"Floating, falling sweet intoxication
Touch me, trust me, savour each sensation
Let the dream begin,
let your darker side give in"

Music of the Night - Phantom of the Opera

Aera
🥀

"Nox."

That much was clear, from his words alone. The attributes of the gods were never recorded, and vary in name and role across the world despite their only recent de-unification.

Aera expected Nox to look like Kasra once did. Dark and strong features, a wide frame. Shadow-like.

Nox was tall and lithe, like a willow branch. Aera had to lean back to peer up at him from his place just beyond the archway.

Aera had a hard time perceiving him at first, his supernatural form like a mirage within their world. It wasn't right. They did not belong on the earth, to be seen by earthly beings, and there was a dissonance that could not be contended with.

It hurt to look at him, and he made no attempt to dim his ethereal aura.

Nox's hair was the color of dew in the morning, golden and silver and white just like his many great grandson's. It was long and flowing, reaching far past his shoulders in a style that was ancient and nowhere near feminine. His eyes were the color of white gold, and shimmering under white lashes. His skin was fair and pearlescent like Lily's, his mouth an almost feminine bow on his face. A long straight nose was beautifully framed by lifted eyes and high, prominent cheekbones that left delicate hollows for cheeks. He was adorned in shining garments that seemed to be spun from spider silk, delicate and molded to his thinner but strong body.

He was gorgeous, and all light. The antithesis to his very being.

While there were faint moments Aera could see Jimin in him, a hint of his jaw and a similar delicate touch to his features, they were different in the way's that mattered.

There was not a soul behind Nox's eyes.

"Aera." The god said back, his lips curling around her name. His voice was much, much deeper as his godly self, as if several men were talking at once. It set her blood on edge. "What? Are you completely enthralled into silence by being in the presence of a magnificent god?"

Well, that's where Jimin got his raging audacity from.

This was the god that also set him and his bloodline on the path for destruction. He hurt Jimin, and he forced his own blood to destroy others. He took his free will.

The Immortui woman sneered up at the smirking creature of night, "You're about as impressive a hibernating mammal on a good day. What? Have you finally stopped being a coward that gets your dirty work done for you? Come out of the shadows to do it yourself for once?"

She felt blood lust as she hurled her insults at the god. She did not care if he struck her down then, as long as she got the last word in.

It seemed as her words hit her intended mark. Again, that sleazy arrogance fell into something much darker.

"Why lower myself to your filthy, rotting world when I can watch you kill each other in my name from above? It's much more entertaining and a better use of my precious, unyielding time." The god rippled out sardonically, not a hint of humor in his layered voice. His white gold eyes flashed to hers, and she felt herself freeze as the god stepped through the arch way and into the open space next to her.

Aera wanted to fall to her feet and weep. Despite her hatred for him, his presence demanded her worship. She fought against every rivulet he flared in her direction. She almost buckled under the weight of it.

"Let me go!" She screamed, fighting against the force that kept her hands pinned by her sides. "Why are you doing this? The sun is already risen, and you have lost. Why did you pretend to be someone else? Is he—"

Aera's stomach rolled, with the realization that gods can only shift into people that existed. The real Kasra was dead. The god did not need to tell her that.

The god stared down at her with something akin to interest, but without any warmth. "I always knew you were a problem." He lifted his hand, and Aera could barely hold back the writhing in her stomach as he grazed along her cheek. The skin he touched burned. "I needed to see you myself, with my own eyes. I needed to understand why my prodigy ruined all his potential for a little Immortui woman."

"Where is he?" Aera cared little about his strange obsession with Jimin, or what the deity thought of her. The god was wrong anyways. Jimin never intended to align himself with Nox, with or without Aera. Once his mother had left his body, all grandiose delusions left him as well.

The god's eyes grew brighter in the dark. "Alive and safe in a place you should not concern yourself with at the moment. If you had been any less worthy of distraction, he'd be dead."

Aera let go of the breath she had been holding, refusing to cry in front of the god. She knew if he was dead, the being before her would have delighted in telling her.

The god seemed to brighten under the dim lights, his inhuman eyes less harsh. "Entertain me and listen, just for a little while. I will explain everything."

