(❀) falling from elegance, straight to the sea

[76heart]

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1,691 words
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xxx"Pour gently." The voice was level, calm, gentle, and nurturing like she was used to. It was a voice she had been hearing since before she could even remember being able to hear it's low, dulcet tones. Familiar, it was just familiar, and a familiar that unlike most other familiars, didn't leave her heart feeling cracked in two. Amadeus reminded her of her mother, because he had been her advisor before he became hers, but she had no memories of the three of them together that turned the nostalgic feelings sour, well past bittersweet. Odele missed her mother so much, unfathomably so.
xxxShe breathed in a sigh, and paused, halting her delicate watering of the plant, her paws twisted awkwardly; not quite meant to hold a bowl of clear blasted glass, tilted to pour the water it was filled with upon an unfurling lily, one that had been late to bloom. "I know to pour gently, Amadeus. I just do not see how this is meant to teach my how to hone my abilities."
xxx"Just pour gently. Do not spill your misunderstanding upon the innocent lily. It needs a gentle touch, your gentle touch." She knew that his words were meant to be reassuring, or instructive, but they didn't help, she just didn't understand. She had tried, tried to think of every possibility that would make sense as to why watering a lily would help her hone any sort of ability other than not spilling things, but she had found nothing, she just was not able to understand. Letting out a gentle breath, a breath of giving up because she was too tired to trying again, she sat, the glass bowl coming to rest beside her, and turned toward her advisor. He pulled her close, stroking her hair loving with a paw, eyes sympathetic. She could hear his heartbeat, a steady and yet gentle thumping, a feeling familiar, like his voice. He looked up, seeming to be lost in thought, she followed his gaze, to mountains far off in the distance. She used to look at those mountains with her mother often, and sometimes she felt her spirit by her side when she gazed at them alone. It was hard to describe, but there was something there sometimes, and it felt like her mother, it felt like home. She hadn't felt that feeling of home in so long, since her mother had left, and she watched light fade from her eyes, and everything come cashing down around her. She could feel tears beginning to pool in her eyes.
xxx"Your mother didn't understand either." Amadeus murmured softly, still in thought. She stiffened, and pushed slightly away. Her mother. Her mother hadn't understood either. That didn't help to hear, that just made her miss her more than she already did.
xxx"Please, do not speak of her." Her voice was pleading, quiet, meek, pitiful. She couldn't sound like that around anyone else, she couldn't let other people see her kingdom as weak. For a moment he looked startled, until clarity flashed across his old gaze, and she was sure he realized what he had done.
xxx"I'm sorry my lady, I only meant-"
xxx"Amadeus, please. It pains me to speak of her, to hear of her."
xxx"Delle, I ap-" She stood, cutting him off, the place where he had touched her with his warming embrace now felt far too cold.
xxx"I just, I need to go. I cannot think of her right now." With that, she left.

xxxShe stumbled down the path, without looking back, her tears beginning to blur. She just wanted to see her brother, to find him. She couldn't tell him anything, but she knew that he would understand, that he would know what it was like. He had lost their parents too, he knew the pain of it, the pain of losing mother, and of father. Their advisors had lost dear friends, but they had not lost their parents, their true mentors in the world, their closest friend, their guide, their everything. They didn't understand how much it hurt to see them gone, to feel them gone, to carry on each day knowing that they were no longer here, that she wasn't going to wake up and see her mother with a loving smile, and her father with a stern, yet gentle gaze. They didn't understand how it felt to lose it all, how it felt to grow up so quick, to fill a shadow they could never hope to fill. The one her mother left was poised, demanding, graceful, resplendent, elegant, powerful. Odele could never hope to fill that, she could never hope to come close. How could she? How could she when her mother was gone, and there was no one there to show her how? She had tried herself, and it wasn't working. She had failed her mother, her memory, her hope for her. It wasn't a shadow she could fill, a space that had been left behind that she could fit. How could she make her mother proud when she would never work within it? How could she prove to everyone that she was worthy of even filling it? What could she do for them all, if she could not take her mother's place? She felt lost, so lost, and so alone. She would give everything to hear her mother's voice again, to hear a final piece of wisdom, so she would know how.

