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These days, Phainon often finds himself avoiding mirrors. In his cozy house on the outskirts of Okhema, all of the mirrors are either covered or flipped upside down. He couldn't stand what he saw reflected on them anymore. The gold hair that reminded him of blood, the eyes that bore resemblance to Destruction, the stoic frown plastered on his face, the cracks on his broken body that appeared due to the sheer amount of Coreflames, the wings, the halo, everything. It was unbearable to think about the circumstances. Thirty-three million cycles of death, despair and agonizing pain and for what? A dawn that he'd never see? Still hasn't seen.
Irontomb was defeated, and Era Nova came true, and everyone was reborn. But with rebirth came the memories of those futile cycles for all the heirs. When Phainon first woke up after the seals were broken, he was surprised to find himself in the Twilight Courtyard with Hyacine standing over him, looking all concerned as her healing hands hovered over him. Doesn't she remember how he'd burn her alive and take the Sky Coreflame from her? If she did, then all of that was covered up by warm smiles and genuine worry for his well-being. How could she stand being near him? Even now, the Coreflames feel like a furnace burning him inside out.
Since they woke up, the rest of the Chrysos Heirs were scattered about in Okhema, but their first concern had been him, it seemed. He heard how they all came to check up on him once Irontomb fell. How a few of them carried his broken body to the courtyard. Now, though, they were helping repair the broken structures of the new Okhema. It had been a while since he'd seen most of the Heirs, and honestly, he's not sure how most of them will take the millions of cycles of—well… It's not like he's been keen on interacting with many people these days. Especially with sudden headaches he gets or how antsy he's been, Hyacine and Anaxa have explained to him that it was normal for someone with his condition. But who could possibly understand what he's been through? He was just glad neither of them was afraid of him since waking up with the memories of the past.
Quite some time after he’d first woken up, he was hit with a terrible headache, which only got worse when any of the heirs were around. Memories of them in millions of cycles would flash before his eyes–and still do. It was like his brain was working overtime to determine the past and the present–something he had a terrible time trying to determine in his first couple of days. That's what Anaxa had told him when he nearly attacked Hyacine when she came too close. The permanent wounds on his body had started to open again after Hyacine had stitched them up. Phainon had just switched to human form to make it easier on her. Apart from that, Hyacine had told him that his concentration was terrible and he could barely keep a conversation going, often having to repeat herself, and he couldn't focus on any tasks she’d set for him. Something as simple as gathering supplies would make him look like a lost puppy.
He was not like himself at all. She also told him that he was sleeping a lot in the first few weeks after waking. Phainon doesn't have much memory from that time.
When Hyacine diagnosed him with minor brain damage, things started to fall into place, and he got proper treatment. Most of the time, he opted to avoid most people, especially crowds. He barely stepped foot outside and didn’t bother to gaze out the windows either. The first time he did, though, and saw the sky for the first time, it was when the stars littered the scene above, shining brightly as they twinkled about. The colours of the newly forming Amphoreus glowed in pink, purple, blue and golden hues. Cyrene’s doing for sure. In due time, Amphroreus will become a planet born inside the nebulae and finally become real breathing beings that can exist outside of the sceptre.
In the meantime, he was ordered by Hyacine to stick to the courtyard until he progressed through his treatment. From time to time, a couple of the heirs would come visit, but he’d been seeing Mydei the most out of everyone. Sometimes he'd roam around the courtyard, even outside in the dead of night, on other occasions he'd help the healers, even if he didn't trust his hands. They’d always reassure him that his hands functioned like anyone else’s and that he was a good extra pair of them when needed.
One night, after deciding fresh air couldn't hurt, he headed outside to find it was raining. Droplets of water fell on top of him, soaking his hair and running down his face. He held his hand out to feel as the rain hit his skin. No longer was his body too numb to feel or constantly too hot to evaporate the rain, although he could dry himself at any moment. Phainon let himself feel the rain. It had been too long since rain occurred in Amphoreus, so he savoured the moment.
A puddle formed underneath him, and in the water's reflection was that body tempered with gold. The slightly longer, spiky, golden dried hair on his head, as opposed to his now rain-soaked, shorter, white hair, hardened gold eyes stared back at his soft blues and the halo that sat behind his head, the worldbearing sun. Phainon looked at this reflection and was reminded–
“-non?” A hand waved in his face.
Oh, right, he was at a check-up.
“Huh?” Phainon looked to Hyacine, who had her brows pinched in concern, but her eyes looked exhausted. Not everyone entered Era Nova unscathed...clearly. “Sorry, I spaced out a bit.”
