This thread was made to hold side stories that couldn't be immediately slotted in within 𝔸𝕟 𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕄𝕚𝕕𝕟𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 ℂ𝕒𝕗𝕖, a pm story written in a sci-fi fantasy universe by @song and I. Each one of these posts are meant to build upon the backgrounds and histories of its diverse cast of characters as well as the lore of the galaxy and its resident species, cultures, and factions. As such, the timeline of these posts might not be particularly congruent as most of them are self-contained, but they all serve a purpose in detailing the canon, core memories of its characters.
Note to future self. Make cool ass gif for this thread.
I never thought that I'd miss the day we said goodbye.
Do you love me?
"I love you, Freyja..."
Oh, the lengths I'd go to keep you safe.
What I'd give to see you wake up again.
The God of promises was a deity of conviction. His blades and bullets acted as physical manifestations of his promise to the childhood best friend that rejected him. Try as he might to move on, Vyn still found himself caring about her. Rejection did not corrupt the happiness he felt during their good times together. Earthly distractions could do little to take away the pain he felt when he reminisced about the bad. He was forced to live with his history and instead of choosing to forget it, he incorporated it into his being and made it his strength. The blessing of divinity mattered not. It did not make him strong nor did it ensure his promises would be kept. Vyn saw holy power as a crutch for effort. Where he did pride himself however was in his diligence to uphold his own promises through the constant improvement and maintenance of his own abilities, regardless of however hard it could be. As a result, he was one of the few kami capable of fighting on the front lines.
"Is that all you got, you divine lapdog?" The enemy monk threw a flurry of strikes enchanted with mana, though none would land their mark. Parrying with his blade and dodging with his body, Vyn avoided the potential damage through the use of proper footwork and well-trained perception. After centuries of diligent study and practice, physically speaking, he was well beyond average for a kami. Many along his divine cohort would often joke that he was far more fitting to be an angel of combat than a god. However, despite his discipline with his body, he never skimped on his responsibilities. To the few that truly knew him, he was a touch above the rest. He had to be in order to uphold the promises he made as a child. Vyn was going to protect the people he loved no matter whether they felt the same back. "Your choice in words matches your skill in battle. Both are unrefined."
"Unrefined my ass. You're barely keeping up with me!" While Vyn might have taunted his enemy, he refused to underestimate his opponent. With both eyes, he recorded the pattern of his movements and attacks, creating a predictive model using what he learned over the course of his studies to determine the best course of action once his foe granted an opening. Remaining defensive and taunting him while he was responsive would open the monk to making mistakes, eventually leading to his demise. "Unlike you, I will uphold my promises regardless of who stands in my way..."
"And unfortunately for you, you stand against me."
"Blame the Goddess of luck for pitting you against me. Pray that she would grant you better odds in your next life."
"Tough words coming from someone who couldn't land a single stri-" Finally finding his moment, the duelist's fencing blade slipped from one hand to another, striking the monk's face before he could finish his next line. Even if he lacked the future-sight ability of his superior, he had the experience to understand when someone was growing comfortable with him. By believing that the god of commitment would fall under any particular fighting schema was to underestimate someone dangerous. It was here where he excelled. The lax reputation of the kami had served as a boon. "All I needed was one mistake to make you fall. I pray that whatever promises you've made were worth your sacrifice." Drawing his blade from between the monk's eyes, he closed his eyelids shut before muttering a quiet prayer. Vyn never took joy in taking the life of another. It was an unnecessary loss only made possible as the result of an imperfect world.
As he pulled away to wipe the blood from his blade, he thought to himself. If it were any other life, Vyn doubted he would have needed to strike his opponent down. Perhaps they could have been allies or friends. Maybe in another world, they could have been family. Behind every life stood a history of unconscious promises and behind every violent death existed a past full of broken oaths. It was hard to take pride when he knew he was the reason why fathers wouldn't be able to go home. He was the reason why mothers became widows and children became orphans. The only way to make up for being the reason behind those deaths was to have an oath that was worth beyond all that his victims could make. To that end, he held his childhood friend and his little sister above his regrets. Even if Juli would be at odds at times, by doing this, he hoped she would never find herself on the battlefield. By killing those who would disrupt the peace, Vyn hoped that Freyja would be able to wake up to a world of peace. It's the least he could do for the women that gave him strength.
"Bravo, Sigvyn. To think you were able to make it this far."
"But alas, this is where your story comes to its end."
"What do you mean, Lokir?" Vyn rose from the corpse and turned to his romantic companion. "Love, why are you here? Weren't you assigned to Rafaela's unit?" Ever since Freyja rejected him, while his heart stubbornly refused to let go, his mind had attempted to move on to other alternatives as a way to heal. While passing flings have left him empty, the one who was closest to filling the void was his boyfriend, Lokiir. However, upon looking up to him, he realized something was wrong. Lokir was meant to be stationed with the other angels. He was never meant to join the front lines alone with Vyn. "What are you-"
"Truly, you are a wonder to behold." Lokir drew a magical arrow from his quiver, loading his bow as he took in the strength of the wind. "If not for the value Ares placed on you, I would have made you mine. However..." Drawing his bow, he aimed it towards Vyn's head. "...There are some things worth more than you, my beloved prince. Thank you for being my sacrifice." Firing his arrow, it struck Vyn in the eye, the damage to his brain sending his body crashing down next to the corpse of his fallen foe. Tainted at the tip, whatever poisoned he used counteracted the healing properties of divinity. Once he saw his target drop, Lokir hilted his bow around his shoulder as he approached Vyn's body, taking a picture to send to the rival that took his best friend away. "Don't worry. You can rest in peace now. I will tell your friend and your sister that you died fighting valiantly." The arrow vanished, reappearing in Lokir's hand.
