‘Alene! Alene,’ someone called, as they reached the airspace above her city. Ceit?! Ceit had returned! But it hadn’t even been a full year? ‘Alene! I came as soon as I was free! I’ve been called by Oongx!’ A star was shooting down, coming from the heavens far above, appearing bright even in the daylight. Ceit materialized from its brilliance, dressed in long flowing white robes, diaphanous, a wreath of stars twinkling around her head, threaded through her white curls. Alene took a human form, keeping her wings, growing them into massive things, out the back of her shoulder blades, a second pair emerging as well to support her weight, feathers speckling her arms. She was impressed that Ceit had recognized her, even as a bird.
‘Ceit!’ She called, gliding on a hot air thermal to reach her. She hugged her friend tightly, putting all her longing and affection in the embrace. Ceit laughed, hugging her back, wrapping her arms around her, careful of her wings. ‘Come on,’ Ceit said after a moment, smiling widely, ‘let’s go back to your place.’
They descended together, hands held. Ceit apparently unaffected by her own mass, star figure light as air. ‘I missed you,’ Ceit said once they landed, back in the comfort of her skull. Ceit was almost too bright to look at, her glow filling the space with a cosmic beauty, her pale visage radiant.
‘You were called!’ Alene said, admiring her star studded hair. ‘Yes! Oongx acknowledged my dedication so much earlier than I expected!’ she exclaimed. ‘And now I’m part of her constellation, the tip of her left horn! And I have so many acolyte siblings to talk with all the time!’ She gushed, excited. Alene smiled indulging, it was nice to have her home filled with Ceit’s exuberance once more.
The room felt more full, more homey, with her in it. ‘And you’ve changed as well! Look at you, a solid form!’ Alene spun, showing off her corporeal form, long opal blue hair spinning with her. ‘Yes! And I regained some of my memories too!’ Ceit clapped her hands excited ‘I heard! Oongx said you were the god Una, but that you would have to regain your memories yourself, you have no idea how hard it was not to tell you right away! Apparently she is quite close to your mother, for gods, anyway. But you’ve found them now! I’m so so happy for you,’ she hugged Alene once again, sighing happily in her arms, nose buried in her hair.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
‘I think…I think I might be ready to patron another city,’ Alene said, after a while, telling her about the journey she had taken to regain herself. It was a new thought, one she hadn’t been ready to say out loud, but it felt good to share, and good to have Ceit to share it with, to be the first one to hear about it. ‘I think that would be wonderful, any city would be blessed to have you as their god.’ Ceit took her hand, squeezing it supportively. The unadulterated faith in her expression sent a flush of warmth and through Alene, flattered that she was the recipient of Ceit’s confidence.
They talked for hours, Ceit regailing Alene with stories of her travels since, of how Oongx called her to the sky, the elaborate ceremony to accept her into the heavens. The reunion with her family. As night fell they moved to the roof, back to where Ceit had first invited her to join her on her journey.
‘I feel different with you, than with my other friends,’ Alene told her, eventually, having spoken to her at length about Sym and Hiru, the reveal of Novem’s true identity shocking Ceit. ‘I don’t know if it's because I met you after I was lonely for so long, imprinted on you like a baby chick, or if it’s because I met you on equal grounds, not as a god, or if I just have feelings for you.’ Ceit nodded, listening intently. She sighed, ‘I’m not sure either, and it’s a complicated thing to untangle,’ Ceit said, slowly. ‘I also met you when I was at a lonely place in my life. I hadn’t seen anyone for a very very long time. But I missed you when I left, unlike I had missed anyone before. And, that has to mean something, I think.’ Alene smiled, it was a relief to know that she was not the only one, to know that her feelings might be returned. She held Ceit’s hand, intertwining their fingers, her head on her shoulder, as they watched the sky together. Two lonely souls - now comforted by each other, looking up into a wide night. They had an eternity to figure it out.