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Warmth. HER warmth... at long last... It danced on her fur where it shone down from above. It blinded her long dormant eyes. It warmed her very breath as she felt the first touch of her warmth, of her power gifted by the goddess of life herself, in centuries... She looked back to the panther in a new sense of disbelief, his dark features shining beautifully beneath her own light... Was he real after all? This was her warmth, not even her madness could mistake that. Had he really brought her back into the light? Had she... Had she finally been freed from the darkness she brought upon herself? As she struggled to accept that this was truly happening, the panther spoke to another nearby beast in words the goddess just couldn't comprehend. Languages do tend to change after a few millennia, after all.
The goddess warily turned her head away from her hero, and squinted towards the other beast, her vision still struggling to adjust after so long. It was another young feline, a very handsome lion. The lion answered the panther in that same foreign language, and the goddess noticed the lion nod towards her. The panther looked back down at the goddess in his arms, seeing just a regular beastman, and spoke to her once more, turning his head a little. The goddess, not understanding, turned back to the lion once more. The lion spoke in words unknown to her yet again.
"My name, is Prince Alocer. May we have yours?" She never understood a word the young lion said, but she really like the sound of one of those words, the way she had to flick her tongue to speak it made her smile as she mimicked the part of the king's name rather poorly.
"Aloce..." The panther looked down at the patchwork, calico cat in his arms, and smiled, speaking softly to her as she gazed back at her savior in both admiration and in the fear that she would soon awaken from this dream on that slab again.
"Alice... That's a pretty name. I am-" Jagón never even finished, she had finally started accepting that this was real, and she desperately needed to know who the beast that had finally come to her rescue was. The very goddess of the sun pulled herself up further in her young knight's arms, and planted her maw firmly against his own. She cast an easy spell, and with a quick, stolen kiss, Alice copied the modern tongue right from the noble panther's own. When she pulled away, she only stared up at him endearingly. It was real, it was actually happening...
Jagón blushed furiously, and meekly looked away from the kiss that burned with the warmth of the sun as a young Alocer laughed nearby. The lion spoke in a language she could finally comprehend.
"Sorry, Alice, but my friend here is a betrothed beast! I'm glad you are feeling better though." Jagón wouldn't dare look at her again, his ears stayed flat, and his fingers only trembled as he held the feline so closely... That kiss... That wild heat... it would tempt even the most dedicated partner to stray. Luckily for him, Alice understood this.
The goddess wanted the panther desperately, but she would not cross any lines, she would respect her hero's wishes for many years. Even still, she would always find her heart lingering on the dark and valiant beast that freed her from her eternal nightmare, no matter how much she tried to heal in the years to come.
She was a goddess, and he was a mortal, after all... She knew it could never work, that she would only ever be met with their eventual goodbye. She knew he needed to live his mortal life, he needed to be with his mortal wife, and he needed to live as mortals do. She would not interfere, a promise born of her love for the panther, but she would still admire him from afar every so often for the years to come. She had her innocent means.
His wife, Felicity, was gorgeous. She was an ebony leopard with a beautiful coat matching Jagón's own, and those two were incredible together, they deserved each other. Alice quickly became a close friend to both as a talented mage, (among other members of the new beast king's army,) and she visited the two often in those earlier years. Sometime later, around three years after Jagón and Felicity had bore their first child, Alice was visiting their town once again.
She visited their home as usual, pestered the object of her affection casually, and she laughed with Felicity as she held their child, Talan. Alice truly was happy for the Venatus family, and she never meant to cross any lines, she had far more respect for Jagón than that.
"However... even the remaining gods would eventually be surprised by what fate had in store." Calium came to another stopping point, pausing in reverence to gaze off into the distance again. Aster wondered what he was looking at, but the king returned his gaze a moment later before he simply continued, his voice held a hint of sorrow.
"She had found a way to see him in the ways she never could."