She let out a small sigh, “I was just saying that if you experience any issues, please come see me right away. Alright?”
Phainon put on one of those easy-to-come-by practiced smiles, “Loud and clear. Thank you, Hyacine.”
On his way out, he spotted the professor talking to one of the courtyard's healers and walked towards the opposite exit. He wasn't trying to run from him…he just didn't feel up to having a conversation. Especially not about the previous cycles, those are a headache waiting to happen. It’s just too much information to process all at once because he remembers everything, every single detail and interaction. He doubts even the others don’t remember as much as he does.
…Okay, maybe he's running, but because he's afraid. He's known these people for technically thousands of years in millions of cycles. He knows how Hyacine feels pretty well since he's been stuck in the courtyard receiving healing, and he's grateful to know that she holds no ill will towards his actions but anyone else….he's been waiting for others to approach him first. So yes, he's afraid because in the cycles they were somewhat predictable, varieties were a rarity, but they still happened, and Era Nova had set a whole new set of unknowns for him, and he's not sure how anyone will respond.
Once he stepped out, he saw that the sun was out and the sky was a clear blue. Phainon lets himself be soaked in the warmth it radiated as it hung high in the sky. Since feeling the real sun for the first time, he loved the way the rays felt on his skin, a nice warmth as opposed to the scalding hot flames of Destruction he produced.
His basking was interrupted when someone yelled, “Help! Help someone’s injured!”
Immediately, he moved when he saw the girl dragging a limping body to help. The man she was keeping upright looked pale from the blood loss, and it was more like she was dragging him. The moment he got close enough to see the golden blood leaking from the wound, he froze. The temperature was starting to slowly rise around him. In all the cycles, Phainon had gotten used to the sight of blood, but now the sight only brought back memories of how it stained his sword. Phainon let out a shaky breath. The girl looked at Phainon, then to the sun and back to Phainon with wide eyes as she realized why the surrounding area had gotten a lot warmer.
“Lor-” She was cut off by Hyacine coming out of the courtyard's doors, followed by Panacea, who immediately collected the injured man, bringing him inside.
The Okheman, Vera, he recognized, looked like she was going to ask if he was okay, a common question he’d been getting, and truth be told, perhaps no, he’s not. His brain was scattered, and his memories were a finicky thing to handle.
Hyacine stood between them for a moment, felt the heat radiating from Phainon and stepped closer to him for reassurance. Slowly, the heat dissipated, and the temperature went back to normal. “It's going to be okay.” She said, but he wasn't sure if it was him or her. “Your friend will be in good hands, I promise. Why don't we all go inside? Vera, there's a cleaning station for you to wash your hands afterwards. Please come and find me.”
“Phainon would like to help with the patient?”
Phainom nodded slowly. “Sure.”
In the patient room, Phainon found out Panacea had given him a remedy to ease the pain, leaving the rest to be treated by the two heirs. Together, he and Hyacine sat side by side as she assessed the wounds. There were shallow wounds littering his body, but a really deep cut across his torso and through his left kidney. Hyacine wrapped the man in a healing bubble, but the large wounds would need to be stitched up. “Phainon, do you mind staunching the blood?” He nodded as he worked on stopping the bleeding. They worked simultaneously for a while, with Phainon handing Hyacine supplies as she healed and cleaned the wounds. Whoever this guy got into a fight with was experienced and clearly wanted him dead. The power in his veins threatened to let itself be known, but he quickly stamped it down. Vera would soon find them and explain how they were on a stroll in one of the quieter parts of the city when they were ambushed by a group of cleaners. Vera herself had very minor scraps while her partner, Ilias, took the brunt of the attack. Anger once again rose from his core, but then he sighed as a lump of emptiness doused the flames. The room only minorly got warmer.
He'd known Caenis, in whatever iteration they are in now, and the Cleaners would become a problem eventually when he heard they'd made it to Era Nova. He'd have to deal with them soon and swiftly.
Once their conversation was finished, Hyacine and Phainon left, leaving the two Okhemans alone in the room.
Hyacine pulled him aside outside in the corridor. “You did good, Phainon. Thank you.”
“It's not a problem at all. It's just that–” Phainon looked down at his hands and clenched them. “I thought…”
Hyacine looked at him quizzically. “You'd never thought your hands were capable of more than Destruction?”
“Yeah.” He said and gave her a true wobbly smile.