xxxColdness of ancient, swirling stone paths seeped into her paws, along with the morning's dew, but she didn't notice. She didn't notice the bushes of flowers she passed, the birds bathing in the fountains, or her brother, coming from what looked to be the direction of within the castle, until she nearly bumped into him where the paths they walked met. She blinked, shaking the tears from her eyes, hoping he wouldn't notice that they wanted to fall. He looked angry, burning from within, irritation clawing at him like thistles and burrs being pulled from their fur when they were children, but were most unwilling to come off. He seemed to be trying to hide what he felt, trying to not seem too filled with emotion over it all, like she was, and she felt her heart pang for him. Why did he have to go through this too? Had his advisor brought up their father again during his lesson?
xxxTogether, they walked wordlessly down the path, just following each other, and where their paws took them. They didn't need to have a plan of where they were going, or a destination in mind. They just needed the presence of each other, the familiarity of a mind and heart who knew the loss they both felt. Devagyan would already have their parents proud, if they were here, watching. He filled the shadow their father left well, the mold he needed him to fill. He still had his ego, and his faults, but she knew he would make them proud. He would make them proud where she could not. He was blunter than she was, more willing to say what was needed even if it hurt, when she could barely get the words out in fear it would bring sorrow and pain, even if she managed to stumble through them anyway. He would grow to be a great god, a great king of gods in their father's stead. He could make them happy, make them proud. He would be good for their people, with an understanding of the sacrifices that needed to be made, sacrifices she could never do. They didn't need her, not as long as they had him. He filled the shadow they left, and she couldn't fit, not even if she squished. She was too soft too rule, too terrible in what she did to even be able to claim the right to call herself a goddess.

xxxA butterfly, crystal green and bright jade with flecks of sky blue flew past her, but she didn't notice, she didn't see. Normally she saw everything, but right now she saw her faults, the way things would be better off with Dev to lead in her stead. A bird fluttered past, white as snow, and a ladybird buzzed by, tickling her whisker, and making it hard to sneeze. That's when she looked up, and saw they had reached an end to their path, and a door that had not been there before. It was as white as their castle, but it looked much older, with thickened vines covering it and spreading out like a symbol of the sun, covering it's openings, and holding it tightly inside. Flowers grew large and big upon it, matching the ones that grew from their backs. What was this door? Why had she never seen it before, why hadn't she noticed it before upon this wall? What was it here for, where it it lead? What was it's purpose? Was she meant to know? Was he? Were they? She didn't know. She glanced to her brother, catching his sky blue eyes, before stepping forward, reaching out a paw to touch the smooth, almost sparkling stone, until she heard a sharp voice, and pulled back her paw as if she'd been burned.
xxx"Odele, Devagyan, wait!" It was Amadeus, and he sounded breathless, as if he had been running to find them. She turned, confusion written clearly upon her features as she watched the older Kalon, and her brother's advisor exchange a glance, nervously, cautiously, warily, before stepping forward, and hesitantly beginning to speak. "We, we have something to tell you. About your mother, and your father, and the curse. We are sorry to have kept it from you for so long." Mother? Father? The curse that plagued the kingdom below? What? She could already feel her stomach begin to churn, and the sense of dread creeping in, with hurt, and an aching that wouldn't go away. Whatever they were about to say, she knew it would break her, and she wanted to prepare herself before it did, but she wasn't fast enough, and their words brought her world crashing down.

[deerbroken]

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Dread.

That was the only thing he could feel when the news came about.

"Your father and mother... We don't know what happened. The curse, it took hold of them- there's nothing we could have done to save them."

It began to rain heavily that day, and Devagyan couldn't wrap his head around the concept.