===
Another blast of flames collided with the wall of swirling shadows, this one far more focused and desperate. Alice was feverishly trying to find some way to stop this from going any further. Jagón and Stahl had to shy away from the intensity of that fire as the sun goddess laid into her assault with every bit of power she still held in her dying state. The two mortal beasts stared at the recently revealed goddess with looks of sadness, empathy, and admittedly, fear. Alice's assault died off a moment later, and the cat fell to her knees panting, never managing to break through that wall. Her voice was shrill, and pleading, calling out in her defeat as she begged for at least her last shred of dignity to be spared in mercy.
"FATHER! I know you're there! PLEASE... Please... do not let him speak on that shame... Allow me this one secret to keep my own... I beg of you, don't let him do this." Jagón softly answered the weeping and frantic goddess, stepping closer as he went to console her. She was still Lady Alice, right? As he laid his hand carefully on her shoulder, the panther spoke in that warm and rich tone the goddess had fallen so in love with in the first place.
"It's alright, you aren't trapped in that place anymore. I had no idea... I can't even imagine... I just, I need you to know that it's alright that you needed to cling to me after so much, I under-" Alice cut him off coldly.
"No... You do not understand, Jagón. You truly never had any shred of understanding about what I had done... about the lines that I crossed back then... Please, just walk away for this part. I cannot stand for you to hate me..."
King Calium continued after a casting an apologetic stare the goddess's way. Jagón heard every word the king had to say.
===
Alice had used a very simple spell, and done a very innocent thing for many years; She would wait until the latest hours of the night, close her eyes, lie down within range, and pass her consciousness from her vessel into Felicity. She would open her eyes in the stillness of the night, and she would simply gaze at the panther in his most peaceful form, when he was fast asleep.
The sun goddess would hold that connection for a while, and she would just quietly thank the knight for what he could never know the truth about, for what he had really done on the day he returned her freedom. Alice would softly thank the panther for returning her warmth to her, she would thank him for everything he had done to make her life in Alora a comfortable one, and she would thank him for allowing her broken heart to feel like it could beat once again... and then she would sing for him.
She would sing so softly, so faintly, as to never quite disturb the resting knight, but as to bring his troubled spirit so heavy with the burdens of his duty some peace as he rested. She would give him this as thanks, and she would rather he never even knew, she would rather he never feel the need to repay her, for this was the least she could do for the one that had returned her to the light. What Death never foresaw, was his daughter, a goddess, ever worshipping a mere mortal so thoroughly.
This night would be no different, she would do what she needed to retain her peace, and she would leave the general with his own bit of peace by the end. It was so harmless, never once did she think that maybe... Never did she consider... If only she had known...
Warmth, burning more beautifully then even her own... Heat, rising through her, no... being pressed into her, his maleness only raking those burning embers mercilessly as it gouged its way through her tunnel. Those eyes, that blackened and dark gaze more penetrating than even his thickness was, those eyes were what truly burned her the most in that unexpected moment. The goddess shuddered, unintentionally interrupting a most sacred moment between husband and wife... She knew she needed to leave, she knew she needed to turn back, and to never peer into their privacy again... The foolish goddess knew what the only decent option left for her was, but she just couldn't let go...
After so many years, so many centuries all alone... After her warmth was finally given back to her... After years of staving off her improper desire for the mortal, the sun goddess finally found herself face to face with everything she could ever long for in such a lonely and broken world... She could only shudder into his heat, and press her borrowed muzzle firmly into his own, a familiar fire lingering behind that kiss just out of recognition of the panther general. The kiss reignited the long patient desire still buried deep within his honorable soul, the desire to taste the wildfire of her magical kiss one more time.
"There was a sudden spark, and that spark grew into the tiniest ember. A warm soul was born of the sun herself, one mortal blessed with the power of a god, bearing the kindest heart forged by her fiery love and gratitude for his father... " Aster's eyes went wide, not certain this was anything he even wanted to know before the deeper implications fell upon the boy. Aster found himself whispering out the answer in utter disbelief.
"Corty..."