Hyacine just smiled at him genuinely and gently placed her hands on top of his. “Then let this be one of many more.”
⭑٠࣪⁺₊⋆ ☼︎❀ ⋆⁺₊٠࣪⭑
Soon enough, Hyacine would deem Phainon well enough to live on his own. For the most part, he stayed at home and slept, since, as it turned out, if you spent all your time working yourself to the bone (quite literally), it was bound to have some side effects later on. After all, he was recovering from the burden he bore to ensure victory. On the rare occasion, Phainon would leave the house alone to wander off and have a nice stroll just to clear his head, especially after particularly bad nights where nightmares often plagued him.
This evening, he was taking a look at the progress the new Okhema was making. In just a few months, most of the buildings were almost finished with repairs. It was starting to look as he remembered it.
He turned the corner to the market and saw Castorice conversing with a female citizen. She spotted him and, with a smile, waved him over.
“Phainon. It’s so nice to see you.”
“Oh, Lord Phainon.” Hegesia turned to see behind her and gave a little wave in greeting. He remembered she was a worker for the bathhouse. She turned back to Castorice and bowed her head slightly. “I should get going. There is still much to do.”
Then she turned to Phainon, and the look on her face held such gratitude. “Thank you for bringing us to Era Nova, Deliverer.”
Phainon opened his mouth to protest that it was not he who brought about Era Nova, but the Trailblaze, and all he did was offer himself as a vessel of destruction, but she'd already left. He did not deserve the title of deliverance when he was more suited for worldbearing.
Castorice stepped closer, and she touched his hands that had been suspended in midair and was amazed as his eyes went wide. Was she not afraid of the blood staining his hands, tainting her first memory of touching him? Flickers of a memory to surface before his eyes. The one where he ripped out a death coreflame from her cold, mangled corpse, golden blood was splattered everywhere, and it was jarring to look at in contrast to his black clothing. Eventually, he found it deep in her belly, and as it floated idly in his hand, he sighed in relief. The memory dissipated when he suddenly jerked to pull his hands away, but the grip held firm. Castorice had a wobbly smile on her face, and she looked seconds from bursting into tears.
“It’s okay.” She reassured.
“Your curse it's…” He hadn’t known, he wasn’t sure that–
“It's gone.” Her smile only grew, and she squeezed his hands and let out a small laugh that was on the verge of a sob.
“Don't cry, Cas. You're only gonna make me cry too.” Phainon said as he reached up to wipe a fallen tear from his dear friend's face.
Soon enough, tears started to well up in his eyes too, and he was surprised to watch as they fell and landed on his clothes instead of evaporating. Warm hands touched his face as Castorice wiped the tears from his face, as he did to her. He's happy that finally her wish to live as a normal person was finally fulfilled.
She spreads her arms in an invitation for a hug and asks, “Can I?”
Phainon nods, and then he's being pulled into an embrace with one of his dearest friends. He stiffened a little, then put his arms around her. For so long, Phainon wondered how it'd feel to hug Castorice as he did for the countless cycles, but her curse never gave her the grace of a warm human touch.
He still can't believe she's letting him touch her like this. Doesn't she remember how much of her blood is on his hands? How he took away her life when all she wanted was to live? How she'd fight him despite knowing power imbalances between them, asking for the lost one to return? How he'd tear her apart?
“Phainon.” She held him a little tighter. “Has anyone ever told you you're the warmest person ever?”
They held each other a long while, to make up for all the lost time as friends to ever done this. Eventually, they parted, and Castorice tugged on Phainon’s hand and made a suggestion, “A couple of us are having a picnic right about now. You should come?”
Phainon gave her a tilt of his head, “I’m not sure, maybe–”
“Mydei will be there.” She said quickly with a smile, and if anything, Mydei was his biggest weakness, so with a small sigh and smile, he agreed as he got dragged along with his friend, passing by some buildings under construction, to the edge of the city. There, Cipher and Mydei sat together where a spread of food and drinks lay between them. Once they both saw them, Castorice and Mydei greeted them with a group hug and smiles.
“Hyacine finally let the great Deliverer out of confinement, it seems.” Mydei had crossed his arms, but there was a glint in his eyes.
“Well, you see, Mydeimos, I’m actually an escapee. They could never confine me.”
“All of Amphoreus' greatest calamities all in one place.” Cipher said with a laugh as she picked up a fruit with her fingers, “If we were in a different era, we’d be publicly executed for meeting like this.”
Mydei crossed his arms and scoffed, “They can certainly try.”