His parents. The people who raised him, who loved him, who taught him nearly everything he knew... Now they were gone. And the rest of the world would follow, soon enough.

He sat at the edge of the world, his feet hanging off the edge as he watched the rain plummet to the ocean below. Clouds obscured the view, but every few moments the breaks in them allowed a view, the water a dark blue-green in the low lighting.

"They're gone," he'd said, his mind foggy with emotions.

He didn't know what to do, or what would happen now. Without them, the curse would only rage on, taking everything with it until nothing remained.


---


"And that's how you make the clouds weep," the young advisor says, a smile on his lips as he speaks to the young god of the skies and seas with a gentle voice. The kalon in question only now registers his voice, previously lost in thought. He glowers at the ground below him, however, observing a small bug that climbs across his paw rather than acknowledge the man trying to teach him.

"Are you listening, Devagyan?" He only grumbles in response, giving a leery glare at the counselor.

"I already know how to do this," he says, his voice bitter, resenting. The teacher sighs softly, shaking his head.

"But you have yet to master it," he replies, hoping to spur some sort of inspiration in the young man. "Master Uriel would want you to perfect your abilities before you gain control of them. Don't you agree?"

"You don't know what he would want, Odysseus," Devagyan says irritably, the scorn in his voice ever present at the mention of his father, Uriel. His passing had been a recent event, and the wound hadn't begun to heal in the slightest. The mention of his name only made the young etherial kalon more unruly, disregarding the next words that came from his mentor's mouth.

"I suppose not," he says, defeated, crossing his legs as he looked to the skies above. "You must understand that these lessons are important, young master. You will not be able to fully access your abilities until you do."

The young man only replied with a grunt, holding his paw up as the small insect took flight.

"Well, I suppose that is all for today," the man replied, giving the young kalon a look, one of defeat as well as sympathy. "You may be dismissed, Devagyan. I hope to see you here tomorrow."

The young god took no time getting to his feet, heading off to wander the temple grounds without another word. His mind wandered on the short walk through the lush grass and awry pieces of marble and stone that littered the ground, remnants of older buildings that had fallen into disrepair before being toppled. The world they lived in was falling to pieces; without their parents, and the looming curse that had taken hold of them, there was no room left for growth. The sea would swallow the beings that lived beneath the clouds, and then they would rise to take the gods with them, destroying everything until the appetite of the unholy water was sated in destruction and death. He didn't know what to do, what he could do to fix something so impressive and all-consuming. The mentors and aides that lived among them were unsure themselves, doing their best simply to keep the young gods at ease and resume business as usual.

And yet, their world could never return to the way it had been. Not without them. Not without their parents. With the curse looming overhead, and no elder gods to solve the issues with each other, it felt hopeless...

Finally Devagyan comes to a halt, unsure of where he'd found himself. The wall before him had a door-like indent and strange markings on it, ones that he could remember his father mentioning before they had succumbed to the curse... His eyes fixated on it for some time, and he began to touch the smooth stone that waited before it.

As he pondered over the nature of the structure, a familiar voice hit his ears did he escape his trance, his eyes directed towards the entrance of the palace.

"Odelle?"

His sister approached him, her eyes shifting to the strange wall he'd been looking at. Before he could say another word, one of their mentors rushed forward, fear and concern on his face.

"Odelle, Devagyan, wait!" His breath is short as he stops before them, taking a moment to recover before he speaks again.

"We have something to tell you. About your mother, and your father, and the curse. We are sorry to have kept it from you for so long." The words catch Devagyan's attention, but he grimaces before the man can speak.

"Your parents' curse will consume us all... And destroy everything in its path, if we let it. However, there is a way to stop it. If you two could find a way to reach the depths of the castle grounds, there may be a way to use your powers to break the curse. It will be dangerous," he trails off, avoiding eye contact with the two kits. "And... One of you may not be able to come back. I do wish you'd stay here instead, but I suppose you are both old enough to know of this place. Perhaps your powers are strong enough to get you to the center... To break the curse that holds tightly to us all."