===
Jagón couldn't move, the panther general just stayed staring off towards the wall of shadow in a state of disbelief. Cortist was born of Felicity's body, Jagón was there... He was their son... Surely this was not something possible? Surely, the human king was mistaken... Surely...
Jagón finally turned his gaze back to Alice. She was weeping in the most feverish shame she ever thought possible. Her face was buried into her hands, unable to ever look her mortal affection in the eyes after he finally knew the truth of what she had done in her weakness. Jagón found himself feeling oddly dizzy all of a sudden. Alice was trying so desperately to think of something she could even say, some way she could make such a thing less horrible. The goddess could not find any words in that moment, but another interrupted the trio of beasts in that garden with a more consoling approacg. Such a somber tone for such a hollow voice...
"Do not weep, my daughter, were your mother still around to see the beauty of your cub, she would assuredly shed only tears of happiness." Alice, Jagón, and Stahl all quickly found their attention suddenly drawn away from the unsettling reveal, and over towards a patch of the garden a few paces away. The mortals seized in unexpected fear as they first laid their eyes upon the beast of Death. The sun goddess called out angrily to her father.
"HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOURSELF NOW! DON'T YOU SAY A DAMNED WORD ABOUT CORTIST! You just leave him out of this... You leave him be..." Jagón finally tore his eyes away from the ghastly appearance of the god of death, of Alice's father. The panther looked to the smaller feline once more, and was torn by so many conflicting emotions that he wasn't certain if he could ever make sense of this development. He spoke quietly to the goddess, in a more humbled tone.
"Is Felicity the mother of my son? Was he ever even ours?" Death answered the very overwhelmed panther as truthfully as he always answered his children.
"The cub is of your own essence, as well as your wife's. My daughter was simply a third donor in that situation, he just had three souls give life to his own rather than the usual two. Yes, he was always your cub, but he was always my daughter's cub as well... Now, he is my cub."
Alice sucked in a sharp breath as she quickly took a few paces forward, seemingly having no reservations about going swing for swing with the very god of death if it came down to Cortist. She hissed out her answer with narrowed eyes.
"What have you done to him?" Death only chuckled before answering this in truth as well.
"I made a deal with him. I found your lost little kitten stumbling around in the dark where it was dropped on my doorstep, starved for the attention, knowledge, and power his fiery heart so desperately sought. I gave him guidance, I gave him the nurturing he needed, and I gave him what you never would own up to your own mistakes enough to do... I gave him tests, I wanted to see what you really gave that little kitten, and I made sure I had him standing clearly in my view before he ever started his road to growth, to power that actually fulfilled his wanting soul... You truly have no idea what you made, do you? You were always either too ashamed, or too afraid to see what miracle lie in the wake of your creation, weren't you, daughter?" Alice was petrified, finally understanding that her father already had Cortist... Jagón broke his silence at last.
"What do you mean you made a deal? What have you done to my son?" The god of Death looked to the panther with his glaring, golden eyes, and answered with his own question rather smugly.
"Which son? The one I made a deal for, the one I made a deal with, the one I used to make a deal, or the one that quickly approaches a need for one of my deals? I'm afraid you'll have to be a little more specific when it comes to your sons and their business with me." Jagón clenched his jaw, not caring for the idea that a god had been meddling in his family affairs so deeply. The general clarified for the deity.
"What have you done with Cortist? What deal did you make him?" Death's gaze took on a mischievous grin. He answered clearly.
"He agreed to serve me, and I spared your life in exchange. You aren't actually dead, you could've gone back this entire time, she just realized where you were, and came to sing to you once more. Truly, a touching reunion." Jagón was horrified, he quickly asked another question.
"Take it back. Release my son, and I'll stay here instead." Death chuckled in amusement at the offer, but spoke his answer decidedly.
"No. I will never be letting that son of yours out of my control. He needs guidance for power on a scale like his, he needs a mentor, and if I take the role, at least I know he won't be harmed while he learns to control his power." Jagón was almost surprised by that answer, but then the panther remembered something about the god. He was a father as well.
