Solis was a little uncomfortable taking over Stratoveria with plans to rebuild a palace of their own, so it was Cyn that had to explain it…

“That’s how the heavens work,” he smiled softly at his lover’s cute, unsure frown.

“Sometimes the old land is reclaimed by a new god, sometimes it stays empty for years and years until someone takes it over. Leviathyn knew that too, we are not doing anything wrong. Do you not want a place of our own? A home?”

Solis shrugged, wringing his hands.

“Of course I do. But, isn’t it a little… rude?”

Cyn grinned, going over to the other god and sweetly taking his hand.

“We can start small if that makes you feel better,” Cyn gave him a look.

“I know you don’t want to share the halls of Ruewreath with Prentis forever.”

Solis flushed, looking away, no doubt remembering their host’s awkward request one early morning to keep it down, as they were apparently frightening the Chorus.

Solis took a deep breath and looked up at Cyndras through his eyelashes shyly.

“Alright. Small changes…”

Eventually, due to Solis and Cyn’s different auras than Leviathyn, Stratoveria itself began to take the shape of their love. Darkness receded and sunlight began to shine on the north, plants growing and trees providing shade for the animals that decided to come and call this new flourishing land their home.

Cyndras was able to convince Solis to rebuild and update a few portions of Leviathyn’s terrifying palace at a time; first a small main house in the orchard that had seemed to grow overnight, and then more and more, until after the first few months, their kingdom had bloomed into a stunning, golden beauty. With exquisite gothic architecture from the original castle, and new stained-glass windows depicting Solis and Cyn’s story and life together, it had become a picturesque haven, and open to all visitors, as long as they could stomach the heavenly couple’s overt displays of affection at all times…

“Verseria? Do explain…” Prentis asked one late morning in their courtyard.

Solis poured the tea and chatted at length with his friend, while Cyndras busied himself half-listening and interjecting, but mostly refitting and hanging the birdhouses on the low-hanging trees which surrounded their garden. He was the god of death and life, afterall, and growing things and things with wings flocked to him in droves. He spent more time outside than ever before in his previous lives.

Solis was smiling shyly and risking sly glances at his lover while he answered-

“We lived our first life together in Versilla. This was Stratoveria, and I didn’t want to completely obliterate the history of what Leviathyn made, so we merged the two. I think it suits us. Verseria; the beauty of the past and the sweetness of the moment.”

Prentis chuckled, raising his teacup for a toast to his old friend.

“Well said,” the god smiled. He was happy Solis had finally settled down.

Their halls and courtyards often saw visitors, as Solis was a social butterfly when he was feeling up to it, and Cyndras humored his lover in all things…

Besides a deep bond with Prentis, Inyaga would often make the short journey from Quokwin to visit them, and Solis discovered with intense happiness, that the god of beasts got on very well with Cyndras, the two able to share intense and detailed communications with a single look. There was something to be said for the innate closeness between the gods of beasts, and that of life and death; things so naturally paired. Solis was pleased.

On those rare occasions that Kulao or even Euthos visited, Euthos mainly because he was bored and wanted to spread more salacious gossip, Cyndras usually made himself scarce. Solis and Cyndras had a lingering distrust for the god of love, even though the man had apologized at length and even cried into Solis’ arms one night, to the god’s great confusion, but then there was Euthos. And, frankly, if Cyn was able to quell the rumors of his and Solis’ secret love-child by him not being present, then so be it…

“And what do you suppose those four were doing in Khalkeus’ private chambers for two days, huhh?!!” The god of mischief waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Solis reached for a cookie, shrugging.

“Well, Inyaga said they were making love with e-“

“Ppppffffft-!” Euthos spit out his tea, coughing and throwing up his hands.

“...eachother.”

“What?!?!! He just TOLD you that?!

Solis blinked, “Yes? We’re friends…”

Euthos collapsed back and then hummed, a pleased and somewhat sinister smirk appearing on his face.

“Khalkeus does have some interesting skills in the bedroom. It doesn’t surprise me that the god of beats was intrigued. But Tstovin?! And Metir???! Impossible!”

Solis only shrugged again. Euthos was by and large a trouble maker, it was practically his job, but he was overall harmless. Solis was dumbfounded and more than surprised one evening when Cyndras finally thought to explain why the little devil lived and was allowed to roam free throughout Tstovin’s kingdom. He truly hadn’t considered it before…

“But,” Solis was blushing furiously. “Doesn’t Tstovin… hate him?”

Don’t we kind of all?

Cyndras smirked as he readied for bed, brushing through his long black hair and evenly parting it into strands.

“He probably does. But you know gods… doesn’t our hatred look a little bit like love in the right light?”

