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This is Part Thirty Two in The Meeting of Breccan & Finbar.
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I opened my eyes to utter darkness, having no idea where I was. Everything felt foggy and slow. I blinked repeatedly, hoping to make some sense of things. This had to be some kind of dream, but I knew dreams didn’t involve nausea roiling in the pit of my stomach or a pounding headache that worsened every time I tried to move.
More disturbing yet, I didn’t remember falling asleep to end up in such a predicament. I -- didn’t remember anything at all. My chest tightened; I could barely even breathe. My heart beat faster and faster. Breathing deeply, I tried to get it under control. There had to be some solution to this problem. If only I could remember how I had gotten here.
“Breccan?” That was Nico’s voice, though it sounded off somehow. And where was he?
“Nico?” I called out, feeling my head pulse angrily at the sudden burst of noise I made.
Squinting, I saw a pinpoint of white light in the distance. Slowly, it approached in a strangely smooth gliding motion, eventually revealing itself to have a humanoid shape. Was that Nico?
“It’s me,” the being of light said in something close enough to Nico’s voice.
I shut my eyes against the brightness and the unceasing pain in my head. I recalled how Nico had transformed when he became enraged and killed Egan. The memory of that night made my nausea worse, and I thought I might vomit.
“Do you know where we are? How did we get here?” I croaked. And why was I floating like there wasn’t any ground at all?
“This is -- a limbo of sorts,” the light-Nico sighed.
I tried to open my eyes so I could look at Nico in this form, but my condition made it so that I couldn’t keep them open for long. Closing them again, I said, “Could you -- maybe not be so bright? My eyes...”
“I am sorry,” he sighed. “In this place, I need to use this form in order to access the necessary power.”
“Necessary power?” That was when I remember he had called this place a “limbo.” My unsettled stomach sank. He could mean...”Am I dead?” I asked.
I felt a strange warmth flow through my body, both like Nico’s seduction powers and unlike it. Nico murmured, “I’m afraid so.”
The knowledge wasn’t as horrible as I thought it would be. Perhaps being dead meant I accepted death more easily. I asked, “How? I -- can’t remember.”
That warmth continued to flow through my body, but I felt something else as well -- a nagging darkness that seemed to fight the power that I assumed came from Nico. I chanced another opening of my eyes; Nico had his hand on my shoulder. His body, such as it was, seemed to tense in concentration and he flickered, like he was having difficulty doing whatever it is he was trying to do.
The brightness was too much again, so I closed my eyes. “And what are you doing?” I said.
“I am trying to bring you back. I can do that, you know, but...” he trailed off, sounding painfully sad even through the oddness in his voice.
“But?” I asked. I paused. “And you still didn’t tell me how I died.”
“You died saving me from a shadow monster. Again, I might add. You -- strangled it to death at the cost of your own life,” Nico murmured. A frustrated surge of his power ran through me. “That’s why I can’t revive you so easily. The shadows are blocking my power somehow.”
I struggled to take all this information in, but memories flashed through my mind of my ill-fated second rescue of Nico. I couldn’t believe I had done that, but, also, confusion niggled the back of my mind. “Isabel said the shadows kept her looking young, yet they’re likely to prevent me from being brought back?”
“It’s complicated,” Nico sighed as another burst of power surged through me. Through my closed eyes, I felt him move his hand to my forehead. “And resurrection is difficult at the best of times. Most gods don’t bother.” His voice sounded almost like he was in pain.
“You shouldn’t hurt yourself over me,” I cried. My raised voice made my head pulse with extra pain again, and I winced.
“Do you really think I would just let you die after all you’ve done for me?” he asked. “You are my heart, Breccan. You are the reason I might believe in myself at all. And you think I would just let that go without doing everything I can?” As he spoke, energy radiated through me, shaking my body. I felt Nico’s distress as he tried to bring me back.
I wanted to tell him again not to waste his effort on me, but with the way he used his power now, I couldn’t speak. All I could do was accept it, especially since I had a feeling Nico wouldn’t give up until there was absolutely no chance I might live. Still, Nico’s methods distressed me as I could sense the pain he felt. While he tried to revive me, his power connected us.
When he sent an especially powerful burst through me, making the insides of my eyelids turn red, I cried out. It wasn’t for myself, but for him. In that burst of power, I sensed so much longing inside Nico, longing to be human and to feel like a human did. I could tell he meant it when he said I was his heart. Poor Nico’s connection to humanity was far more tenuous and fragile than he wanted to admit.