Together, the group talked and laughed as Phainon tried not to think about how he had killed these three in previous cycles. Of all the prophecies that Titans bestowed upon them, the calamity heirs had the worst of fates. Scrutinized since birth for the coreflame they were destined to obtain, they had always been treated the worst in history for the misery that they brought upon the world. This was why many of the council members wanted to return to Era Chrysea, a place where the black tide would never plague them, and immortality wasn’t just a gift for the Chrysos Heirs. At the end of the endless journey, it was thanks to calamity that the world was upheld despite how Amphoreans viewed them.
The sky was turning into beautiful shades of oranges and reds as the sun set. He yawned and leaned his head on the nearest shoulder to him. The shoulder shifted slightly. “Phainon, are you okay?”
“Mhmm,” Another yawn, and he closed his eyes, “Just tired.”
“He gets so tired so easily these days.” He heard a voice say, but he was already drifting.
“Yeah...Hyacine said it’s normal.” Another voice said, laced with concern, the void of sleep was engulfing him.
“I hope he gets better soon. He used to have so much energy.” It was the last thing he heard before sleep overtook him completely.
⭑٠࣪⁺₊⋆ ☼︎❀ ⋆⁺₊٠࣪⭑
In the garden of life, Phainon sat alone, staring at the dawn device that Kephale held on his shoulders. Technically, the name is his, Khaslana the Worldbearer, Month of Freedom, Path of Destruction and Primum Mobile of Hatred.
Phainon thought of the Coreflames within him. Of the path he was forced to take to ensure that one day the world he loved could finally witness a true dawn. A dawn he has yet to see for himself. Don't get him wrong, he basked in the golden rays of real sunlight, felt its warm fire and watched as the sky turned from blue to warm hues of red and orange. Yet he's never seen the dawn, something he's been reminded countless times was his doing, a gift from the Titan of Creation themselves.
Even now, he stared up at the vast starry sky and wondered if thirty-three million cycles was what it took to end the suffering at the cost of the destruction of the self and his friends along the way had been worth Khaslana to have never reached the dawn. The one who started it all, who endured four hundred thousand cycles before starting the cycle of killing himself over and over, adding more blood to his already stained hands. He remembered them all, the wishes he kept and the despair that followed. He could never forget. Although that Khaslana no longer existed, it was up to Phainon to fulfill his wish. One day, he promised. One day, he'll watch dawn come over Amphoreus.
He was not sure why he hadn't yet.
Truthfully, after waking up in Era Nova, there wasn't much he could do with the level of brain damage he suffered and so he spent his time in Twilight Courtyard receiving healing from Hyacine personally with the help of Anaxa to speed up the process. Then came the sudden headaches he'd get when he'd so much as think of the previous cycles. So it was safe to say Phainon didn't spend much time outside. The first days he was awake were a mess, and they still are. When he looked at his hands, all he saw was golden blood running down his arms with a blackened and broken Dawnmaker in his hands. He saw shattered bones, mangled bodies, and a raging, endless fire. He remembered how he carried the wishes, burdens and despair of the whole world just waiting, hoping and praying that one day the foretold pale dawn could break over the horizon. And despite his crumbling body and the destruction it caused, it finally happened. In the 33550336’s cycle, three outlanders descended upon Amphoreus, adding a new unknown variable to the eternal recurrences, taking on the role of deliverance as he fought a losing battle. So when Phainon created the seals for the blank slate harbouring dreams and let the vessel of Destruction carrying Irontomb be destroyed, he let himself be taken by the eternal void just for a chance to give the Trailblaze a hand in breaking the world he loved free of the sceptre.
Something rubbed against his leg, and he heard a little awoo as an orange chimera tried to get his attention. Its big red eyes looked at him expectantly as it tilted its head to the side awoo?
“I'm okay,” Phainon says, slowly reaching over to pat it on its head. The little chimera crawled onto his lap for easier petting access and curled its green tipped tail around itself.
Phainon stared at the stars, thinking about the many adventures he could have among them. To be among the cosmos with Astral Express, visiting planets and taking in new sights with his own eyes. Then there was the matter of the Antimatter Legion and the Lord Ravagers. Phainon hated the Destruction– truly for what it had made of him. He couldn't care less about the blessing of Nanook. Not when the Destruction tainted him gold. He scratched under the chimeras' chin as it purred in his lap.
Phainon yawned and eventually lay down on the grass. The chimera poked its little white and orange head up with tired eyes. He guessed they were both tired and made their way up to his chest, where it curled in on itself as it closed its eyes. His center was the warmest, it made sense for it to lay there instead of his lap.
