CENTURIES AGO - PART VIII

"IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY TOMORROW."

Delilah glanced up at Helio, to where he was sitting opposite her at the table, blinking in surprise. Her birthday had never meant much to her, so this wasn't the first time she had forgotten it had neared, but Helio always had placed a lot of importance on it. Honestly, she did appreciate it, because all immortality had given her was a certain numbness only he could make disappear. She adored him for that, the way he let everything matter still.

"Another year together," she smiled," and my mother hasn't tried killing anyone yet, so that's celebration worthy."

She hadn't heard of her mother ever since she had been crowned the new Soulweaver. The whispers of the gods however did travel to her, some presuming her dead, others thinking she was biding her time until she had found a way to kill them both. Delilah didn't know if she truly believed that. Her mother had been a lot of things, but she would never hurt her. It wasn't herself she was worried about, but Helio. Over the years she had heard her mother repeat to her often enough about how she would let nothing take her daughter away from her. If Helio had not been one of the strongest gods in this universe, she didn't doubt her mother would have killed him years ago.

How foolish. In the end the person who had driven them apart had been her mother herself after all. Sometimes Delilah still woke up from dreams where she was caged in a world with no air. She would never go back to that place again. In a way, Helio was her savior. More than that, he was the love of her life. She leaned her chin on her hands, smiling as she looked at him.

"You know I'd do anything for you, right?" she said," I'd burn this whole world to the ground."

"You wouldn't," Helio said, a smile tugging at his lips," you love the humans, Lilah, I know you do. You may complain to others about the work, but I see the way you weave their souls so gently, the way you watch their fates intertwine."

"You're right," she admitted," I like the human world. I like how they're allowed to make mistakes and grow, without having to be perfect. Perhaps I should have been born human."

"I'm glad you haven't," he said, standing up to walk to her side," I don't know what I would've done without you."

"I still mean it though," Delilah said, looking up at him," I would do anything for you."

"As would I, for you," he said, lowering himself to the floor as he took her hands in his," I'd even abandon my duty, Lilah, if you asked."

"I would never ask that of you," she said, squeezing his hands," I know your duty is your life and that's one of the reasons I love you so. So though I'll kill for you, if the threads of fate ever pull me apart, I don't want you to do the same for me. It would break you, Helio, and I would never want to see you like that."

"Let us not speak of this," he said, rising to his feet," such an event will never happen, I will not allow it to. Instead, tell me, Lilah, what do you want as a present this year?"

"I know you've already gotten one for me," she said," you're terrible at hiding things, Helio. It's wrapped in our room with a big bow underneath our bed, how'd you think I wouldn't find it?"

"I thought I did a better job at hiding it this year," Helio frowned, before adding," it's okay, I know you wouldn't open it."

"What can I say," she smiled," I like surprises."

"Still," he said," if there's anything you desire, tell me, I'll get it for you at once. One present is not enough." He glanced at her bare neck then, voice gentle. "A necklace, perhaps?"

She hadn't worn one ever since she escaped her mother's grasp. The woman had loved to decorate her in jewels like a doll, but she had to admit that now, more than a century later, she did miss the way the gemstones would catch in the light whenever she walked. Besides, she had long not been a doll anymore.

"Perhaps," she smiled," whatever you like, Helio, I'll love anything you'll get me."

A blush tinted his cheeks, a sight she knew would flabbergast all the gods at Vox Dei. There he was strict, diligent, the ever dutiful Reaper. Here, he was only a love-struck man who wanted to do what was right. She loved both sides of him, but the vulnerable part of him was one which had a special place in her heart. With a smile she got up as well, softly placing a kiss on his lips, a promise of her own love.

"I'll go to the human world now," she said," I need to finish some work there today."

"Do you need help?" he asked.

"You're already busy enough as is, Helio," she said warmly," there's no need. Besides, I'll be taking someone along."

"Someone useful, I hope?" Helio asked.

"Unfortunately not, but thankfully I'm handsome enough to compensate for that."

Brief gentleness flashed in Helio's eyes when he saw Niccolo, quickly replaced by his usual serious expression. He didn't talk about his feelings often, but Delilah knew he cared for Niccolo. The oracle was both untouchable as tortured by his powers, a feeling both she and Helio knew all too well. That made him the only god Helio allowed close enough, the two of them always a strange sight together with how different their personalities were.

"How are you, Niccolo?" he asked," I heard your visions are becoming more frequent. Let me know if I can help, in any way at all."