"Why would you?" Aera wondered why people who wished to hurt and cause pain took the time to explain themselves, much less a god. Maybe deep down it was the seed of human guilt. "Why should I even listen to a word that comes out of your mouth?"

"Because fighting won't change anything, telling you all my plans won't change a thing. I will still win in the end either way." He was calm, his long hands folded in front of him. Not an ounce of urgency captivated him. "Listening to my truth will keep your Jimin alive, for the time being."

Aera looked out the archway as the last of the day gave way to night. It seemed she too would succumb to shadow, at least until the sun rose again. She glanced back into the seemingly dark and damp cavern of the Temple, where no light breached. There must be a weakness here she could uncover while the god was distracted by his own ego.

"I supposed I don't have a choice." She said finitely. Stuck between the god and the prison he erected with dark magic.

Aera was not Leila, she could not bend moonlight to her will. She was not Taehyung, she could not set alight this place. She was not Lily nor Jimin, she could not fight her way out through shadow or starlight.

She could heal herself if he hurt her, prolonging her life.

And she had her wits.

Nox relished at her quick surrender. In the light of his eyes, she could see the challenge in them. Apparently he had seen enough of Aera to it would not be the end of her attempts to out-maneuver him. "Ah, already one step ahead. If I had to hear you cry and beg to let you go, I think I might have just killed you instead."

Charming.

The god turned without another word, expecting the mere Immortui to fall in line behind him. She watched his back carefully as the shadow seemed to reverse and morph into wall sconces, the space filling with a pale violet glow. She leaned on her right to peer past the god's tall frame, their bodies encroaching on the center of the temple.

Beneath her feet was a multi-colored mosaic, depicting a head with hair full of snakes. Blue and green glass fashioned themselves in waves across the floor. The walls inside crumbled, but long ornate pillars held up the shell of the structure, preventing the night sky from seeping in.

Nox sat himself down on what looked like a decaying black throne. Aera guessed it was more of an altar. There were old blankets, baskets, and alcohol bottles left behind from worshipping humans. Aera looked at the ground, trying to avoid cutting through her boot. 

"Sit, please. Make yourself comfortable." Nox said with a polite and rigid smile, the purple light turning his flawless skin to glass.

Aera stared him dead in the eyes. "Go fuck yourself."

The god laughed. She would have found it more liberating, if he did not then cuff her wrists together with shadow. A huff expelled from her body, as she was forced to the ground by his invisible power.

The deity made no mention of her new found constraints as he sat forward in his seat and addressed her. She glared up at him, pissed that she was fitted like a pet right by his feet. The man ignored, staring up at the ceiling as he pretended to contemplate.

"Where to begin Aera. The beginning? I hope you are ready for a long night ahead."

Great. An immortal creature wants to bore me to death.

"I would prefer you start by telling me where Jimin is. It would be much quicker."

"Oh, but Aera, I have all the time in the world." The immortal being bragged, lounging in his self-proclaimed throne. His shirts fell open, exposing more of his marble chest. Aera wanted to keep her eyes, so she didn't roll them at him.

"How do I know you will tell the truth?"

The god stared at her for so long without speaking, she began to feel uncomfortable. A god's stare was like the sky collapsing, a star exploding. It was too much to bear, and he gave her no relief. His gaze ran over every inch of her, observing carefully.

"I already told you, I have no reason to lie. When you've lived as long as I have, you'll realize it is the ones who tell the truth who are portrayed as the monsters. No one wants to hear it, they find comfort and protection in their lies. I think you can handle the truth Aera." His statuesque face dropped, the fury of night encroaching. Aera felt some of the breath being stolen from her lungs, as deep blue shadows danced around her vision, smoking and curling in her hair. His eyes were golden flames as his voice grew rough with animosity, "I wonder what lies you were told. Or should I say, what truth was omitted by the gods and their children. Tell me, what do you know of the origin of the two curses?"