Seeing their fellow chimera sleeping on top of Phainon, some others came closer. Letting out little awoos of content from the warmth being radiated. He felt a nudge on his thigh as a grey one with blue eyes and differently sized white horns pressed its body against him as it lay down for a nap. Soon enough, more came, seemingly attracted to him, while a purple and yellow-horned one pressed its head on Phainon’s face as big orange eyes stared at him. Without disturbing the one on his chest, he reached over to pet the chimera on its head, then under its chin. When it decided petting time was over, it moved to curl up above his snow white hair. “...Heyyy.”
He was somewhat surprised that these animals weren't afraid of the fire burning within him. He'd never think that the coreflames could radiate warm heat instead of raging flames made only to destroy. Titans knew he hadn't always been able to control it. Accidentally burning down buildings or letting out a sudden burst of pent-up flames. Even now, he's afraid for these chimeras. He yawned again, and as the chimera purred on his chest, he couldn't help it as his eyes started to close.
Phainon fell asleep before dawn’s rise, surrounded by chimeras.
When he woke up, it was to Tribios, now one whole being, calling out to him, “Snowy!” A gentle poke on his face, and he opened an eye to the red-haired maiden. The orange chimera on his chest stirred, letting out a sleepy awoo before stretching, then saw Tribios and moved right into her lap, nudging at her hand for pets.
Tribios laughed, as the other chimeras slept soundly around Phainon, “They must really love the heat you radiate, you’re practically swimming in cute chimeras.” She pointed out as she petted the one she was giving attention to. It purred loudly as it let out awoos of satisfaction.
Phainon smiled vaguely as he watched and couldn't help but remember the smaller versions of her and how they were like a thousand stars twinkling out when they exhausted themselves. He sighed and shook his head.
“Phainon,” a little sterner but much more carefree voice said, “you shouldn't sleep here. It's bad for your back.”
Aglaea stood over him, arms loosely crossed. This is the first time he'd seen her for quite some time. The chimera by his head stirred, let out a grumbly awoo, rubbed itself on Aglaea’s ankle and walked off. Aglaea laughed a little. He was still not used to such a sound. Most of the iterations of him knew an Aglaea after her humanity had severely diminished.
Phainon, on the other hand, only saw Aglaea drowning in a pool of gold, and his hands fishing in its warmth for the coreflame she possessed. A dull ache was starting to form, and he held his head.
“Phainon, are you okay?” She asked with genuine concern showing on her face.
“Sorry, yeah, I'm fine.” He most likely was not, but he did not want to worry them more, so he put his hand down and groaned as he sat up.
“Someone decided it was best to sleep on my chest.” He said as he petted the culprit with a finger on its head, and the chimera let out an innocent awoo as its green-tipped tail swayed.
“Next time, Snowy, at least fall asleep at home in your bed,” Tribios advised, looking at him with a concerned tilt in her head.
Phainon looked up to the sky and found that he'd once again missed dawn’s rise.
⭑٠࣪⁺₊⋆ ☼︎❀ ⋆⁺₊٠࣪⭑
Today, Phainon decided to visit the Grove, this time with Mydei in tow.
After a rather awkward greeting, they both reconciled pretty quickly, stepping into their familiar rhythm of teasing and competitive games.
After he realized that it wasn't often that Mydei got to the Grove of Epiphany, Phainon decided to drag him along.
One of the first things they did when they reconnected after waking up was visit the Library of Garbaniphoro. His first selfish wish and one of many. For the state of the rest of Amphoreus, the library stayed nearly entirely intact. Mydei had told him it was all because of him, but Phainon only pretended to believe him since he was the one who burned down the library in cycles past.
The Grove was the same way. Other than the massive hole that Phainon pierced through the heart of the Grove, it was pretty much untouched. Repairs on Cerces' tree were being done through science and alchemy and would be back to new in a few weeks. He should find the time to apologize to her personally since he heard she made it through the last cycle, and he doesn't want to risk getting a surprise divine strike from above or worse, a curse. Although they probably wouldn't do much to him anyway….but still.
“Professor Anaxa, good to see you, we were just visiting–”
“First of all, it's Professor Anaxagoras.” He said in an exasperated, tired tone of voice. Phainon looked to Mydei, who had crossed his arms with an amused look on his face, while the former just gave him a look. Mydei's smile twitched minutely.