"You care about him." It was not a question Jagón was asking, but a fact he was stating. Death looked away in silence before answering.
"He is the most important, and beautiful thing I have left in this world. He is warm, and budding. He is full of surprise, mystery, and the spark of my very beloved. Even I cannot see his true potential, but I can see enough to know this much; My daughter created an entirely new god, one that was born into its own vessel. However not even I know what exactly he is the god of. I do not know where his power truly stems from or lies just yet, but he can wield the gifts of the original as easily as we ourselves could. Yes, I do care about him. I care for him so very, very deeply, and that is why I couldn't leave him be. That power would have consumed his mortal body in time, but not if he can learn to command it." Jagón gasped in shock, and the panther answer the old god in respect.
"Then you have my thanks for that. You swear, you've no intentions of ever harming him? Swear it to me here." Death chuckled to the panther, and answered rather plainly.
"I have to swear nothing to you... but no, I have nothing in store that isn't for his own good. He will be the only god that remains at all should the shield bearer fail here, after all." Jagón asked another question, never faltering when it came to the safety of his cubs.
"What must Aster do then? Why is he, his wolf, and his birth father here? Why am I here?" Death answered flatly, as if it were no big deal.
"None of you actually matter to me in this trial, and are only here of your own doing, but you're welcome to help him however you want. The boy has to take the same trial all the shield bearer's have, the boy has to face Death."
===
Cortist Venatus, An average mortal beast destined to be born of two regular, mortal parents. Nobody thought twice, why would they? It was such an easy thing, for the goddess to hide what she had done. As the years came and went, she was careful to always keep a close eye on the cub from what distance she could maintain. She made note when he progressed, and she stopped breathing entirely the first time she heard him hailed as a young, prodigal mage. From the day he began his studies, she was always so observant anytime it came time for one of his exams. She breathed out in relief the first time he failed one, assuming it meant he didn't have the entire first language after all.
She was so afraid of what she had done... That night was like a feverish dream after so many years, and while it was enough to know lines were crossed, while it was enough for the goddess to stop what she believed a harmless way of visiting her mortal affection, it wasn't enough to know how much of herself had influenced the cub... She was relieved when he failed, never questioning whether the young mage would be smart enough to know his capabilities weren't something he should flaunt about. Cortist may have had two, mortal parents, but he was certainly more like his celestial mother than the goddess would have ever believed... Cortist was good at hiding things.
"A trait that proved most useful for the mage gifted with a peculiar younger brother." Calium came to another rest, allowing his son a moment to say what he wanted to. Aster didn't know what to say, but he finally came up with something.
"I always thought I just imagined how warm he was... I just thought that was who Corty was..." Calium reassured his son.
"That is exactly who he is. He is the same, kind brother to you he has always been, you both just always held a piece of the same goddess's power. Nothing about who either of you are has changed, only your understanding of it. Your warmth is your own now, just as his is his own. The origins of that warmth before it became yours matters not, it is only what you will use it for going forward that makes a difference now." Aster looked a little stunned for a second, but his expression softened to a meek smile a moment after. He averted his gaze, and casually remarked to himself.
"So this is how Stahl feels when I say something all mushy like that..." Aster had to admit, he could never see his own charm before, but if he shone even half as brightly as his father seemed to, then it was no wonder his wolf was so smitten. Aster was truly thankful he had this chance to see what Calium Aureus was like. The king spoke with a chuckling grin.
"Well, I can't say I completely approve of that wolf just yet, but I am glad he brings you such happiness. Still, I do have high expectations of that beast of yours, he has potential to be revered as one of the greatest knights ever known with a little more polishing." Aster felt that response seemed pretty standard for a parent, but the boy could only smile about it. (Stahl was certainly feeling a little flattered by the human king on the other side of that barrier.) Aster knew his father meant it all mostly as a compliment. It was just really nice in Aster's opinion, getting to have a normal moment with his birth father like that. Calium felt the same, but he had to push the conversation along, there were still things for the boy to learn.