Amadeus offers a small smile as he wipes his hand across the engraved marking over the door, and the wall disappears, an entrance now visible. Light shines through a long, overgrown hallway, a soft humming coming from deep within. Devagyan stares ahead along with Odelle, his mind reeling at the realization that they might be able to save their world.

The mentor's words immediately resurface in his mind.

"One of you may not be able to come back."

[deerbroken]

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"So the curse can be broken," Devagyan says, his voice hiding just a hint of hopefulness. But the cost of it, one of their lives, is an unfathomable price.

His sister nods, wiping gently at her eyes. He feels a moment of empathy, but the looming hallway calls to them both.

As they enter the dark hallway, the overgrown vines and roots that engulf the room give off an eerie sensation. The light ahead of them begins to fade, and as they reach the wall where it was shining through, the door is missing, the section of wall now overgrown with vegetation.

The two of them pick at the vines, but each section of the plant that they remove, another grows back.

Devagyan tears at the walls for hours, and Odelle, defeated, finally takes a seat on the cold floor, one of the roots in her paws.

"Won't you please let us in?" She says softly, knowing fully well that her voice will have no impact on the plant. To her surprise, however, the leaves on the vine begin to glow a soft yellow, and her eyes widen, confused and awestruck at the strange light.

"Devagyan," she says softly, taking more of the plants in her hands as they glow at her touch. "Brother, look at these vines, they're doing something strange..."

He mutters to himself and turns, irritated at the interruption at first. As he sees the plants reacting to her touch, however, his eyes widen, and he kneels next to her, his eyes fixated on the illuminated roots.

"How are you doing that?" He asks, bewilderment in his voice.

"I don't know," she says softly, thumbing over the rough growth of the thin plants. "But it's doing something."

"Well, whatever it is, keep doing it. I'll- I'll try to help." Devagyan sits next to her and holds some of the roots, though they show nothing at first. Odelle sighs softly, looking between their paws at the vegetation.

"Maybe there's something we have to do," she whispers, gently bunching the plants in her hands.

"I can't imagine what."

"Just try to think," she mumbles, closing her eyes. "Maybe this has something to do with our training?"

He joins her in closing his eyes, the room silent as they both breathe in unison.

Odelle remembers her mother's lessons. The sweet sound of her voice. The love that she shared for both of them. Watering the plants of the temple comes to mind, and her lesson only hours ago resurfaces.

"Pour gently..." She says to herself, and a sudden burst of magic releases from her paws, flowing into the vines and the earth below them. She gasps at the sensation, her eyes opening and staring in awe at the now brightly glowing plants.

Devagyan looks to her, shock on his face. "What happened?!"

"I thought of mother," she says quietly, smiling ever so slightly in her triumph. "Perhaps you should try as well."

The young kalon huffs, but does as his sister suggests, holding tightly onto the roots and imagining his mother, as well as his father.

Pleasant memories of their childhood come to the front of his mind, and he can't help but smile a little. Those days were so easy. So carefree. They had so much ahead of them, and their parents were so proud.

"Devagyan! Look!"

As he opens his eyes, the plants within his grasp glow a bright blue, and the vines within the room all begin to flash with bright lights. They watch curiously as the lights dance above them, finally settling all in one spot: the door.

As they both stand, the lights grow brighter, and the door that had been there once opens again, the short hallway leading to what must be the center of the temple.

"We did it!" Odelle's voice is exasperated, the young kalon shining like the vines they had just held in their paws.

"Now onto the curse," Devagyan says, determination in his voice.

The two walk next to each other, the bright light of the center hall engulfing them. As they reach their last room, the two of them stand before a stone pedestal.

The curse. It could all end here, right now. Just one step away from all of this being done with...