My eyes stung as he continued to send power through me. Strangely, I seemed like I was growing more solid. Was Nico’s power working? After sensing what I had from him, mixed feelings tumbled in my mind. I couldn’t be responsible for his entire humanity, but I didn’t want to abandon Nico, either. Through our connection, I sensed an honest desire to be good. I wanted him to strengthen what goodness he had so that, should I die, Nico would still be able to be a decent person.
He sent the most overwhelming burst of power yet through me. Pain overwhelmed everything, though I didn’t know if it were Nico’s or my own. I screamed as I passed out again; was my life truly over now?
It wasn’t.
I awoke to a blue sky above me and a ground of stone below me. It was very much of the living world. The shadow monster I had fought was nowhere to be seen. I sighed with relief, though every inch of me ached, and I couldn’t move.
Nico knelt beside me. When I looked up at him, I noticed his face was streaked with tears, and his eyes had returned to their natural pale violet. While his hair was still cut short, Nico had regained the full measure of his divine good looks.
His hand rested on my forehead, but he withdrew it. “You’re alive,” he breathed.
“I suppose so,” I said quietly. Even talking caused me pain.
Only then did I notice the crowd of people who had gathered around us. I groaned, hating the feel of their eyes upon me. Nico didn’t seem to notice them; he threw him arms around me, swallowing me in a tight embrace. His body shook against mine; I could feel him start to cry.
“Everyone back away,” a commanding female voice rang out. I winced; it was far too loud, and there was a disturbing, almost godlike power in that voice. “Leave this place now; do not meddle in the affairs of the gods.”
My sensing of power in the voice turned out to be correct because the crow did back away, leaving me and Nico in an empty street along with a strange woman. Nico let me go, looking at the strange woman in surprise.
I assumed her to be the one who had spoken. She had almost ink-dark skin with piercing dark brown, almost black, eyes and long pure black hair. The woman possessed an odd aura of power, almost like she were a goddess, but I could tell she was mortal, though a strange one. Most unusual by far, she didn’t wear any purple, instead wearing a simple white outfit.
The woman bowed before rising into a sort of kneeling position. Nico gave her an odd look, clearly as unnerved by her presence as I was. I tried to sit up through the pain, not liking to so prone in such a strange situation. With Nico’s help, I was able to remain sitting, as long as I leaned on him for support.
“Begging your pardon, Your Holiness, I must admit I am stunned at such a level of devotion to a mortal man. Never in my life did I expect to see a genuine resurrection, especially not after a death at the hands of those creatures,” the woman breathed as she gazed at Nico with a look of outright reverence in her eyes. “Please forgive my intrusion into your affairs. I am Genevieve, Priestess of the Gods.”
She bowed yet again. Genevieve couldn’t be one of them; they had all vanished, last I heard. Nico tensed, not looking directly at her. “Please, just call me Nico,” he said.
The Priestess’ eyes widened at Nico’s request. “You would forgo the respect you deserve?” she breathed.
“I don’t deserve any respect,” Nico muttered. That only made Genevieve’s eyes widen more. She seemed incapable of speech.
“Nico is...unusually human,” I said, shifting my position slightly to try and alleviate the pain I felt.
Still with that stunned expression on her face, Genevieve said, “I-I’ll say. Never have I seen a god cry such.”
I looked around. The street was still empty, but I feared people would eventually return. “We should get out of here,” I said.
“Are you able to walk?” Nico asked. “I -- I am sorry. Resurrection is painful, and divine healing cannot fix that.”
“If you help me, I think I can,” I said, trying not to wince at the pain.
“Anything for you,” he murmured. Nico helped me stand up. I cried out softly once as he lifted me with his arm around my shoulder. Genevieve watched silently. Her expression suggested she couldn’t understand what was happening.
“I don’t think I’m up for clothes shopping,” I said. “Alex isn’t going to be happy when we get home.”
Genevieve looked at Nico questioningly. “You live with humans, Your Holiness?”
“Please, call me Nico. And yes, I do. I -- don’t want to be away from Breccan here, and I’m not going to steal him away to the Divine Realm,” Nico muttered, avoiding her eyes as we began walking.
A sudden seriousness came upon Genevieve’s expression. “Do you mind if I travel with you? Pardon the intrusion, but there are things I need to tell you that you might not know.”
“Does this have anything to do with the shadow creatures?” I asked, nervousness twisting my stomach.
“It does.” Genevieve nodded.
“You may come with us,” I said.
As uncomfortably intense as the Priestess could be, if she had information on the monsters, we needed to hear it. Nico and I had had no idea where or how to start fighting them. Perhaps Genevieve could provide us with answers.
