IN THE VOID
Thinking about it now, my life on Earth had been so much better than this, even though I had been killed by someone I trusted. Back then, I had people at my beck and call and didn't have to wait a single minute. Yet here I was, in the presence of gods, waiting for them to end their little squabble and notice that the "mere mortal" was still waiting for them.
Even though I hadn't gone far, I felt I had changed ever so slightly.
"What do I do now? It would be rude to interrupt," I thought.
Fortunately, the gods saved me from pondering too much.
"Aren't we forgetting something?" Badmiel asked.
"Not that I know of," replied Mikhail.
"Hmm… I still feel like we did, though."
The gods kept staring at each other as if wondering why the other wouldn't remember what they had forgotten.
I found the scene funny but decided to stay quiet, so as not to ruin it.
Minutes passed. Nothing happened. I was about to speak when a sudden flashback hit me.
"Me? You may call me Enchanted, my boy. You have done well."
"Huh… what did I just see?" I thought, holding my head to ease the sudden pain.
"Hmm, let's forget about it. Probably unimportant," Badmiel said, releasing his hold on Mikhail.
"You're probably right," Mikhail replied, straightening his robes.
"Hey, don't forget about me, Enchanted," I said before I could stop myself.
"Enchanted, you're here? Why didn't you say so?" Mikhail asked.
"You dimwit! Enchanted hasn't come here ever since… you know what happened," Badmiel snapped.
"Oh, yeah. Then how does the mortal know about him?" Mikhail asked.
"The mortal… that's who we forgot," Badmiel said, facepalming.
I didn't understand why I knew the name of a god from a world I'd never been to—or why it felt like the name was mine to call.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence," I muttered, trying to steady my racing mind.
---
AT THE PALACE – THE PRINCE'S PRIVATE CHAMBERS
"Your Highness, are you sure they'll make it in time? It's just a few hours till midnight," his royal adviser pointed out.
The prince didn't want to admit it, but even he was losing faith. He dreaded facing his father and the nobles, all scheming to tear him limb from limb to claim the crown.
"It's fine. He'll make it. I believe in him," the prince said.
"I'm starting to wonder if you're saying that to reassure yourself more than me," the adviser teased.
The prince averted his eyes. Whenever he thought of Luminous, hope surged inside him. He only wished the image of the half-blood he couldn't get out of his mind would be enough to see them through.
"It's fine, Your Highness. I'm with you every step of the way," the adviser assured him.
"Thank you, Aquarius," the prince said with a playful smirk.
"I told you not to call my name, Your Highness. It's embarrassing," Aquarius said.
"I know, but no one's around," the prince replied.
"Still, you can't," Aquarius said, covering his face.
"Don't hide your face from me. You know I love looking at it," the prince teased.
"You said the same thing about that half-blood. How can I believe you now?" Aquarius asked, raising an eyebrow.
"His name's not Half-Blood, it's Luminous," the prince said firmly.
"There you go again, correcting me," Aquarius sighed.
The prince pulled him toward the bed.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. We'd just end up fighting like usual," he said, leaning in to kiss Aquarius.
"If that pleases you, ******." Aquarius murmured, sinking into the prince's embrace.
Hours later, even after the prince had used Aquarius to clear his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about Luminous. He didn't understand why, but the thought weighed heavily on him.
"Maybe I'm still worried because they aren't back yet," he thought, closing his eyes to rest before the ceremony, hoping against hope that Luminous would return in time.
---
BACK IN THE VOID
"You know, mortal, I don't know what insight you had, but no one is supposed to know that name," Badmiel said.
"Why is that?" I asked.
"I cannot tell you. But keep quiet about it," Badmiel replied.
"If not everyone remembers them, why are you trying so hard to keep it a secret?" I pressed.
"It's for your own good, brat. Stop making me recall the incident that sent him into seclusion," Badmiel grumbled, rubbing his temples.
"If you don't explain, how would I know why I shouldn't do it?" I asked cheekily.
"You know I could send your soul to the cycle of reincarnation for being mischievous, right?" Badmiel warned, raising an eyebrow.
"Boooo! Now you're being as petty as Mikhail," I retorted.
"Hey! Don't mock me, mortal," Mikhail said, frustrated.
Badmiel shuddered at the comparison.
"Now that's a troublesome thought," he muttered.
"Hey, I'm not that bad," Mikhail pouted.
"If a promiscuous god isn't bad, then who is?" I asked.
"The god of death," Badmiel and Mikhail replied in unison.
I shuddered at the thought of death.
"I see… Mikhail does look meek in the face of death," I said, smiling.
"I have a bad feeling… that sentence has a double meaning," Mikhail muttered.
"No, you're just overthinking," Badmiel said, remembering a funny memory.
"I can't believe you're picking on a god," Mikhail said.
"Aww, it's just because you're so lovable," I stated.
"Really?" Mikhail asked, brightening.
"Yes," I said flatly.
"I knew it! I knew you were awesome from the start. You have good eyes for these things," Mikhail laughed heartily.
Badmiel and I exchanged glances, wondering how he could be so carefree.
"I like you. I'm gonna give you my blessing," Mikhail declared.
"WHAT?" Badmiel and I shouted in unison.
"Are you sure about this?" Badmiel asked.
"I know he's not a hero or destined for greatness, but I want to give it to him," Mikhail said.
"You realize I'm standing right here?" I asked.
"It's fine. Not like you can stop me," Mikhail said seriously.
I thought long and hard but had no comebacks, so I just stared angrily as Mikhail chuckled.
"Now come forward. I'll give you the blessing and send you on your way," he said.
Overjoyed, I felt hope surge—I could still make it to the ceremony in time.
Mikhail stepped forward, touching me, and a bright light filled the void.
"What… no, this cannot be!" Badmiel exclaimed. Even Mikhail was shocked.
"WHO DID THIS?" a booming voice demanded, making both gods flinch.
I didn't understand what was happening, but I knew my return to my body was going to be delayed once again.