“Secondly, I have something for you to do.” Then the professor scurried to Titans know where only to come back with a couple of books and a few scrolls. Okay, more than a couple it was more like a neatly stacked mountain.
Phainon felt like maybe he needed to run. He’d already put his hands on Mydei's arm, ready to push him out of the Grove, but the professor tutted after him and set the stack down.
“There is no running from knowledge. Here are some myths that need verifying and you're the person to do it since you know the history the best through the cycles.” Anaxa explained.
“You've also lived through them, professor.”
Anaxa let out a little hum of thought. “I have, but I don't remember all the details, plus I was only born when the world needed me, so I don't have all the facts.” He nodded towards Mydei, “I doubt he does either.”
“...alright.”
He turned to Mydei with a thick book and dropped it in front of him. Mydei only raised a brow. “You, demigod of Strife, are going to start writing a dictionary in the Kremnoan language.”
He turned back to Phainon, “Hyacine said this will be good for your brain since you're concentrating on a single task. That being said, don't push yourself too hard. Stop if you need to.”
With that, the professor left, most likely to berate some poor student over incorrect text placements or whatnot. Phainon opened an old book, and dust hit him in the face, making him cough. “Don't die, Deliverer,” Mydei said mildly.
Soon, the high sun descended into the horizon as hours passed, and within those hours, an ache in his head had formed. It started slow, the ache from his brain sorting through too much information started off as dull, but gradually it was building, causing him to force a blink to fight off the dizziness. He could endure it. If he endured millions of cycles burning his body to cinders, then he could handle the simple task of information verification. He owed it to the rest of them at the very least. Beside him, Mydei was acting like he wasn't vigilantly watching Phainon as he picked up a myth scroll and read it. He scoffed, “What a blatant lie this is. Nikador would never hand over the Coreflame for a lover.”
Phainon hummed and blinked hard twice when his vision blurred as his brain tried to force a memory of the Titan. Splatters of golden blood on every surface of Kremnos Arena and a deformed, defeated Nikador Mydei. He hissed at the memory and held his head.
Mydei immediately set down the scroll and sat up straighter, “Alright, you've had enough.”
“No, I can keep going.” He protested, but once the floodgates opened, it was only bound to get worse.
“No, you can't.” Mydei gently put his hands on Phainon's, not letting him hurt himself further, pulled him close and cradled his head in his arms as he pressed his lips to the top of Phainon's head.
Phainon buried his head into his chest and listened to Mydei's steady heartbeat. His head was hurting like a god damn bitch, so he closed his eyes and let himself rest for the first time in hours. Oh, what the Deliverer that the Amphoreans believed in had been reduced to.
Anaxa must have checked in on them because he heard footsteps approaching, a hushed conversation and then there was another hand on his head, and some of the pain had eased.
“Thank you.” He mumbled in Mydei's chest then yawned. At whatever hour it was now, a wave of drowsiness had hit him, and now all he wanted to do was sleep until the awaiting dawn.
“Go home, both of you. You've done enough.” Phainon could have sworn the professor had given his head a soft pat, but he was too tired to give it another thought.
Mydei moved his head to pull himself up, and Phainon whined at the loss of a place to rest his head. “Up, up Deliverer.”
Phainon frowned and yawned as he let the man pull him to his feet, “You were so comfortable.”
Mydei rolled his orange eyes, “Come on now. Let's get going.”
In the end, Mydei only wrote one word in the dictionary.
HKS.
⭑٠࣪⁺₊⋆ ☼︎❀ ⋆⁺₊٠࣪⭑
It had been a while since they'd gone to the baths together. So Mydei pestered Phainon until he agreed to their late-night bath. Just like old times, only now it was dark out instead of day. Kephale's dawn device, no longer burdened with upholding the sun, had long since died out, leaving the forming planet’s natural cycle to occur.
Mydei went in first after stripping off his clothes.
Phainon, on the other hand, tried not to stare at his body. With the build of a warrior, his body was packed with hardened muscles built to absorb damage like a sponge. Red tattoos covered his body from head to toe, crimson lines of markings of immortality spread from his chest, only bare in the one spot that pointed to his weak spot. Phainon tried not to think of the pointed crimson marking on his back, the vertebrae he'd shattered, the secret he was entrusted with used in a moment's betrayal.
Instead, his gaze fell to the water at his feet, where his reflection rippled, as Khaslana stared back.
Mydei angled his head in the same way he always did when he was questioning something, “Are you going to get in Deliverer? The temperature is just right.”