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written for 500themes prompt #198 - "Suddenly"
next chapter
previous chapter
---------
I opened my eyes to utter darkness, having no idea where I was. Everything felt foggy and slow. I blinked repeatedly, hoping to make some sense of things. This had to be some kind of dream, but I knew dreams didn’t involve nausea roiling in the pit of my stomach or a pounding headache that worsened every time I tried to move.
More disturbing yet, I didn’t remember falling asleep to end up in such a predicament. I -- didn’t remember anything at all. My chest tightened; I could barely even breathe. My heart beat faster and faster. Breathing deeply, I tried to get it under control. There had to be some solution to this problem. If only I could remember how I had gotten here.
“Breccan?” That was Nico’s voice, though it sounded off somehow. And where was he?
“Nico?” I called out, feeling my head pulse angrily at the sudden burst of noise I made.
Squinting, I saw a pinpoint of white light in the distance. Slowly, it approached in a strangely smooth gliding motion, eventually revealing itself to have a humanoid shape. Was that Nico?
“It’s me,” the being of light said in something close enough to Nico’s voice.
I shut my eyes against the brightness and the unceasing pain in my head. I recalled how Nico had transformed when he became enraged and killed Egan. The memory of that night made my nausea worse, and I thought I might vomit.
“Do you know where we are? How did we get here?” I croaked. And why was I floating like there wasn’t any ground at all?
“This is -- a limbo of sorts,” the light-Nico sighed.
I tried to open my eyes so I could look at Nico in this form, but my condition made it so that I couldn’t keep them open for long. Closing them again, I said, “Could you -- maybe not be so bright? My eyes...”
“I am sorry,” he sighed. “In this place, I need to use this form in order to access the necessary power.”
“Necessary power?” That was when I remember he had called this place a “limbo.” My unsettled stomach sank. He could mean...”Am I dead?” I asked.
I felt a strange warmth flow through my body, both like Nico’s seduction powers and unlike it. Nico murmured, “I’m afraid so.”
The knowledge wasn’t as horrible as I thought it would be. Perhaps being dead meant I accepted death more easily. I asked, “How? I -- can’t remember.”
That warmth continued to flow through my body, but I felt something else as well -- a nagging darkness that seemed to fight the power that I assumed came from Nico. I chanced another opening of my eyes; Nico had his hand on my shoulder. His body, such as it was, seemed to tense in concentration and he flickered, like he was having difficulty doing whatever it is he was trying to do.
The brightness was too much again, so I closed my eyes. “And what are you doing?” I said.
“I am trying to bring you back. I can do that, you know, but...” he trailed off, sounding painfully sad even through the oddness in his voice.
“But?” I asked. I paused. “And you still didn’t tell me how I died.”
“You died saving me from a shadow monster. Again, I might add. You -- strangled it to death at the cost of your own life,” Nico murmured. A frustrated surge of his power ran through me. “That’s why I can’t revive you so easily. The shadows are blocking my power somehow.”
I struggled to take all this information in, but memories flashed through my mind of my ill-fated second rescue of Nico. I couldn’t believe I had done that, but, also, confusion niggled the back of my mind. “Isabel said the shadows kept her looking young, yet they’re likely to prevent me from being brought back?”
“It’s complicated,” Nico sighed as another burst of power surged through me. Through my closed eyes, I felt him move his hand to my forehead. “And resurrection is difficult at the best of times. Most gods don’t bother.” His voice sounded almost like he was in pain.
“You shouldn’t hurt yourself over me,” I cried. My raised voice made my head pulse with extra pain again, and I winced.
“Do you really think I would just let you die after all you’ve done for me?” he asked. “You are my heart, Breccan. You are the reason I might believe in myself at all. And you think I would just let that go without doing everything I can?” As he spoke, energy radiated through me, shaking my body. I felt Nico’s distress as he tried to bring me back.
I wanted to tell him again not to waste his effort on me, but with the way he used his power now, I couldn’t speak. All I could do was accept it, especially since I had a feeling Nico wouldn’t give up until there was absolutely no chance I might live. Still, Nico’s methods distressed me as I could sense the pain he felt. While he tried to revive me, his power connected us.
When he sent an especially powerful burst through me, making the insides of my eyelids turn red, I cried out. It wasn’t for myself, but for him. In that burst of power, I sensed so much longing inside Nico, longing to be human and to feel like a human did. I could tell he meant it when he said I was his heart. Poor Nico’s connection to humanity was far more tenuous and fragile than he wanted to admit.