And yet how could they, knowing that one of them would be gone? Their parents was a hard blow, but to lose a sibling as well, all in such a short time... Maybe they could go back.

"I'll do it," Odelle speaks up, and Devagyan stares at her, shocked, shaking his head.

"Odelle, you can't. What will our world do without you?"

"It will survive."

[76heart]

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xxx"One of you may not be able to come back."

xxxThe moment the words had been uttered she had made her choice, she had decided her fate, and now she had to break it to her brother, the last true family she had left, and convince him that it was right, that it was the path for them to take, that she was the one to stay behind, and he the one who had to go.

xxxShe knew, she knew deep down that the kingdom could survive without her, that it wouldn't last without him. If he stayed, it would crumble and fall, and she would be the one who brought about it's ruin. She didn't fit the mold, she didn't fit the part. The role her mother wanted her to play didn't fit, so she would choose this one instead. She would make her mother proud, she would make her father proud, and she would save them all, before the case consumed everything, and their world of green and blue turned to a world of death and rotting black, of nothing but decay, where once there was nothing but life.

xxxOdele couldn't rule. He could. He could make the choices she couldn't, the ones that needed to be made. He would be able to learn and grow, and she would just be stuck in the past, stuck trying to heal hurts that would never toughen, or scar or grow old. They would always remain fresh, no matter how much time had passed, and no matter how many times the world turned round and the years went by. She couldn't heal, she couldn't move on, so she would stay, and he would go, and save them.

xxx"But what about me? How will I survive?" She could see his lip trembling, as he tried so hard to force it not to, even now, refusing to let his emotions show. She wondered why she wasn't crying, why her lips weren't trembling too, but she already knew. She already knew why. She had already resigned herself to this fate, to letting go when the words had been spoken and they ended. She didn't have anymore tears to cry, or doubts to shed. This was how she'd make her mother proud, how she'd save her brother's fate, how their kingdom would go on. Maybe some day they would meet again, in a world at life's end, in a white room alone after so many years, or maybe they never would. Maybe she would wait for him here, until it was his time, and then they would go off to some life together. "I've already lost father, and mother too. I can't lose you."
xxx"You'll survive, too. I know you will. You fit the pieces they left behind. I don't, you have to go back, I have to stay."
xxx"No." He stepped back, shaking his head, anger, and so much pain behind his bright blue gaze, refusing to let this happen, to let his sister make such a sacrifice. How had they both been shining with such brilliant light only moments ago, like the vines that had been in their grasp, only for it to be snuffed out so quickly like a roaring breeze to a small candle's flame?
xxx"Devagyan, please," Odele began, turning to face him her back to the pedestal, taking a step toward him, reaching out, pleading. "All I've ever wanted is to make them proud. I can't make them proud by filling the spaces they left for us, I just can't. Let me do this for them, please." She was starting to cry again now, desperation pulling at her words, at her mind, at her soul. They could walk away, but at what cost? Losing everything? They couldn't do that, she couldn't allow them to be so selfish. He would survive, he would live and go one without her. They had shared a last happiness, a last reminisce of memories of old together, and they had found their power, that was enough for her. She could do this, and he could too. He would survive, and so would she, wherever she ended up.
xxx"You can't."
xxx"I don't have a choice."
xxx"Please." There was a pleading tone in his voice, one she hadn't heard before. He sounded desperate, like her, aching, as his world was crumbling down.
xxx"I can't go back. I have to do this, I must. For mother, and father, for you, please." Her words came out in a murmur, reaching out to wrap her older brother in an embrace. He was meant for this, and she was meant for this. Deep down, she knew he knew it too, and that's why he nearly fell into her grasp, letting out a sob, a heart wrenching, wracking sob that broke her heart. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
xxx"I don't want you to go." Devagyan sounded so small, so much like when they were children, and they didn't want their parents to leave them alone for the night, and stop with their bedtime stories, the tales about the birth of their kingdom, and scary tales of it's curse, the curse they were now trying to break. She didn't want to go either, but she had to. It was the only choice she had, the only thing she could do to prove that she was worthy, and save her brother, and make their parents proud.
xxxShe pulled him tighter, and he pulled back, not wanting to let her go. "I'll say hello to father for you." With that, she pulled away, after a final second to make sure she never forgot how holding each other felt, and stepped back to the pedestal, touching it before he could stop her. He cried out, reaching for her, all pretenses, all parts of who he was in those moments holding him back from shouting, from crying, gone, just gone, like the way she was beginning to fade away.
xxxOdele looked up, her eyes closing, embracing it, as a light overtook her.