Phainon frowned, “I told you to stop calling me that. There's no need for the title anymore.”
“Perhaps not, but that doesn't change anything.”
Phainon dipped his feet into the water, then stepped in and let out a little sigh. The warmth of the baths felt amazing on his skin compared to the scalding coreflames within.
Perhaps it was that thought that had him once again staring at his golden reflection. The entire time Mydei watched him silently, he wasn't sure if what he saw could be seen by others yet, and he hadn't dared ask.
“Are you okay?” Mydei asked as he came closer, and Phainon gulped as he waved his hand through the water to get rid of the image. It didn't go away.
“Yeah.” He said a little under his breath, and Mydei hummed like he didn't believe him but didn't push further.
After their bath, Phainon brought Mydei to his house. It had been a while since Mydei had been in Phainon’s home, so he hadn't seen the covered mirrors yet, but when he did…
“Phainon, why is every reflective surface in your house covered?” he asked with a raised brow.
“...” Phainon just stared at him as he uncovered one of the mirrors that Phainon had the unfortunate circumstance of standing near, and he caught a glimpse of himself. He froze.
Mydei, ever observant and knowing him too well, must've noticed he wasn't a big fan of mirrors at the moment and sighed as he looked between the mirror and Phainon’s frozen form, “What do you see when you look in the mirror, Phainon?”
“...”
“You wanna know what I see?” Mydei asked as he observed the figure in the mirror and stepped closer until he was behind him. Now they both beheld the visage of his other self. “I see someone resilient who fought the influence of the Destruction, no matter how tempting it was to lash out. I see someone strong who endured the nightmares of the cycles. I see someone kind who spared everyone from suffering. It was because of you that everyone is okay and awaiting a life in the same reality as the universe. That's what I see whenever I catch a glimpse of your divinity.”
Phainon's lips wobbled as tears streamed down his face, “See, you can even cry real tears now. They no longer evaporate.”
He laughed as Mydei wiped the tears from his face and pressed a kiss to his cheek, then gestured to his reflection, “I quite like the look of your divine form.” He smiled, “Beautiful.”
Phainon blushed furiously, then spun around to face Mydei and just observed. His eyes traced the shape of his face, the cat-like shape of his eyes, the diamond tattoo on his cheek, the curve of his nose, the sharp angle of his chin. Mydei's orange-burst eyes followed Phainon’s roaming eyes. He knew Phainon was staring.
"What?" He asked, and Phainon reached up to play with his braid.
Phainon gave him a smirk, then pulled Mydei in a kiss. It was soft and sweet with all the thank yous of being there for him when he was insufferable and suffering. For staying by his side and forgiving him regardless of the past. They separated for air and pressed they're foreheads together.
"Love you too, HKS."
⭑٠࣪⁺₊⋆ ☼︎❀ ⋆⁺₊٠࣪⭑
Tonight he dreams.
He dreams of death and fire. The death of his loved ones, whether by his own hands or in front of his eyes. Death of the self and how he'd been forced to kill himself in every cycle to carry the burden of the journey with no end in sight. He was drowning in gold as it covered every unforgivable inch of himself. Flames engulfed his surroundings. Everything it touched was reduced to ashes. The cinders of burning the fire within yellow and red burned hotter and hotter with the flames of his companions–his friends until they turned into a shade of purple and black, the hottest he'll ever burn. Nothing more than fuel to the body's Vessel of Destruction's fire, he let himself burn until he became nothing but a mere puppet to the flames' rage. With my flesh as kindling, ignite the dawn of tomorrow or be reduced to ashes.
He sees golden eyes, one of cold indifference and the other of hope. He feels the archaic blessing bestowed upon him as it flows through his golden blood. Worst of all, he stood atop a mountain of corpses, each one he recognized, all of them his fault.
So whenever Phainon looks in the mirror and sees the golden divine form, all he sees is hatred, loss and the blood on his hands.
They do say mirrors are a reflection of your true self.
So he covered all of them up in hopes he wouldn't be reminded of his grievances.
Phainon woke with a gasp to a cool, dark room and let out a shaky breath; he was sweating. Everything was becoming too hot. Beside him, Mydei stirred and tugged Phainon to his side until they were facing each other.
“Nightmare?” Mydei asked, his eyes still closed and his voice gravely from sleep.
Phainon held his arms close to his chest–the blanket had shifted a little downwards, exposing their backs. Phainon wanted to tug it up to hide under the covers. “Mhmm.”
