened their fingers so they could see her clearly. She stood up and glared at them. “The first time I felt your footsteps I thought it was an earthquake, but then it was you. You saw what happened and now you step as lightly as possible. You take slow measured steps and don’t cause the same tremors. Even if you put your full weight into each step I wouldn’t be scared. I always know it’s you coming and I get happy. I know I’m safe even if something does go wrong.”
“Flow-”
“Not done.” She took a step forward on their palm. Getting closer to their face. “You can be like a storm rolling in and I like that. I like knowing it’s you coming. If I knew you were kind like this and that was all I wouldn’t be afraid of the storm that’s you. Besides, plenty of humans enjoy thunderstorms.”
She took another step and planted her hands on their face. It was such a small pressure, but it felt like she could crush them. She glared into their eyes, taking time for each one. They couldn’t believe she was like this. She was more brave than Ash could ever be. They loved her so much.
“Then what you didn’t say. I don’t care how big you are. I fell in love with you Ash, the deity of nature. That means your world shaking steps, your voice that’s like thunder, your breath that smells like rain, and being so big I'm not even the size of one of your fingers. I don’t know what happened in your nightmare, but I can promise you that to me you’re the farthest thing from terrifying.”
Ash pulled her close, pressing her against their face. They could hear her laugh and feel as she got comfortable under their hand. She was so small and they were huge and terrifying. They could feel how soft her hair is, the cool touch of her skin, the small resistance as she breathed against them. They jumped as a wet feeling hit their cheek.
“Little flower,” they whispered. The feeling of those huge fingers were in their mind again. “Did I…”
“Ash, you’re amazing and I’m lucky that you love me like I love you.”
“I think I’m lucky you’re here with us at all, my flower.”
“By the way Ash, why were you here in a field that smells kind of like poppies?”
“I was making new flowers… I think.” She laughed again, the sound angelic to them now.
“If you didn’t know it can cause sleep, you might want to be more careful since you don’t like it. Especially with how potent the plants here can be.”