Chapter Text
After thousands of years, Whalefall City holds the Sea God’s ceremony once more. When the sun rises, it illuminates the pinks and purples of the coral creeping up the temple pillars. Gold plating glints along white stone columns, glowing in the cerulean of the ocean, and the crowd erupts in cheers.
The Sea God is here.
His face is adorned with glitter, long purple hair flowing behind him as a majestic creature – a whale with bird’s wings – carries him to the arch at the entrance of the square. He’s waving to his devout followers, yet his eyes are only on the human waiting for him, draped in pure white. The most devout of followers.
His groom.
After he disembarks the sacred beast with a flick of his glimmering turquoise tail, the Sea God carefully reaches out to lift the veil of his beloved. His eyes, a melding of blue, purple, and pink, smile faintly, as if he’s been waiting for this moment. Interlacing their fingers is second nature, and the crowd parts immediately to clear the path.
They slowly swim to the temple steps, gliding effortlessly in the water. Each attendee murmurs their blessings in Lemurian, tossing gorgeous coral branches behind them as they approach the temple’s doors.
This is it. The Sea God will take his devout follower’s heart, as he is meant to. The Deep Sea will be satisfied by the sacrifice of his beloved. And Lemuria, it will be saved.
In moments, they’re gone.
˖°࿔⋆ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ༄.°
…No one knows what happened that day.
Lemuria was plunged into endless darkness. Panic seeped into every part of the ocean.
The Deep Sea was angry. In its wrath, waves slammed against the cliffs and rocks fell into the waters from precarious heights.
It was a long time before the Sea God left the temple alone, bringing light back to Lemuria. As he passed the gates, the alcove that once held the Eternal Flame collapsed. The Sea God’s follower – his groom – was gone.
Bathed in sparks and cinders, the Sea God held a small, pulsing flame which writhed like a newborn. Some said that the flame was born from the purest faith. Others said that the Sea God had indeed sacrificed his lover to save Lemuria.
Different stories, some true, some not, circulated until people gradually forgot about the ceremony. It was only many, many years later, after the Sea God had perished, that a rumor began to circulate Lemuria.
The God of the Sea had lied to the Deep Sea for his beloved.