Cyn was exceedingly busy that first year, what with their new home being built, taking on a small Chorus of his own and advising Solis to do the same. Plus, his work was always there, lingering in the back of his mind like a bothersome little splinter. Cyn was able to balance it, of course, but between that and his personal life, there were bound to be a few… dilemmas that popped up.

Insecure and concerned that Solis might secretly miss how he used to look as a beautiful young Prince, Cyndras went one day to the goddess of art and asked her to search her relics for a painting. Miraculously, in Sichor’s brother’s archives, there was a phrase or two about him in a book about Versilla; and a portrait made when Cyndras had been seventeen lay on the opposite page.

I looked very different… perhaps Solis wishes I could be more like this young fool-

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Nothing about their life together made Cyndras think this way, but he often got jumbled up and confused about who he was; there were a truly endless number of lives colliding in his head at times; was he Cyndras, was he Cyrus, was he Ito, or was he just a god of death, and maybe all of them are insane?

“Is it possible to create a copy of this?” Cyn asked the god of art.

Sichor hummed, “Would you like to search The Mortal Realm for a suitable artist? If not, I can do a recreation. It would only take a week.”

The god of death nodded, “Yes. I think that would be preferable.”

He had yet to descend to The Mortal Realm, and truthfully, was a little hesitant to do so. With all his memories of so many past lives, Cyn wasn’t as naive and carefree as that Prince had once been…

On his way out of Grimiere, Cyn runs into the god of history. Metir gives him an odd look and a nervous smile. He looks the same as back then, and Cyndras can’t help but tease the man.

“Thank you for the roses.”

“...ah?!”

Slipping out quickly with a soft chuckle, Cyn returned to Verseria and waited patiently for his gift to be ready. When the day came, he presented the gorgeous portrait to Solis, who admired it with tears in his eyes before gently setting it down and hugging Cyn around the waist.

“Thank you,” the god of stars sighed. “I will cherish it forever-“

“Don't you…” Cyn paused, unsure, as Solis kissed behind his ear.

“Want to put it up right now? To… look at?”

Solis leaned away and smiled gently, eyes crinkling.

“Soon. I have that very same Prince in my arms, after all. How could the real thing ever compare to a painting, even one as beautiful as this…”

That night, like many others, was lost in the passion of two souls becoming one. It was as easy as breathing; to be together, to be connected in every way. Solis often thought about that old mortal phrase “my better half” and he truly did believe it when he saw the light of his stars reflected in his lover's eyes.

“I didn’t see it before, but now I do.” Kulao told them one day in Verseria.

“See what?” Solis asked, intrigued.

The god of love smiled…

“Did you know that in the case of soulmates, the fate-line will eventually repair itself? No matter what damage befalls it, the universe will always pull them back together. Again and again, throughout all eternity.”

Solis shared an awe-struck look with Cyn.

“Does that mean-”

Kulao chuckled, “Yes. Your fate-line is repaired. It took so long that I didn’t even notice, but your future has been healed. You will never have to be apart again.”

Cyn and Solis took a stroll through The Mortal Realm that evening, the first of many. Solis was pleased to be back, but Cyndras was wary. Lucky for him, the god of stars was right by his side, ready and able to soothe all his fears as they arose. Together, they explored the fresh growth of what was once the Aer Ari Forest. These days the wood was littered with paths, both man-made and carved by animals. Light posts dotted the roads’ borders at intervals, and at dusk, their candlelight flickered gently, showing the way.

Solis and Cyn got lost together, and when at last they came to a beautiful clearing beside the bank of the Lumiä Gulf, Solis held his breath, tears filling his eyes but not falling as he watched his lover stare at the moon-dusted field of purple…

Cyn bent to pick one of the flowers, and as he gazed at it, a fond smile curved his lips. Before Solis knew it, his lover was pressing the flower into his hands, the most gorgeous naked love on Cyn’s face, as the god of death presented the god of stars with the very flower that once held his soul.

Solis stared at his lover’s beauty in the dark, then at the flower’s amethyst-like glow as it absorbed both of their spiritual energy, turning immortal in their touch and crystal-clear like glass.

This is not the first life I have loved you in, my Prince… Solis thought.

And it will not be the last.

After Solis and Cyn left that evening for The Mortal Realm, Kulao returned to his home. Atrimor was beautiful, as it always was; large branches curving over a gentle, still lake spotted with lotus flowers… it was everything the god himself tried to be; peaceful, sweet, and most of all, unassuming.

Upon crossing the bridge which led to the lake and stepping foot into his intricately carved boat, Kulao traveled across the serene water, his eyes gazing off into the distance where the Alesor Mountains painted thick ridges on the horizon.

