Chapter Text
The next predecessors of the Sun and Moon Goddesses are born at the same time, during the fall of a planet, and develop throughout the dawn of the next.
They recognize their place in this universe, instilled with purpose from the moment they were born. They grew rapidly into their roles, had moments where they both hated and loved the prospect of the position, but were always honored nonetheless.
The Sun is a beacon of light, a source of unending energy and passion. She shines with the brilliance of fire, and while she may be intense at times, and occasionally may burn you, her whole existence is meant to bring happiness and warmth to all living creatures of this earth.
The Moon is a quiet source of serenity and comfort. She is a guiding light in the darkest of nights, giving hope to all those who wander in the shadows. Even when stars are absent, she makes her presence known. She lights up the sky in the absence of the sun, but relies on the sun for her own light.
The Moon fell first.
Has probably been in love with the Sun since her being was given the responsibility of the Moon. Since her existence was intrinsically tied to that of the Sun.
The Moon has always admired the Sun, who shone so brightly that she always wondered if she would ever burn out herself. From the other side of the world, the Moon would watch longingly and a little worriedly.
Did the Sun know how beautiful she was?
Did the Sun understand how powerful she was?
Did the Sun realize that without her, the Moon would be lost?
The Goddess of the Moon is named Momo. She took her role very seriously. Momo watched over those who couldn’t sleep, those who used the cover of night to get to safety, and especially those who were lonely like herself.
As much as she admired the Sun, she was also jealous. The Sun saw so many of the earth’s inhabitants. The Sun saw children play happily, families having picnics in the park, and lovers taking a stroll along a river. People were most active during the day, after all.
The Goddess of the Sun is named Jihyo. She understood her importance and never took her role for granted. She watched over mortals with much love in her eyes, ecstatic when they took time in the day to bask in her rays.
Jihyo wondered a lot about Momo, the elusive Goddess of the Moon. She wondered a lot about the nights, what people did in the hours of the evening, the intimate time spent with loved ones under the stars. She was jealous of the quiet solitude, sometimes wishing for a period of time where she could just be thoughtful and maybe even listened to, not just listen to the hustle and bustle of others.
Luckily, she would get a glance of what Momo’s domain was like in the brief moments where they could see each other in the sky.
They would always meet for approximately five minutes a day.
At first, Jihyo was polite.
In her youth, she didn’t care much for other immortal beings. And so, those five minutes were mostly spent in silence, only a curt greeting from both her and the Moon Goddess.
However, Momo’s lack of response became infuriating after a while. After all, did she not want to talk? Was the Sun Goddess so boring or uninteresting?
She did her best not to pout in the presence of the Moon.
A year or two later, Momo surprised Jihyo by suddenly asking her about her day. Ever since then, they spent their five minutes a day sharing stories of the things they saw in that cycle.
Jihyo found Momo to be quite endearing.
She found her very calming to be around, and admired her cool and refined beauty. What she liked most though, was that despite Momo’s serious appearance and ethereal presence that exuded power, she was very soft, gentle, and incredibly shy.
Though Jihyo took up most of the space in their conversations, she feels like she could listen to Momo talk about stars and nocturnal plants and animals for a very long time.
She thought at times how humans could sleep during Momo’s reign in the sky. How could they resist seeing her beauty? But then again, how could they not sleep so peacefully under Momo’s watch?
Jihyo finds peace in her watch, even though she only ever feels Momo’s gaze when she’s not looking.
It takes Momo almost 50 years to look Jihyo in the eyes for the first time. She knew the Sun Goddess was radiant, but she was scared of combusting once their eyes met.
Turns out, there was no need to worry about bursting into flames or any burns. Instead, Momo melts under Jihyo’s eyes, the direct eye contact threatening to force her to hide behind clouds.
She can’t look for longer than ten seconds, which is way too short for Jihyo’s liking. But she’s learning that she’s going to really need to be patient when it comes to Momo.
Jihyo has all the time in the world, it seems.
And although time means practically nothing with their nature, these daily five minutes were both long enough and excruciatingly short.
Still, the two treasured this time more than anything, probably more than they’d ever let each other know.
However, once every 100 years, the Goddess of Time would freeze all of existence so that all of the Goddesses could leave their responsibilities and meet for one evening of merriment. Where they could remove the title of “Goddess” and just be themselves.
Even then, with the human equivalent of eight hours of feasting and partying, the Moon and the Sun dance around each other, too scared to properly enter the other’s orbit.
This is their story.