Mydei opened his eyes at that response, revealing beautiful sunset orange eyes that reminded him of a cat. Befitting a lion indeed. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Phainon shook his head slightly.
Mydei sighed and reached up to wipe the tears sticking to his face. “Want to talk about something else?”
“Sure,” Phainon said quietly. In the space between them under the starry sky, where only the two of them existed, there was no need for dramatics or masks. The soft moonlight peaked through the curtains. No longer was it eternally day as the world now had a regular day and night cycle.
“Aglaea’s tailor shop is finally opening today.”
“I remember…”
Mydei hummed and pressed a kiss to Phainon's forehead. “Let's go visit later, yeah?”
“Yeah…”
In Okhema, the people were making quick work of repairing the buildings and clearing pathways. With the demigods, their efforts were quicker in pace. Phainon hadn't really had the chance to visit. Only ever stepped foot in a quiet market when construction was underway. It's not that he didn't want to help as the others did. It's just that crowds were hard for him at first. He was on edge for the first few months.
Now he looked around, amazed at how everything was just how he remembered, if not better. Some of the citizens noticed him and Mydei roaming around and would wave with warm smiles and wide eyes of surprise. He hadn't been keen on public appearances lately, after all, he had a myriad of issues.
Making it to Aglaea’s tailor shop, they found that the rest of the group had beaten them to the grand opening. Aglaea was engaging in a conversation with Anaxa and Tribios.
“Phainon.” Aglaea lit up upon seeing him. He was still getting used to an Aglaea with so much emotion on her face. “Mydei. It's so nice to see you both.” She walked up to both of them and gave Phainon a quick hug and patted Mydei on the arm.
“I wouldn't miss this for the world, Aglaea.” He said as he returned the hug.
Aglaea smiled warmly at Phainon, her eyes glistening with pride, “I'm glad.”
“Deliverer boy, finally coming out of hiding.” She said with a feline smile, making Hyacine put her hands on her hips, spun around, causing the pink pigtails to swish about and gave her a look.
“What?” She laughed, “It's good to see him after a while.”
“Guess you really are the popular type.” Mydei pointed out with a smirk as his eyes said, “See, I told you everyone would be fine.”
“How’s the head?” Anaxa asked
“We are so glad you felt alright to come by, Snowy!” Tribios exclaimed, cheery as always.
“Hello, Miss Castorice.” A small child said quietly behind her as a group of them rounded the corner of the alley. Castorice knelt as she greeted the child, “This is for you.” Extending her hand to give her a flower crown made of antila flowers, Castorice let the little girl place it on her head, and the little girl smiled widely.
Soon enough, all the heirs present were getting flower crowns gifted by children.
“Mister Phainon, this is for you.” A young boy with blond hair and big blue eyes gestured a flower crown towards him.
“Thank you.” He said as it was placed on his head beside him, a young girl was conversing quietly with Mydei.
The child smiled, “The flowers are called forget-me-nots, they reminded me of you and Mister Mydei's are pomegranate flowers. We made crowns for you all as a thank you.” The child explained proudly as he explained every flower the Chrysos Heirs were gifted (Castorice: antila flowers, Hyacine: sunflowers, Tribios: lilies of the valley, Anaxa: endless summers, Aglaea: osmanthus fragans, and Cipher: catnips). The child blushed slightly as he said to Phainon, “Thank you, Deliverer, for bringing us a new dawn. It’s got pretty colours.” Then he was being tugged away by the girl who talked to Mydei as they laughed away.
His partner watched as they went, then turned to Phainon as he observed the flowers, “They look like your eyes when the sun hits your eyes just right.” Now it was Phainon's turn to blush. Around them, the rest of the heirs donned their flower crowns with bright smiles and proud eyes.
Maybe everything will be okay.
⭑٠࣪⁺₊⋆ ☼︎❀ ⋆⁺₊٠࣪⭑
Tonight, Phainon is star gazing on a solitary mountain top that he flew up to. After the feast, celebrating Aglaea’s shop's grand opening, he needed a moment to himself. He wasn’t exactly alone. Two chimeras were playing with each other about five feet behind him, and a young dromas named Uranus was chomping on some soil…wait, isn't that the twins' dromas? How did it get up here?
Phainon watched the stars pass as the sky turned rosy with golden rays that started to peek out from the horizon. And so he watched as dawn finally came to greet him, if not for himself then for all his past iterations.
A gift from Phainon to Khaslana himself. The one who couldn't reach the dawn. As promised, the pale dawn breaks at the end of a long journey.