Niccolo's eyes became troubled at the mention of his visions, but he quickly waved it off. "You don't need to worry, Helio. This often happens when a big prophecy is nearing, so there's nothing you can do to speed the process along. My fanatics are telling me it's a sign something is going to dramatically change soon, to the scale that all the gods will be affected."

Helio frowned, Niccolo taking that as a sign of interest as he continued, his voice pleasant to the ear, even when he was talking about death.

"The last prophecy I had of this scale was of a planet disappearing. We don't have many left anymore, so hopefully this isn't the same thing. After all, there can't be gods without people to worship them."

"I don't care about that," Helio said," whatever happens, will happen, life and death are necessary, there is no need to fear either."

"Then why were you frowning?" Niccolo blinked.

"I don't like you spending too much time in that temple of yours, Niccolo," Helio said, shaking his head," those followers make you believe that your prophecies are the only thing that should be leaving your lips. I don't want to speed the process along, I want to help alleviate your pain. You can stay here until you're better, or until whenever you want."

Niccolo stared at him, silent for once, his gaze flicking to the snakes on his arms then.

"I can't stay away from the temple for too long," he said," you know that, Helio."

"I do," Helio said," and I'm still giving you the offer. Anyway, I'll talk to your followers later, tell them they need to leave you alone."

Delilah couldn't help but be proud of Helio, of how he had been able to voice his emotions more and more over the years. He was taught to suppress every part of him that wasn't useful for the job and she knew all too well how hard it was to break habits. She turned to Niccolo then, his followers beginning to irk her more and more as well. Why couldn't they leave him alone?

"I'll kill them all," she said," they seem to have forgotten who they serve if all they do is bother you."

"Believe me, I've tried," Niccolo chuckled softly," but new ones pop up just as quick. What can I say? Apparently I'm very loveable."

"Apparently," Delilah chuckled," anyway, let's go or it'll be late."

Niccolo nodded, but right before he stepped through the portal he looked over his shoulder at Helio, a vulnerability on his face which looked foreign on him.

"Thank you," he said.

"There's no need to thank me," Helio said," we're friends."

Niccolo didn't reply to that, but he didn't need to. Delilah knew how much those words meant to him, just like she knew Niccolo loved her. He did, more than a friend would, but he would never act on it. His respect for Helio was too much for him to ever do so, not to mention that he had probably already seen his heartbreak in his own flames before it had started. All she could do now was pretend everything was okay as she wished for him to be happy, truly and carelessly happy, for the first time in his life. He deserved it, more than anyone.

She had come down to Earth to check on a few souls which had been difficult to spin, to make sure they hadn't fallen apart in the meanwhile. Sometimes she could still restore them, if she was in time, but often they were too far gone, threads pulled out too far for her to save them. A brief melancholy filled her as she watched one of the souls of today fall apart as his wife left with their children, the only thing in his home empty bottles of liquor. He chugged another one empty, the magic she had used to hold up his body beginning to give away quicker than it should have.

"You poor soul," she said softly, crouching down in front of him, even though he couldn't see her," you'll return with me, soon enough. I'll spin another life for you, this time."

Niccolo watched her warmly, before all of a sudden his face started to pale. His irises became such a pale blue that they seemed colorless, his whole body convulsing. Delilah immediately grabbed him, trying to insert her magic to stop the prophecy from having too high of a toll on his body, but she couldn't help him. The wind started raging around them, whirling as it took along everything in it's path, the glass shattering as the man screamed. Delilah didn't care about any of it though, as long as Niccolo would be alright.

His hair was flickering like flames, the snakes on his arms hissing as blood started coming out of his nose, his ears, his mouth. He attempted to claw away at his eyes, but she grabbed his hands, pulling them away before he could hurt himself. The incoherent words which had been leaving his lips in a chant strung together in a sentence filled with such desperation that she could almost feel the tears forming in his eyes. What kind of horror was being bestowed upon him?

"Don't!" he screamed," don't let me see this." He breathed out, begging. "Please."

And then it was over, as quickly as it had come. She let out a sigh of relief as she wiped the blood off his chin, though he coughed up more a second later. This wasn't the first time she had seen him have a prophecy nor the first time she had seen the toll of it on his body, but she had never seen him this emotionally affected before. He kept staring at his hands, gaze far away as slowly, one tear escaped down his cheek.

"Are you alright, Nico?" she asked, worried.

He looked up at her then, wiping the tear off as he got up, the mask he usually put on breaking.

"Of course I am," he said," excuse me, but I have to go."

"Nico," she began, but he was already gone.