My eyes stung as he continued to send power through me. Strangely, I seemed like I was growing more solid. Was Nico’s power working? After sensing what I had from him, mixed feelings tumbled in my mind. I couldn’t be responsible for his entire humanity, but I didn’t want to abandon Nico, either. Through our connection, I sensed an honest desire to be good. I wanted him to strengthen what goodness he had so that, should I die, Nico would still be able to be a decent person.
He sent the most overwhelming burst of power yet through me. Pain overwhelmed everything, though I didn’t know if it were Nico’s or my own. I screamed as I passed out again; was my life truly over now?
It wasn’t.
I awoke to a blue sky above me and a ground of stone below me. It was very much of the living world. The shadow monster I had fought was nowhere to be seen. I sighed with relief, though every inch of me ached, and I couldn’t move.
Nico knelt beside me. When I looked up at him, I noticed his face was streaked with tears, and his eyes had returned to their natural pale violet. While his hair was still cut short, Nico had regained the full measure of his divine good looks.
His hand rested on my forehead, but he withdrew it. “You’re alive,” he breathed.
“I suppose so,” I said quietly. Even talking caused me pain.
Only then did I notice the crowd of people who had gathered around us. I groaned, hating the feel of their eyes upon me. Nico didn’t seem to notice them; he threw him arms around me, swallowing me in a tight embrace. His body shook against mine; I could feel him start to cry.
“Everyone back away,” a commanding female voice rang out. I winced; it was far too loud, and there was a disturbing, almost godlike power in that voice. “Leave this place now; do not meddle in the affairs of the gods.”
My sensing of power in the voice turned out to be correct because the crow did back away, leaving me and Nico in an empty street along with a strange woman. Nico let me go, looking at the strange woman in surprise.
I assumed her to be the one who had spoken. She had almost ink-dark skin with piercing dark brown, almost black, eyes and long pure black hair. The woman possessed an odd aura of power, almost like she were a goddess, but I could tell she was mortal, though a strange one. Most unusual by far, she didn’t wear any purple, instead wearing a simple white outfit.
The woman bowed before rising into a sort of kneeling position. Nico gave her an odd look, clearly as unnerved by her presence as I was. I tried to sit up through the pain, not liking to so prone in such a strange situation. With Nico’s help, I was able to remain sitting, as long as I leaned on him for support.
“Begging your pardon, Your Holiness, I must admit I am stunned at such a level of devotion to a mortal man. Never in my life did I expect to see a genuine resurrection, especially not after a death at the hands of those creatures,” the woman breathed as she gazed at Nico with a look of outright reverence in her eyes. “Please forgive my intrusion into your affairs. I am Genevieve, Priestess of the Gods.”
She bowed yet again. Genevieve couldn’t be one of them; they had all vanished, last I heard. Nico tensed, not looking directly at her. “Please, just call me Nico,” he said.
The Priestess’ eyes widened at Nico’s request. “You would forgo the respect you deserve?” she breathed.
“I don’t deserve any respect,” Nico muttered. That only made Genevieve’s eyes widen more. She seemed incapable of speech.
“Nico is...unusually human,” I said, shifting my position slightly to try and alleviate the pain I felt.
Still with that stunned expression on her face, Genevieve said, “I-I’ll say. Never have I seen a god cry such.”
I looked around. The street was still empty, but I feared people would eventually return. “We should get out of here,” I said.
“Are you able to walk?” Nico asked. “I -- I am sorry. Resurrection is painful, and divine healing cannot fix that.”
“If you help me, I think I can,” I said, trying not to wince at the pain.
“Anything for you,” he murmured. Nico helped me stand up. I cried out softly once as he lifted me with his arm around my shoulder. Genevieve watched silently. Her expression suggested she couldn’t understand what was happening.
“I don’t think I’m up for clothes shopping,” I said. “Alex isn’t going to be happy when we get home.”
Genevieve looked at Nico questioningly. “You live with humans, Your Holiness?”
“Please, call me Nico. And yes, I do. I -- don’t want to be away from Breccan here, and I’m not going to steal him away to the Divine Realm,” Nico muttered, avoiding her eyes as we began walking.
A sudden seriousness came upon Genevieve’s expression. “Do you mind if I travel with you? Pardon the intrusion, but there are things I need to tell you that you might not know.”
“Does this have anything to do with the shadow creatures?” I asked, nervousness twisting my stomach.
“It does.” Genevieve nodded.
“You may come with us,” I said.
As uncomfortably intense as the Priestess could be, if she had information on the monsters, we needed to hear it. Nico and I had had no idea where or how to start fighting them. Perhaps Genevieve could provide us with answers.
---------
written for 500themes prompt #198 - "Suddenly"
next chapter