"Well, that is... If I choose to remember you in the first place."
I don't love you anymore.
"What do you mean? What did I do wrong? What did I do to deserve this?"
"Were these feelings a curse?" ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ɪᴅᴏɴᴛʟᴏᴠᴇʏᴏᴜᴀɴʏᴍᴏʀᴇ | ᴘᴜʜꜰ ↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
Waking up in a dream-like state, Vyn had found himself standing on a crimson beach lit by a sunset that remained still in the sky. He felt as though he existed within the frame of a painting, a character to be marveled at from a viewpoint he could never see. As he looked down at the dark tide, he felt a hand at his shoulder. "Now's not your time yet, Sigvyn." It was a new voice, one that sounded both alien yet recognizable at the same time. Turning around, he found his shadow standing beside him, refusing to leave him alone. While it might have appeared as a manifestation of dark energy, it felt familiar. This wasn't the first time he spoke to himself nor would it be the last either. However, to have his soul exist separate from his body was an experience he had yet to go through before now. "You still have promises you have left to keep. Responsibilities that you must uphold."
For the first time in his life, Vyn disagreed. Even at his most diligent, he kept running into failure and rejection. "Why me? Why couldn't there be someone else who's forced to take this fate? Why is it that, no matter how hard I try, it feels as though my passions always work against me." He lowered himself down onto the sand, taking in the cold sun's wavelengths as the water embraced his loose clothes. "Wouldn't it be better if you found someone else to torture? Someone tougher or better than I?..." He sighed, tired of it all. "Just leave me be. Grant me grace and let me find peace in death." Slowly, his shadow began to transform in front of him, shifting its outline towards that of what truly lies underneath the surface. "Oh... Its you. Of course it had to be you." In front of him stood the reaper of the kami, the feared primordial that brought the eternals their end. "So. Am I finally dead? The only times I see you around is beside the dead and dying... So, are you hear to reap me or are you going to torture me like they have?"
Sitting beside him, Revelations treated Sigvyn as a friend. He didn't greet him with his usual attitude or apathetic remarks. Instead, he offered Sigvyn a hand on the shoulder and a drink to share. Between them, a dark portal opened in the floor, revealing a cooler that came from his realm: Hades. "Vyn. I'm not here to reap your soul. You're too important to take away." His voice was seasoned with sympathy, aware that Vyn's soul was seeking reason. "I'm here to remind you of what you came so far for. You... Are my friend. You've upheld your promises to me. It's only right that I do the same for you." Tossing him a can to drink, Revelations had opened his own to drink alongside him. "You're not alone. These feelings you have, they make you strong."
"Then why does it hurt so bad, Revelations? What's the point in needless suffering?"
"Everything comes to an end, Vyn. Both good times and bad."
Revelations took a sip of his can, watching as black birds flew over the horizon. This was a part of his realm. While it might have signaled the end, it was a world that knew peace. It was a place where weary souls could find release from the stresses of the mortal coil, a resting place for all regardless of what good or evil one has committed in their lifetime. "All things that choose to exist have an expiration date. I'm here to make sure that the end comes at the right time. Not before and not after." He turned to his drinking partner. "And I believe that your war will soon come to an end. You will know peace, Vyn. I will make sure of it."
For a moment, the two gazed at the sunset in the silence. Sigvyn's mind was preoccupied with all that came before. He lived with purpose from childhood to the present. Even through his betrayal, his heart remained resolute in its convictions to Juli and Freyja. Now that Lokir had shown his true colors, his pact with his ex lover was broken. Gone was the trust that took eons to develop. Revelations was right. All things do come to an end. "It would be wise for you to remember."
"Every new beginning comes from another beginning's end."
"I believe your life has just started, hasn't it?" Revelations could tell the difference in his eye. While the other was made blind as the result of his injury, the near fatal wound was enough to rattle the kami's heart. "You've realized what matters to you. What promises are worth fulfilling and which ones are not." Finding their time soon coming to an end, he closed his cooler. There was little point in wasting time now that his message was delivered. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the skies revealed the stars above. In darkness came light. From the end came new beginnings. After watching many succumb to finality, willingly or not, the reaper learned what being alive truly meant. While the message would always differ between souls, the theme was always the same. "Life's too short not to pursue what we wish for ourselves.Everything else is just a meaningless distraction."
Sigvyn finished his drink. It was much more flavorful than anything he could have imagined heaven being capable of. Revelations had granted him a mercy he rarely did with anyone else. It was a sign of respect, a thank you for all he did for the reaper in the past. "You know, I find that you and I are quite alike, Sigvyn." Rev lifted himself from the sand, reaching out to pull his friend to his feet. "People fear us. They are scared of what we exhibit. Yet, through us, they find strength. Through us, they find peace." Tapping his body to seal his wounds, the reaper left his mark on his eye, granting the kami his blessing. "Don't doubt your worth. No matter what anyone else says, you are worthy of love." As Rev faded away, the world around Vyn had blurred. Thankful for their time together, Vyn nodded his head in agreement with his words. His feelings were beginning to return to him.
"Thank you for the kindness, Rev."
"Thank you for giving me a second chance."
"I promise I'll never leave you alone. Not for as long as I live."
"Took you long enough to wake up. Whoever fucking poisoned you must really hate you."
ᴀ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪᴅɴɪɢʜᴛ ʀɪᴅᴇʀ 
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴍᴏᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴛᴀʀꜱ | 1ɴᴏɴʟʏ 