"It happened after civilization collapsed and the realms between the gods and humans blurred. Gods fraternized with humans, leading to beings like King Jae who possessed extraordinary talents." Her voice was precise and cutting as she told the god what he already knew. "Jae was killing his first wife Aisulu, who had a condition that caused her to fall ill when exposed to the sun. He traveled to Romania thanks to Solis's advice, and met your lineage. Which obviously is when everything went to shit." The god only smiled wider at her insult, sitting forward. She continued, "The high priest tricked him into giving his soul to you in exchange for his wife to be cured. Instead, he was cursed and became the first Immortui, a mockery of the illness his wife had. With a descendent of the sun offering his soul to you, the balance of day and night was compromised. The sun disappeared, and you were able to cast the world in endless night."

"Very good. Keep going." The god urged, his interest rising.

She hated to follow his orders. She curled her lip but still spoke, "Your blood tricked Jae more than once. The curse did not make Jae immortal, and with his death, would die any chances of bribing the sun back. The priest knew this, and planned to take Jae's life. Solis and Lunaith met with Aisulu and told her of Jae's sacrifice. They blessed Lunetta, the same flower that was temporarily curing her disease, and told her to give it to Jae so that he would live, and so would the chance to bring the sun back. They told her the way to reverse the curse and restore would be the King sacrificing her, the light of night, for the world. She became the first daughter of the moon, the one being who if killed by one made of the black sun, could break the curse." Aera recalled the story, remembering how Leila was in broken shambles as she repeated to the council. "Aisulu didn't get the chance. Your priest killed her, restarting the curse cycle for another 100 years. His daughter, and the eventual Queen, performed blood magic to create an anti-curse, where if one of your blood killed a daughter of the moon, then night would stay forever and the sun would not return." Her voice dropped, her eyes narrowing at the god. "Hence, your sad attempt to get the Queen to kill Sorina. And your other failed attempt at Jimin killing Leila. It looks like you're out of tries Nox."

"Of course." The god commented, a begrudging smile lifting his lips. Habitually, he didn't even acknowledge her insult at his losses at the end.

It was her favorite part. The all-powerful god of night failed at every attempt to keep the sun at bay.

Aera lifted a brow, unmoved. "Tell me I am wrong."

It was a challenge. Just try to manipulate me you fuck, I'm not one of yours.

"You're missing crucial details."

"Like what?" Aera growled at him, getting tired of the back and forth. She wanted Jimin, and she didn't give a damn about the feud between gods. It was what got them into all of their messes and she was sick of it.

Nox raged back, his skin hair and eyes all blazing with a white light while the room around them fell further into shadow. Aera was unable to look away, her eyes burning and her chest constricted by his glory. His divinity swelled within the temple, his layered voice booming so loudly it shook the floor below her.

"The tragedy that caused its inception in the first place. I cannot fault beings that cannot live forever for their memory, it is not as long or as arduous as ours. But I can condemn both Solis and Lunaith for using silence and myths as their source of power." He lifted his chin, his nostrils flaring in apparent disgust as he looked down on her. "Do you truly believe this all started over a man who wished to love his wife? Do you think that Solis and Lunaith had the power to change an inconspicuous human woman into a daughter of the moon?" The air crackled with his power, as he stared the Immortui woman down, expectant. "Or is it as it always was? A simple transfer of energy through blood."

He looked at her, waiting for an answer as if she already knew. Every second she stayed quiet, he looked more unsettled. Power rippled under his skin, and she did not want to suffer anymore from it.

To find Jimin, she needed to stay alive.

"I don't know what you're insinuating or why it's important at all."

"Take a wild guess." Nox grumbled, "You're supposed to be intelligent."

Aera bit her tongue. If she wasn't impressive enough for him, why was he even wasting his time?

She thought through the story once more, and unraveled every inch of his response. Aera got stuck on the last phrase, and what he could possibly mean by lies regarding the creation of the moon.

A transfer of blood? He was right in that one is not bestowed with power, but instead born with it. There were castes amongst those with magic, the highest being Dimidium. Aera herself was only a celaestia, in the middle tier. She was told growing up she only possessed a quarter of divinity, from her mother's side.

If this were true even in the past, than Solis and Lunaith would have no power to make Aisulu, a human woman, a daughter of the moon. A moniker for a descendant of the moon god born into the cycle of the now broken curse.

"Aisulu, King Jae's wife was not the first daughter of the moon?" The ebony haired woman questioned. Her voice shook with uncertainty, not knowing if the god would react badly to her ignorance.