xxxDavagyan surged forward, but it was too late, she swirled away from his grip when he reached for her, clawing at the air to bring her back, bring her back to him. "No!" He screamed, louder than he thought he could. "Odelle!" Devagyan shouted again, louder, at the top of his lungs, as high as they would let him scream, but she was gone, and he could see her anymore, his paws hanging in the air where she had last been, where he just swiped through what had been there. He sunk to the floor, defeated, hopeless, broken, a mess of tears forcing them out.

xxxHe couldn't hold them back, he couldn't hold them back anymore, and right now he could no longer care. He had just lost his parents, his father, his mother, and now he had lost his sister too. He had watched her fade away in front of him and swirl away from him like mist, as she looked to the sky with her eyes closed and embraced it, embraced leaving him here. He couldn't stop the choking sob that left him, the way his heart seemed to shatter into millions of pieces until he wasn't sure if it still worked anymore. All he could hear were his cries, his sobs, his stupid sobs that he didn't want to feel, that he never, ever wanted to feel.
xxxAll he was in that moment in time, was a sorrow, was pain, was grief. Until he felt the walls around him begin to shake, and he looked up to see stones falling from the ceiling. The pedestal was becoming covered by the vines they had managed to clear with their magic, and they were creeping up the walls too, as things seemed to collapse, and move, and sink around him. He had to get up now, he had to run, he didn't have a choice. He didn't want to leave this place, where he had last seen Odelle, but he had to if he ever wanted to see her again, and get a chance of saving her, or seeing her one last final time for a proper goodbye.
xxxDevagyan, stood, and ran, following the path they came. It didn't take him long to reach the entrance, and the outside again, where their advisors were waiting. They didn't need to hear his words to know what happened; they only needed to see the tears upon his face to know what his sister had done, to know of the sacrifice she had made.

xxxWhen she opened her eyes, all she saw was white. She stood shakily, and looked around. It looked like she was in some sphere of white, like she was inside a crystal ball with milky white outsides, and no glimpse out. No matter where or how she moved, she was in the center; it was endless, all endless, or perhaps it all moved with her. Odele didn't know where she was, and it was scary, so horrifying for the briefest of moments, until she realized that she felt no pain. The pain in her chest was gone, the aching hurt was no longer there. There was no guilt surrounding her, no standards she had to meet, no role that she could not fill.

xxxWhere was she? Where had she gone? Where had the pedestal taken her? Was this an afterlife? Was she.. gone? No, she couldn't be, she could still breath, and feel her heart beating within her chest. So where was she then, and why was it all painless? Was she in some prison, some ball to be held for eternity, as a price to pay for stopping the curse?
xxxShe knew she should be frantic, scared, but she couldn't be. It was too peaceful, her soul was too relaxed, too worry free, for the first time in so long. She didn't know where she was, but at least while she was here, even if she was alone, her aching was gone, and her brother was safe, and free. He would hurt, but he would recover, she knew he would.

xxx"Odele?" Suddenly, a voice called out to her, and she turned, but there was nothing there, though she knew that voice, there was no mistaking who it was, and who it belonged to. It was a voice she had missed for so very long, the one she so longed to hear again. Tears welled in her eyes. "Odele? Is that you?"