Aeris’ body lay at the base of those mountains, buried under their suffocating weight. Kulao imagined that the god’s soul likely had a difficult time finding its way out, when he’d been killed…

The god of love landed his boat on the dock which connected to the roots of his tree, but he didn’t step off. For some reason, perhaps it was seeing the new gods of Verseria today, but Kulao could not shake off the memories this time. They were as vivid in his mind’s eye as the flowers which bobbed gently, to and fro against the hull of his boat. Some of them felt like blood he could never wash off.

Kulao had been a newly born god out of Akacia when the god of war approached him and offered to take him under his wing. Aeris was already becoming quite powerful in The Heavenly Realm, and was very charming; good with his words and always ready with a kind smile. Kulao, being young and naive, fell deeply in love with him…

Swayed by the elder’s wishes, and influenced also by his own quickly developing abilities in love and fate, Kulao gave Aeris everything. The two were secretive about it, but were only romantically involved for a short while when the goddess of wealth and prosperity, Caishen, was born. Of course, Aeris was immediately there to offer Caishen a place to stay. Kulao was pushed to the side.

Too young still to know any better, thinking he’d done something wrong, Kulao went to Killera to see Aeris, but ended up discovering him in bed with Caishen instead. Embarrassed and angry, Kulao returned to Atrimor and pretended nothing had happened, secluding himself in his work for several years and finally learning some hard truths about the world…

Caishen and Aeris were romantic partners for some time, and were beloved by the Heavens. As fate would have it, Caishen eventually fell pregnant with Aeris’ child, and while Caishen was ecstatic, Aeris was not. He informed Caishen that he would take the child away as soon as it was born and abandon it in The Mortal Realm. Caishen begged to keep it, and Aeris only agreed after Caishen swore that the child would be raised by the Seraphs, and never be claimed or referred to as their son. To make matters worse, Aeris immediately pulled away from Caishen, claiming that their love affair was just that. He even spoke about how “appreciative” he would be if Caishen “stopped embarrassing herself-”

Heartbroken, Caishen went to the only person she could think of for help; the god of love. Caishen tried to beg Kulao to sever her and Aeris’ connection, but Kulao was not strong enough. If he had been, he would have severed his own fate with Aeris long ago… Instead, Kulao took care of Caishen during the months of her pregnancy, and while Caishen was despondent and devastated, Kulao bore witness yet another of Aeris’ conquests falling for him, and then being horribly disappointed.

Once the child was born, Caishen refused to see it, claiming the baby was the reason she and Aeris didn’t last. Kulao took the child to Aeris’ Seraph and told them to raise the boy to be the greatest soldier The Heavenly Realm had ever known. When Kulao returned to Atrimor however, he found that Caishen had transformed himself into a man and was adamant that nothing had happened. When Kulao mentioned anything about the last few months, or his and Aeris’ relationship, or the child, Caishen pretended he couldn’t hear.

When Caishen returned to Killera, Aeris also acted like nothing had changed. He continued his partnership with Caishen, now as mere business partners, with Caishen taking on a large role as Aeris’ event organizer and mouthpiece. Desperate to do everything he could to make Aeris need him in any way, Caishen devoted himself to gaining more and more power, and serving Aeris as well as he could.

Meanwhile, having seen firsthand the heartbreak Aeris caused, not only in The Heavenly Realm but with the mortals too; through his various affairs and callous wars which ripped loved ones apart, Kulao wished desperately to use his abilities to sever Aeris’ fate, ending his control over both realms, unfortunately, he still could not. Despite the fact of his power not being great enough to influence a god’s fate, Kulao also knew that all the blame would fall on him if anything befell the god of war’s destiny…

So, Kulao waited.

After a very long time, an innocent little god named Solis was born in The Heavenly Realm. Kulao watched the god and his young lover for years; the two of them soulmates unlike anything the world had ever known. Deciding that using the strength of their love was his best chance to get revenge on Aeris, Kulao set a plan into motion.

As soulmates, even if Solis’ fate with the young Prince were to be severed, their fate would eventually repair itself. Solis was so in love with Cyn, and so young, that Kulao knew he would do anything to keep the Prince alive. Even defy the gods.

Kulao descended to The Mortal Realm disguised as a gust of wind, and was able to steal Solis’ heavenly weapon and use it to kill Cyndras. In the end, Aeris came to Kulao to see the couple’s fate, and for that, Kulao was ready. He showed Aeris a false image of their lines; one on which Cyndras’ fate was to end Aeris’ life. Kulao knew that with Aeris’ pride and self-righteous heart, he could not allow that to come true.

Eventually, by the grace of the gods, it did. Kulao received his revenge in the form of his old lover’s body buried under so many miles of stone. It may have taken several thousands of years, but what’s a few millennia between gods?