Aera was shocked at the almost emotion she found on Nox's face. His body had become less boastful, his gaze far away as he relaxed onto the concrete throne. The shadows around him swirled instead of frenzied, trying to comfort their master. His starlight eyes were glass as his full lips opened, "No, darling Aera. She was not." It was hard to know if he was lying, but she would listen to see if any truth existed. Her stomach plummeted a growing pit that continued to grow with his every word. "The first daughter of the moon was just that of her name. Born from the fairytale love between Solis and Lunaith, millions of years before a single mortal found itself alive on this earth." The god smiled, and for once, it was real. His eyes were a light, gentle. He spoke with a mournful sigh, "Her name was Stellwyn."

Recognition slammed through her when she heard the name. She lifted onto her knees, regarding Nox with skepticism.

"The goddess of stars." Not much written about her. Aera only knew because she had an obsession with learning about all the gods and their variations when she was a mere adolescent. The minor goddess was forgotten over the years. "You speak of her as if she were—"

"Dead." Nox whispered, his eyes turning to stone. His mouth chiseled into a thin line, jaw locked.

That is not what she was going to say. Aera was going to comment that it sounded like he missed her, and that was quite silly since he was a god and he could go to her instead of playing mastermind and trying to ruin lives.

Something about his answer terrified her more than Nox himself.

"That's impossible. She was an immortal." The stars still shone in the sky. Her power still existed, so how could the goddess not?

"Energy in all forms can be either created, destroyed, or changed." He held out his hand, forming a shadow. When he crushed it within his palm it didn't disintegrate, instead flattening into a makeshift blade. "For better or for worse, and without disregard for the consequences."

"What did you do?" Aera asked impulsively. She bit the inside of her cheek when the full blaze of his gaze rested on her, threatening to flatten her just as he did to the shadow.

How could he blame her for thinking it was the consequence of something he had done? She only knew him for his chaos and meddling in affairs he shouldn't. Trickery, disaster. The god of night hadn't made a hero of himself in human memories.

His white hair fell over his shoulder as he turned, his cheeks hallowed. There it was, a whisper of a soul in his eyes, holding on for dear life. He leaned forward, his head dipping low and near Aera's face. She was frozen in her spot, as every line of black in his white gold eyes seemed to weave and wave like clouds crossing the moon.

"I made the mistake of being weak. Of acting like a mortal. I fell in love." He spit out the words like shrapnel of metal. His face contorted. "I was young then, in our world. I had not been jaded or turned by my family's bloodthirsty and self-serving ways. There was just her." He blinked, his voice turning gravelly. She almost felt a twinge of sympathy in her stomach, and quickly pushed it away. "She was called the daughter of the moon, because her power could only be seen at night. Stars scatter across the sky like the moon's much smaller children." The god's eyes seemed much less cruel when he smiled. It made the shadows fall away.

Aera couldn't help herself. "What was the problem? Solis and Lunaith chose each other. Why could you and Stellwyn not be together?"

Nox's expression soured, and Aera felt the temperature of the room plummet. She wrapped her arms around her body, surprised it was cold enough to affect her. "Balance. The age old word I cannot stand. Neutrality. Peace. Goodness. Morals. All things created to control, to prevent sacrifice in the name of love." He took in a deep breath, stopping his rant. He spoke slowly, keeping his eyes on Aera's, "They were allowed to love each other. Sun and moon are opposites, they complement each other instead of clash. When they found out about us, we were warned that deities who create together on the same side manifest beings with too much light, or too much darkness. Throwing off the delicate balance of the world, and giving too much power to either night or day. They forced her to bond with another after we swore not to see each other again. That is the continuation of the bloodline, and hence which every daughter of the moon comes."

Aera was shocked, knowing that meant Aisulu was a direct descendent of this goddess. Sorina and Leila as well.

"We didn't keep our vow, of course. We were ignorant to the true lengths beings will go to thwart supposed threats to their power. We loved, until we were caught once again by Solis herself." Nox shook his head, eyes glassy. "I never thought they would hurt their own child. It was never a thought in my mind. Punishment was mine and mine alone, so I believed. I was wholly without my mind, when Solis sent a beam of light at Stellwyn. I still hear her scream so clearly in my mind. She was gone. No matter where I searched, no matter what realm or region I crossed, she was nowhere to be found. They banished her into her most pure form, her soul. Without a way to shift back into her body."

