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Long ago, there were two men in love. One called Kai, he was deemed as the most beautiful man to live. The other was Lucian, a god who loved Kai all his life.
They were sitting on a meadow while Kai played a violin to his lover. The God of Light listened and stared at his lover with much love, "You're getting better with that instrument every day," he complimented the beautiful man with truth and adornment. Kai stopped playing for a moment and stared back at the god with a smile, "I've been practicing for you, I haven't perfected my skills yet but I'll be perfect for you!" Kai said with enthusiasm, which made the god's heart skip a beat. He ruffled the boy's hair as they both laughed.
Unbeknownst to them, a certain Goddess of Pain was plotting something for them.
The Goddess of Pain, Caedira, watched from her shadowy realm, her eyes burning with a cold, green fire. She had always despised love, finding it a weakness, a foolish distraction from the true nature of existence: suffering. The sight of Lucian's radiant affection for Kai, and Kai's innocent devotion, filled her with a venomous rage. "Such sickening joy," she hissed to herself, her voice like the scraping of stones. "It shall not stand."
Caedira began to weave her dark magic, her gnarled fingers twisting threads of despair and betrayal. She knew she couldn't directly harm a god, nor could she easily touch a mortal favored by one. Her plan needed to be insidious, to turn their love into a weapon against them. She sought out a vulnerable point, a crack in their seemingly perfect bond, and found it in Lucian's deepest fear: the thought of Kai's heart wandering, of his precious loyalty shifting.
One evening, as Kai slept peacefully in Lucian's embrace, Caedira infiltrated his dreams. She whispered poisonous suggestions, conjuring visions of Kai laughing with strangers, his eyes sparkling for others, his touch lingering on different hands. She showed Lucian a future where Kai, a mortal, would be tempted by the fleeting affections of others, his beautiful heart ultimately straying from their divine bond. The dreams were vivid, terrifying, and by dawn, Lucian awoke with a cold sweat, the images burned into his mind.
He looked at Kai, sleeping soundly beside him, and for the first time, a shadow of suspicion crossed his divine face. He loved Kai more than anything, but the thought of his beloved finding solace or desire in another's arms began to gnaw at his heart. Caedira's curse had begun, not with a strike of lightning or a sudden plague, but with a seed of doubt, planted deep within the heart of a god.
Since that dream, Lucian was filled with doubts about his lover. Every time Kai talked to another, he couldn't help but feel a gnawing jealousy. The vibrant light that usually emanated from Lucian began to flicker, dimmed by the insidious whispers of Caedira. He found himself watching Kai constantly, scrutinizing every innocent smile, every friendly gesture, searching for the phantom signs of betrayal Caedira had planted in his mind.
Kai, sensitive and attuned to Lucian's moods, quickly noticed the change. The easy laughter between them became strained. Lucian's compliments, once filled with genuine adoration, now carried a subtle, almost imperceptible edge of possessiveness.
One afternoon, while they walked through a bustling marketplace, Kai greeted an old friend, a merchant he'd known since childhood. They exchanged a few lighthearted words, but when Kai turned back to Lucian, he saw a cold, unfamiliar look in the god's eyes.
"Who was that?" Lucian asked, his voice flat, devoid of its usual warmth.
Kai frowned, confused by the sudden chill. "Just Elara, an old friend. She used to sell me fresh fruit when I was a boy."
Lucian's gaze lingered on the merchant, then returned to Kai, a storm brewing in their depths. "You seemed rather pleased to see her."
A pang of hurt struck Kai. "Lucian, what's wrong? You've been... different lately. Distant."
Lucian turned away, the beautiful meadow where they once found such solace now seeming vast and lonely. He couldn't voice the ugly suspicions that coiled in his heart, the irrational fears Caedira had woven into his very being. How could he admit he doubted Kai, the one he loved above all else, based on a mere dream? Yet, the images of Kai's supposed infidelity felt more real than the sunshine on his face.
The silence that fell between them was heavy, filled with unspoken anxieties. The seed of doubt, once so small, was beginning to sprout, its thorny tendrils slowly wrapping around the once unbreakable bond between the god and the mortal.
Time passed and Lucian's anxiety got worse with every interaction Kai had with anyone. Today however, Kai and Lucian sat on the same meadow where they met, and as usual, Kai played his violin for the god, though the god’s focus was far from the melody playing from his lover's hands. After Kai’s performance for the god, Lucian stared at him with seriousness in his eyes, “Are you seeing another man–or a woman?”
The sudden question from the god caught Kai off guard, he had never imagined that the god would doubt their love for each other. “You know I'd never set eyes to another as long as I'm with you, how did you come to that conclusion, my love?” Kai asked with a confused expression on his face.
The god just shook his head and forced a smile to the mortal, he always avoided answering the mortal's questions.
Lucian tried to ignore the dreams he had about his lover with another person, Caedira did not like it. She longed for the god of light's love, she wanted him all for herself, not with that mortal. “This is ridiculous, I should be the one in his bed, not…that mortal!” her voice raged as she threw a vase to the wall, but with that, she had an idea.
She called up her attendant, another god of which had an interest with the beautiful man, “there's someone I'd like to give pain…” she said with a hint of malice in her voice. “You'll do it, whether you like it or not. And if this plan works, you'll have your love with you in your domain…”
For weeks, they've planned to separate the two lovers. And when the day came, they executed it perfectly.
While the lovers were in the meadow and listening to the music coming from Kai’s violin, two children started playing near them. After Kai's performance, he decided to join the children to play. While playing, the ball flew in the forest. Kai insisted that he should be the one to retrieve the ball even after Lucian volunteered to do it.
With a light laugh, Kai disappeared into the deepening shadows of the forest, the children's excited shouts fading behind him. Lucian watched him go, a familiar knot of unease tightening in his gut, a subtle echo of Caedira's poisonous whispers. He told himself it was just a ball, just a moment; Kai would be back in a flash.
Minutes stretched into an agonizing eternity. The children's laughter died down, replaced by a growing quiet. Lucian’s heart, usually a steady beacon of divine power, began to pound with a frantic, all-too-mortal rhythm. The light around him flickered, reflecting the growing dread within. He called Kai's name, first softly, then with an increasing urgency, but only the rustling of leaves answered him.
Ignoring his previous reluctance, a primal fear seizing him, Lucian bolted into the forest. The trees, once welcoming, now seemed to press in, their branches like skeletal fingers. He pushed past thickets, his divine senses screaming, searching for any trace of the light that was Kai. The air grew colder, the shadows deeper, and a sickening scent of metallic sweetness began to permeate the air.
Then he saw it. A flash of familiar color amidst the undergrowth. He stumbled forward, his feet tangling, his breath catching in his throat. There, half-hidden beneath a sprawling fern, lay Kai. His violin, cracked and splintered, lay discarded nearby. Kai's eyes, those beautiful, expressive eyes, were open but unseeing, staring up at the canopy. A dark, blossoming stain spread across his chest, a stark, horrifying contrast to the life that had always pulsed within him.
Lucian fell to his knees, the world tilting on its axis. He reached out, his hand trembling as he touched Kai’s cold, still face. The warmth, the vibrant life, the music—all gone. Caedira's victory was complete. She hadn't just separated them; she had ripped the very essence of light from Lucian's world. A guttural cry, raw and agonizing, tore from the god's throat, echoing through the silent, unforgiving forest. The God of Light, now enveloped in an unbearable darkness, cradled his lifeless love, the weight of a god's curse crushing his immortal heart.