Work Text:
“Doot doot!”
“Little Ica?!”
Hyacine stumbled forward slightly when the little pegasus bumped into her back, almost tripping over the chimeras gathered around her.
The healer was in the Garden of Life, having arrived a few minutes ago to tend to the little creatures, as she occasionally did whenever she had free time. There weren’t many people around, most having left for lunch or other activities.
She liked that it was quiet; it meant she could give the chimeras her full attention.
Or, at least, that had been the plan.
Hyacine hadn’t bet on Ica getting strangely excited.
“What is it-Ah!”
She also wasn’t prepared for him to grab her cape and tug her forward. Deciding to play along, Hyacine followed Ica to a distant corner in the Garden of Life.
To her surprise, she found that most of the chimeras had gathered around the trees there, all resting peacefully.
“Oh, what’s everyone doing here?” Hyacine asked in surprise, crouching to pet a few that looked up and greeted her. One of the chimeras, a lovely one with pale yellow fur, chirped at her and walked to the largest tree, disappearing as it turned around the corner.
Curious, Hyacine followed it.
“Oh!”
Slapping her hands over her mouth to stop more sounds from slipping out, the healer looked at the young man sleeping against the trunk of the tree.
Phainon appeared to be at peace, for once not dressed in the elaborate outfit Aglaea had designed for him. He was lacking his armor and signature coat, only donning an all-black outfit.
The yellow chimera that had led Hyacine to Phainon plopped down next to him, joining two other chimeras that were curled up near the man’s legs.
‘He looks so much younger like this,’ Hyacine thought with an internal giggle, pulling out her telestate to snap a picture. ‘And so cute!’
That was when blue eyes snapped open, pinning the young woman in place.
“Hya..cin..thia..?”
Khaslana stared up at the person in front of him, tasting ash at the back of his throat.
Regret.
In almost all the cycles of the Eternal Recurrence, the fate of the Sky demigod had stayed near consistent, leading down two paths; Hyacine had either fused herself with the mural in the Sky Castrum, or had been on the battlefield trying to save as many lives as she could.
Now that Khaslana was no longer putting one foot in front of the other in pursuit of his quest, he was able to feel the grief and guilt accumulated over all those cycles.
He remembered her final moments as both the Deliverer and the Flame Reaver.
As the Flame Reaver, though tainted by the Black Tide, Hyacine had always reached out to him, trying to heal him.
As the Deliverer, he had left her behind, having only Little Ica accompany him to the finale.
In the end, no matter what, Khaslana would always lose them both.
To see Hyacine and Little Ica now, full of life and untainted, it was a blessing.
Hyacine tilted her head to the side in confusion, Little Ica mimicking the movement, when Phainon continue to stare at her, not moving a muscle.
Also, it had been a while since Phainon had called her Hyacinthia.
‘Oh! Could it be...?’
On the day when Amphoreus was brought into reality, Phainon had told the Chrysos Heirs the truth behind their existence and the nature of the Flame Chase journey.
It also included the face hidden behind the mask of the Flame Reaver.
The only emotion Hyacine had felt on hearing that was horror .
Not for the fact that they had been nothing but data, variables in a simulation, living a lie.
But for the sheer amount of suffering the past version of Phainon had undergone.
As a healer, Hyacine had wanted to reach out, to try to help, but Phainon had shied away. He had said that the other was asleep and resting, that he too needed to come to terms with the world.
Seeing the dull sheen in usually sparkling eyes, Hyacine was certain.
“Lord...Khaslana?”
“Hyacin...thia. Ica.”
The little pegasus chirped in delight at being acknowledged and flew out from behind Hyacine, spinning in circles above Khaslana’s head.
Hyacine giggled when Khaslana blinked at the flying creature’s actions, his expression somehow conveying bemusement even though it did not change in the slightest.
“May I sit next to you?” she asked, waiting patiently as the other considered her for a moment then gave a hesitant nod. The young woman brightened at the permission and took her spot a foot away from him, having noticed that he seemed to keep his distance. “What brings you to the Garden of Life, Lord Khaslana?”