The stars. Stellwyn was not dead, but her soul was forever encased in the night sky.

Aera was not devoted to the gods. She did not favor any. She hated Nox because of what he did to Jimin, and this story didn't make her hate him any less.

She just hated Solis and Lunaith more. There heartless actions caused consequences that ripped through generations and destroyed so many lives.

Nox was destructive, but his reason was not all for power. It was vengeance.

Sympathy gripped her throat when she looked at Nox, and it would not let go.

"That's why you wish it to be night, always?" Aera asked softly.

"Yes. I have tried many times over the millions of years of earth to create endless night, and have successfully done so many times. It never gets old, watching Solis and Lunaith faced with what they did to their child without the reprieve of day." His barbaric smile fell, "Though I can't hear her voice ever again, or feel her touch. I enjoy feeling her presence above me always, watching me. Letting her light shine."

Aera swallowed the lump in her throat. She would not forget what he did. "You still ruined more than just Solis and Lunaith. You use your own bloodline for your gain without consequence of what it does to them."

Nox smiled, all teeth. No soul. "I don't care. Why would I? The only being I loved is gone. My descendants are consequences of passing the time with other minor gods and some chosen humans. The other deities aren't better, they hide their inhumanity behind rules. Think about it. Those leaches need moonchild blood to interfere with happenings on earth. Their daughter's blood helped to combine their magic and make it more powerful. Powerful enough to create balance, to break curses, and to make beings immortal. Daughters of the moon are just power conduits for Solis and Lunaith, and that it why they favor them."

His brutal honesty ripped through her. He didn't care about Jimin, or Lily. They were game pieces to move around through shared blood.

Aera gritted her teeth, standing tall. "They wouldn't have to keep using moon child blood if you didn't keep cursing innocent people and trying to banish the sun."

Nox's laugh was more frightening than his glare. It was wind chimes and clashing mountains. "Do I have to remind you again? I am a god, I have little desires. It is humans, magic users, and Immortui that are controlled by vice. When I am summoned, I decide whether the summoner deserves my blessing. If their wants and desires align with my revenge, then why should we not work together?"

Aera took time to piece what he was saying together. That meant it was the Priest, posing as Elder Fareena, that called Nox first. From what she recalled from the story, the man wanted immortality and in exchange Nox wanted night. It was mortal greed in that created the mess at first.

The Queen was a willing participant, using her own children.

"Jimin never asked for this." Aera lifted her chin, defending a man that could not do it himself.

"Jimin." Nox licked his lips, "That brings us to here and now. Why I suited myself in that human's flesh, and why I followed you along the way. I was shocked when I saw my prodigy break his mother's possession after he almost killed you. I was more taken when I saw your face amongst the blood and gore." His smile sent a ghostly shiver down her spine, different than the others. "You look just enough like her, you're missing silver eyes but that is inconsequential. You act like her too. After years and so many bloodlines, it shouldn't be possible. But here you are. When I first found you, it all finally made sense."

"Excuse me?"

"Ihrin, of the sea, do you look like either of your parents?"

Aera's heart raced, making her words lump together and her tongue tied. No, she didn't. It had been something she was teased about by the other nobles, other adults even.

"Stop, I don't want to know."

Nox mocked her sadness. "But child, those weren't your parents. You should know who your mother was. Most importantly, where your blood comes from."

"Enough." Aera grabbed her ears, crushing them under her palms.

She read his lips when he spoke again.

"Your mother was Sorina's sister. You are part if the moonchild bloodline." All the sound flooded back into the world again. "You're the one I've been looking for."

It was then, that everything took a turn for the worse.

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(A/N: why is Nox kinda—🧐😗😏 not for Aera but 🥵🥵🥵

OOOOOO BACKSTORYYYYYYYYY. A crazy lover boy god? Whatttt?

WE LOVE!

Okay let me know ur thoughts! And I actually won't be posting for two weeks now but I didn't want to leave that last cliffhanger! So I made a new cliffhanger ahahah.