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The chilly early morning air brushed against Aventurine’s skin. The sun hasn’t risen yet and he can still see the stars in the sky. A few years ago this sight would have reminded him of happy memories, but now it is only a reminder of how lonely he is. No longer does he watch the sunrise with his beloved instead sits here in silence waiting for his dawn.
After Veritas died several years ago due to old age, he was left alone. Well alone is an understatement as he still has his three kids with him. He loves his children dearly, but their presence can’t fill the void that was once the Veritas Ratio.
Sometimes he wonders why he didn’t follow his dear Veritas, but he is constantly reminded of the promise he made with him. He promised to live the rest of his life until he died of old age. Originally he only made this promise because he believed that he would die young. Even with Vertias’s treatment and newly formed healthy habits, he knows that his body is a wreck and figured that would be his demise. Selfish as the thought might be, he truly didn’t want to be alone, to live in a world without his precious dawn. But of course, life was never fair to him as he watched Veritas die in his arms while his body had become old and frail. Perhaps it was karma for making that promise with the wrong intentions.
“Papa, what are you doing out here? It’s so cold out, you could get sick,” a woman with deep purple hair and pink-blue eyes tells him.
“Gaia’s right for once, you’re body isn’t as strong as it once was. Please don’t go around treating it so recklessly,” a man with blonde hair and blazing red eyes like his beloved speaks up.
“Aurel, what the hell does that mean?” Gaia said indignantly.
“Guys, don’t argue in front of Papa,” retorted a man who is the spitting image of Veritas.
“Hahaha, I’m fine you don’t need to worry so much. I simply… simply wanted to watch the dawn,” he said turning away from his children to look at the sky.
As the sky started to turn brighter, Aventurine could feel his own energy give way. Although he only stayed outside for no more than two hours his body groaned in defiance willing him to return to a bed. But he didn’t want to, something about today would be different and he wasn’t about to spoil it.
Trying to distract himself from his growing weariness he calls to his children, “Gaia, Aural, Cyrus come here I want to do one last thing with you three.”
As if sensing something was wrong, his three children wordlessly surrounded him.
“Come let us put our palms together,” he said, motioning his children to follow along. The positioning is quite awkward considering that there were four of them rather than just two, but they made it work
Seeing all of his children in position he began to pray, “May the Mother Goddess thrice close her eyes for you, keeping your blood eternally pulsing. May your journey be forever peaceful and your schemes forever concealed.”
“Papa…” Cyrus called out, worry in his voice.
Suddenly everything began to fade as Aventurine started remembering all of the good and bad memories he and Veritas went through. Their first encounter, their first mission together, the first time they confessed to each other, the family that they made, and Veritas’s final breath. All of it came rushing back to him as a strange calm flowed over him.
He knew that this was the end, that he was finally returning to them. Returning to Mama, Papa, and Big Sister. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered the sound of yelling and crying but couldn’t pinpoint it. He was simply tired, tired of fighting against fate wanting to finally fall into death’s grace.
Just as the sun was breaking the horizon, Aventurine saw it. He saw his beloved standing in front of him with the backdrop of the dawn behind him.
“Come on dear it is time to go,” Veritas said to him, looking as beautiful as he did in his memories.
“Yes, let us go,” Aventurine replied smiling.
Aventurine of Strategem: Death Certificate
Death Date: XX/XX/XXXX
Cause of Death: Old Age
Note: According to his children, he died with a smile under the lights of a new dawn. He will now be buried next to his husband where the dawn can always reach them.