“Phainon wanted…to see…the chimeras,” Khaslana replied slowly, eyes still tracking Ica’s flight path above his head. After a minute or so of the pegasus showing no sign of stopping, he turned to look at the healer who was watching him with a smile. “What is…it?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, really! But, um, I was just wondering how you were feeling? Lord Phainon hasn’t mentioned anything, but is everything alright now?”
Khaslana blinked. “You mean…the coreflames?”
“Yes. Professor Anaxa said that his measures wouldn’t last long…”
“We…are fine. The balance has…stabilized.”
Khaslana could tell that Hyacine wasn’t sure what he meant by that, wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t know how to explain it to her. It really was simply his and Phainon’s souls finding a way to co-exist in one body.
A time would certainly come when better measures were required, but it wasn’t in the near future.
“If you say so. But if you feel off, please come to me anytime, Lord Khaslana! I’ll do my best to help,” Hyacine said with a determined look, green eyes wide and focused on the man next to her.
“…thank you.”
Silence descended upon them once more, until Hyacine mustered up the courage to say, “I’m surprised to see you, Lord Khaslana…Lord Phainon said you were resting. But Lord Mydei also mentioned that you had surfaced for a bit. Ah, but I’m happy to finally meet you!”
Khaslana merely nodded; there was nothing to be offended by.
“We were…asleep,” he admitted, eyes drifting to the chimeras surrounding the two humans. “Phainon…still is. But…I felt…something.”
A guilty expression flickered over Hyacine’s face, “Oh, that must have been me and Little Ica…we’re sorry to have disturbed you.”
“It is…nothing.”
“Doot doot!”
Ica interrupted their conversation, finally ceasing flying in circles and choosing to fall down.
Right on top of Khaslana.
Alarmed, Hyacine jolted and extended her arms to catch the animal.
To her surprise, she was beaten to it.
Little Ica chirped happily from where he was cradled in Khaslana’s arms, resting his front hooves on the man’s chest as leverage to reach up and nuzzle against the man’s face.
“Little Ica?!”
Soft .
That was the first thought that came to Khaslana’s mind when Ica’s fur brushed against his skin. He had reacted instinctively to catch him and now he had an armful of cuddly pegasus.
A flustered Hyacine scrambled to her knees, hands flailing a little as she tried to figure out if she should grab Ica or not.
The minor chaos woke the trio of chimeras that had been napping next to the humans; they perked up when they saw Ica being cradled in Khaslana’s arms.
When Phainon had initially entered the Garden of Life some time ago, the chimeras had bounded up to him, seeking the easy affection the man always gave them. But they had also noticed when his aura changed to something quieter and distant, which they had taken as their cue to surround him but not overwhelm him.
Seeing the pegasus cuddle up to the quieter version of their friend, the chimeras decided they wanted pets too.
Ica flew up to perch on Khaslana’s shoulder when the chimeras tackled the man, tumbling about in his lap as they tried to get him to pet them. When there was no reaction forthcoming, they let out sad ‘awoo’s, drooping in disappointment.
“If you’re comfortable with it, Lord Khaslana, perhaps you could try to pet them?”
“You should try petting them, Khaslana, they’re very soft!”
The words of Hyacine and Phainon, one in the physical world and one in his mind, voicing similar sentiments made Khaslana blink.
“I...”
“Doot!”
“Awoo...”
“Go on,” Phainon nudged him, exuding encouragement. “ You have gentle hands, Khaslana; it’ll be fine!”
To call his hands, which had crushed life innumerable times, gentle?
How contradictory.
Still, Khaslana slowly raised his hand, looking down into three pairs of expectant eyes. His fingers hovered over the white chimera, still hesitant.
“It’s okay, Lord Khaslana,” Hyacine murmured as she crept an inch closer, picking up Little Ica from his shoulder and nudging the chimeras closer to him with a gentle hand. “Take your time; the little ones are very patient, aren’t they?”
True to her word, the chimeras held still, still watching and waiting, bright eyes fixed on Khaslana’s face.
The first brush of his fingers against white fur felt ticklish.
“Yes...they’re very...soft.”